When the climate changes, so does the way it is told. Today’s television serials address the environmental crisis by crossing genres and languages: from immersive reportage to procedural thriller, from family drama to intimate science fiction. Guiding the narrative is an attempt to shape the tensions, contradictions and possibilities opened up by a global crisis. Five titles, five perspectives to observe the climate emergency from unprecedented angles.
Pole to Pole with Will Smith
For those seeking a wide-ranging documentary journey. The series marks Will Smith’s return to science outreach after One Strange Rock and Welcome to Earth. Released in January 2026 on Disney+ and National Geographic, it was made over five years and follows a 100-day journey through the Amazon, Himalayas and Arctic Circle. During the Amazon expedition documented in the series, Smith joined a team of researchers in collecting small tissue samples from a female anaconda about 5 meters long for genetic analysis. The data obtained led, in 2024, to the scientific description of a new species: Eunectes akayima, a new northern green anaconda specimen. More than just travelogue, the program combines direct observation, meetings with researchers and extreme landscapes to return a diverse picture of global environmental conditions.
After the Flood – Season 2
For those who follow procedurals and seek a narrative set in the present. Detective Jo Marshall returns to investigate in a United Kingdom affected by fires, landslides, and floods. The environmental crisis is not the explicit theme of the series, but the structural condition of the narrative: it impedes movement, slows investigations, and compromises evidence. The genre remains that of the classic investigative thriller, but the climatic backdrop affects the plots, the dynamics between characters, and the possible solutions. The second season has aired on ITV1 and ITVX since January 18, 2026, while internationally the series is available on BritBox.
An Optimist’s Guide to the Planet – Season 2
For those who prefer solutions to problems. Released in October 2025, the second season of the program hosted by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is now available on Bloomberg TV, Bloomberg.com, Samsung TV+, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube. The six new episodes follow him between India, Ecuador and Paris, documenting marine regeneration projects, community water management and sustainable technologies developed on a local scale. The tone remains observational and concrete: no idealization, but practical cases showing real possibilities for action and obstacles yet to be overcome.
Families Like Ours
For those seeking intimate cli-fi. Set in a Denmark forced to evacuate due to rising seas, this drama directed by Thomas Vinterberg chronicles the gradual displacement of the population, regulated by a bureaucratic apparatus that assigns new destinations based on technical criteria. At the center is a family grappling with difficult decisions and forced separations. The series highlights how the same emergency has different repercussions, depending on class, economic possibilities and available safety net. Presented at the Venice Film Festival 2024, it is released in Denmark in October 2024, in the UK on BBC Four in May 2025, and in the US on Netflix in June 2025.
The Dream Lands
For those waiting for upcoming news. Currently in production for the BBC, this drama series is based on the novel Dreamland by Rosa Rankin-Gee and is set in a near future marked by climate crisis, housing insecurity and social inequality. The book chronicles the forced displacement of families from the capital to marginal coastal areas and follows a young 17-year-old protagonist, Chance, as she grapples with poverty, emotional relationships, and a gradually disintegrating urban fabric. The series, written by BAFTA-winning screenwriter Kayleigh Llewellyn and consisting of six episodes, began filming in February 2025 between Weston-super-Mare and Margate. The cast includes Anna Friel, Connor Swindells, Katherine Parkinson, and Golda Rosheuvel. It is scheduled to air during 2026, but the BBC has not yet released a final release date.
