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Life After People | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Created by | David de Vries |
Narrated by | James Lurie |
Country of origin | United States |
No. of seasons | 2 (+ 1 special) |
No. of episodes | 20 (+ 1 special) |
Production | |
Running time | 45 minutes |
Production company | Flight 33 Productions |
Original release | |
Network | History |
Release | January 21, 2008 March 16, 2010 | –
Life After People is a television series on which scientists, mechanical engineers, and other experts speculate about what might become of planet Earth if humanity suddenly disappeared. The featured experts also talk about the impact of human absence on the environment and the vestiges of civilization thus left behind. The series was preceded by a two-hour special that aired on January 21, 2008, on the History Channel which served as a de facto pilot for the series that premiered April 21, 2009. The documentary and subsequent series were both narrated by James Lurie.
The program does not speculate on how humanity may disappear, stipulating only that it has, and that it has done so suddenly, leaving everything behind including household pets and livestock that have to fend for themselves. The thought experiment is based on documented results of the sudden removal of humans from a geographical area and thus, the discontinuation of the maintenance of buildings and urban infrastructure. Lurie's narration begins:
What would happen if every human on Earth disappeared? This isn't the story of how we might vanish...it is the story of what will happen to the world we leave behind.
The series' episodes thematically offer examples of urban and biological decay. The focus is on specific locations such as skyscrapers, religious icons, bridges and dams, and government buildings, and the fate of certain related objects, such as artifacts, documents and human bodies. The fate of some kinds of flora and fauna are covered as well. Each episode also contains a segment in which experts examine real locations that have been abandoned by people, including ghost towns and other sites of deterioration, where the deterioration has been caused by events similar to those outlined in the episode. Although the series speculates on the fates of landmarks around the world, the main focus is on situations that may occur at locations in the United States.
The various events that may occur after people disappear suddenly are depicted using CGI dramatizations. The timeline of predicted events begins approximately one day after the disappearance of humankind and extends at various intervals up to one hundred million years into the future.
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | |||
Special | January 21, 2008 | |||
1 | 10 | April 21, 2009 | June 23, 2009 | |
2 | 10 | January 5, 2010 | March 16, 2010 |
Title | Original air date | |
---|---|---|
"Life After People" | January 21, 2008 | |
Pripyat, abandoned towns on islands off the coast of Maine, and tunnels under New York City are highlighted in this documentary to show how the landscape of our planet would drastically change in the event of human absence. |
No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | "The Bodies Left Behind" | April 21, 2009 | |
This episode looks at the future of cities like
Boston and
Houston and their static structures after the disappearance of humanity and what will happen to the human bodies that are
buried,
embalmed, and
mummified, as well as the fate of the
Immortality Drive inside the
International Space Station,
cryonically frozen bodies and human
embryos, and parrots. This episode also examines the fate of the
Astrodome, the
Bunker Hill Bridge, the
John Hancock Tower, the
JPMorgan Chase Tower, the
Sistine Chapel and the
Statue of Liberty. The episode also explores
Hashima Island in Japan, which was formerly host to several coal mines, but was left to nature in 1974 as the mines became depleted, having since become a tourist attraction as a result of its well-preserved ruins and as a site of industrial heritage. | ||||
2 | 2 | "Outbreak" | April 28, 2009 | |
This episode predicts the uncontrolled encroachment of nature upon the abandoned cities of
Chicago,
Atlanta and
London, and how deadly viruses, like the one that causes
rabies, could spawn out of control as the populations of escaped pets and other animals, like
wild hogs and the
corgis belonging to Queen
Elizabeth II at
Buckingham Palace, could explode without the interference of humanity. This episode also examines the fate of
Big Ben, the
John Hancock Center, the
L train, the
Sears Tower,
Wrigley Field and the
Confederate Memorial Carving, the latter of which may last for more than 5,000 years. The episode also explores nearby
Gary, Indiana, portions of which were abandoned by people in the late 1970s. | ||||
3 | 3 | "The Capital Threat" | May 5, 2009 | |
In a life after people, the forces of nature could consume Washington, D.C. and America's national treasures as they fall into ruin, zoo animals could escape their enclosures, and Los Angeles could burn in an inferno, suffer a massive earthquake, and eventually return to its original state before it became civilized by humans. The episode also explores
Angkor Wat in Cambodia, which, while not fully abandoned, was largely neglected for centuries before its impressive preserved architecture and long history attracted renewed interest. | ||||
4 | 4 | "Heavy Metal" | May 12, 2009 | |
This episode projects how long the nation's buildings and bridges will stand before the elements consume the steel and concrete, from the
Empire State Building,
Chrysler Building,
Brooklyn Bridge and the
Roosevelt Island Tramway in New York City to the
Gateway Arch in
St. Louis, and how once domesticated animals, like horses, will return to wild herds that roam America's grasslands. The episode also examines the ghost town of
Rhyolite, Nevada, a town its designers wanted to rival Chicago, which was abandoned by people around 1910, and now stands remarkably intact, preserved by the dry air and regularly described as 'one of the most photographed ghost towns in the West'. | ||||
5 | 5 | "The Invaders" | May 20, 2009 | |
After the disappearance of humanity, sandstorms could sweep through
Phoenix, Miami and Shanghai might disappear into the ocean, and invasive plants and animals such as
Burmese pythons will spread uncontrolled. Also included is the fate of the
Taj Mahal in India, the
Kennedy Space Center, the
Grand Canyon Skywalk, and the
Seven Mile Bridge in the
Florida Keys. The episode also explores the village of
Tyneham, England, which was requisitioned by the War Office in 1943 during World War II in preparation for the
D-Day landings, and has remained under the ownership of the military ever since as a test range. | ||||
6 | 6 | "Bound and Buried" | May 26, 2009 | |
In a post-apocalyptic future, even sealed artifacts such as the
Liberty Bell and the
United States Declaration of Independence in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the seeds of the
Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway will not survive indefinitely. Wolf populations and
feral dogs struggle to survive. In San Francisco cables snap on the
Golden Gate Bridge and the
cable cars are sent careening through the streets, while the
Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur survive longer than most other modern towers. In Paris, the fate of the
Mona Lisa, the prehistoric
Lascaux caves, the modern
Lascaux II replica, the
Venus de Milo and the
Notre-Dame de Paris are shown. The episode also examines
Centralia, Pennsylvania, which was largely abandoned in 1984 because of a
coal-seam fire burning beneath the town that continues to rage to this day. | ||||
7 | 7 | "Sin City Meltdown" | June 2, 2009 | |
This episode predicts how the gambling meccas of humankind will deteriorate without people; rats invade
Las Vegas, Nevada, the famous hotels such as the
Stratosphere Tower and the
Luxor Las Vegas crumble to dust, the
Las Vegas sign falls off its post, and the wax statues of celebrities at the
Madame Tussauds museum melt under exposure to the hot desert air.
Atlantic City is destroyed as ocean waves and hurricanes smash through casinos, break up the boardwalk and piers and tarnish the fate of
Lucy the Elephant. Camels go wild in North America, like their ancestors, and are transformed after the next ice age. Over thousands of years, the
Voyager space probes are battered by impacts from dust and debris, leaving few recognizable remnants of humanity behind. The episode also examines the
Americana Amusement Park in
Monroe, Ohio, showing how degraded it has become after only recently having been abandoned in 2002. | ||||
8 | 8 | "Armed & Defenseless" | June 9, 2009 | |
In a future without people, the machines of war deteriorate; nuclear submarines lie on the ocean floor, and the
USS Missouri is the target of a renewed "attack" on
Pearl Harbor, as the ship transforms into a plant-covered island. Most dairy cows die, but a few survive and adapt to life on America's plains alongside thriving herds of
bison. This episode also examines
Aloha Tower in
Honolulu, the
Wells Fargo Center in
Denver and
North Brother Island off of New York City, which was abandoned around 1960. | ||||
9 | 9 | "The Road To Nowhere" | June 16, 2009 | |
This episode looks at how vehicles will deteriorate without people, how America's automobile plants and transportation symbols such as the
Renaissance Center and the
Ambassador Bridge will shatter in Detroit's harsh winters, and how unattended oil refineries will explode. In
San Antonio the
Alamo falls to a new invader, and the
Tower Life Building meets its demise. Also, animals adapt,
armadillos spread, some dogs rekindle their hunting instincts, and
longhorn cattle flourish once again. This episode also examines the
Packard plant and the 60 square miles (160 km2) of Detroit which were abandoned in the 1960s. | ||||
10 | 10 | "Waters Of Death" | June 23, 2009 | |
In a world devoid of humans, water floods cities like
New Orleans and
Seattle. The marine animals housed inside the
former city's aquarium die off.
Head lice become extinct without human hosts. The fate of Seattle's symbolic
Space Needle is shown as the city reverts to a
salt marsh, and the humid atmosphere over the Arabian Peninsula wrecks the space-age structures of
Dubai, including the
Burj Al Arab hotel. The fate of
Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow is shown and Louisiana's tallest building,
One Shell Square, collapses. The episode examines the areas of New Orleans that were damaged by
Hurricane Katrina and were left in ruins after the flood water receded. |
No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|
11 | 1 | "Wrath of God" | January 5, 2010 | |
This episode predicts the fate of humanity's religious symbols and artefacts after the disappearance of humans – such as the
Christ the Redeemer statue which stands over
Rio de Janeiro, the
Crystal Cathedral and the
Memorial Coliseum in Southern California, the
Colosseum, the
Jubilee Church and
St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, and the
Shroud of Turin. Rattlesnakes thrive in the
American Southwest, and shepherd dogs, following the instincts bred into them by humans, continue to protect sheep for several generations. The episode also examines
Kolmanskop, a desert town in
Namibia established by the Germans during a
diamond rush, and abandoned in the 1960s, having remained in remarkable condition thanks to the arid environment of the surrounding
Namib Desert. | ||||
12 | 2 | "Toxic Revenge" | January 12, 2010 | |
In a life after people, toxic materials leak into the environment without human intervention:
spent nuclear fuel rods spontaneously burst into flames,
chlorine gas spills out of tanks and turns lakes into deadly acid, and in New York City underground
methane gas originates from
Grand Central Terminal and leaks into the adjacent
MetLife Building, which eventually ignites an explosion. Cargo ships from the
Great Lakes drift past the fallen
International Railway Bridge and tumble over the edge of
Niagara Falls.
Raccoons use homes as a temporary paradise. The episode also features
Picher, Oklahoma, a toxic former lead mining town which has been slowly abandoned ever since the 1970s. | ||||
13 | 3 | "Crypt of Civilization" | January 19, 2010 | |
This episode looks at how crypts, safes, vaults and
time capsules survive in a post-apocalyptic world, including a visit to the mysterious "
Crypt of Civilization" at
Oglethorpe University in
Atlanta, Georgia, the
Gherkin in London, the
Marine Corps War Memorial and the
Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Military-trained
German Shepherds battle
coyotes in the wild and the
remains of naval hero
John Paul Jones are entombed by
rising sea levels in
Annapolis, Maryland. The proposed
KEO satellite,
Rosetta disks (focusing on one at the
Smithsonian Institution), and the prototype
10,000-year clock meet their fates in the far future. The episode also examines
Norwich State Hospital in Connecticut, sections of which were abandoned between 1970 and 1995. | ||||
14 | 4 | "The Last Supper" | January 26, 2010 | |
In a world without people, humanity's food supplies decay as supermarkets turn into breeding grounds for insects and vermin, humidity causes
Leonardo da Vinci's mural
The Last Supper in the
Santa Maria delle Grazie to crumble, and both the landmark
Randy's Donuts restaurant in Los Angeles and the restaurant atop
Taipei 101 in Taiwan eventually succumb to the force of gravity.
Snack cakes - including a
certain brand known for its longevity - survive at least 25 years thanks to the
preservatives inside them, but are outlasted by jars of honey, which can remain edible for millennia. The episode also includes footage from the Mexia Supermarket in
Fort Worth, Texas, which sat abandoned for three months in 1999 with all its contents still inside after its owners went bankrupt and fled the USA, leaving a horrendous clean-up operation in their wake. This episode also examines the
Tranquille Farms in the
British Columbia Interior, which were abandoned and closed in 1985, and have since started returning to a natural state. | ||||
15 | 5 | "Home Wrecked Homes" | February 2, 2010 | |
This episode predicts the apocalyptic fate of homes—from the
Stahl House outside Los Angeles to
the San Remo in New York City.
Co-op City sinks beneath the tide and
Dubai's
Burj Khalifa (the tallest building in the world) corrodes and collapses. Gas leaks turn suburban homes such as
Levittown into infernos, a hidden flaw topples
Hearst Castle,
linseed oil in paint-soaked rags causes some high-end homes, including the San Remo apartments, to explode in flames, and the contents of the
Bettman/Corbis Archive in Pennsylvania meet a tragic fate.
Bobcats use abandoned houses as dens, and zebras from the
Hearst Castle private zoo escape and survive for generations. The episode also visits the picturesque Italian commune of
Balestrino, which has an old section that was completely abandoned due to geologic instability, with its residents moving the centre of the town to the foot of the hill on which the old buildings are built on. | ||||
16 | 6 | "Holiday Hell" | February 9, 2010 | |
Vacation destinations and holiday treasures are featured in this episode; fireworks factories explode with no people to see the event, sand inside
Knott's Berry Farm's
Silver Bullet roller coaster is the key to its destruction, and domesticated reindeer join herds of wild caribou, only to be hunted by wolves. Lions escape the
San Diego Wild Animal Park and fill the ecological role
American lions once had. Nearby
Palm Springs is consumed by the desert, its
aerial tramway suffers a catastrophic failure, and its
wind turbines shatter. In Detroit, Aldrige's Always Christmas store witnesses a not-so-jolly scene as the power goes out, only to later experience a somewhat more natural festive display when the winter weather blows snow inside, while plants compete for shelf space with decorations and
fruitcake, which can survive for at least 130 years if prepared and stored properly. Meanwhile, while
domestic turkeys struggle to survive, their
wild counterparts continue to thrive. This episode also examines the
Salton Sea and
Salton City, California, a town once intended to be a resort community, but these plans never materialised, with some areas left in an eerie state of rust and
urban decay. | ||||
17 | 7 | "Waves of Devastation" | February 16, 2010 | |
This episode examines the effects of water on humanity's structures.
Rotterdam and
Amsterdam flood as
levees fail, washing away the treasures of the
Boijmans Museum, while
Sacramento is first swamped, then destroyed when the
Folsom Dam ruptures. Non-native
Asian carp, long the bane of boaters and conservationists, slip through human-made barriers to invade the
Great Lakes, but must compete with another invasive species: the
sea lamprey. The
Trans-Alaska Pipeline spills its hazardous contents, the
Santa Monica Pier sinks into the ocean, the
Sydney Opera House caves in, and the
Sydney Harbour Bridge tears apart. The episode also explores the former Soviet coal mining town of
Pyramiden on the
Svalbard archipelago, abandoned in 1998 when the mine closed. Pyramiden will likely remain intact for many years, as a combination of deliberate maintenance for tourists visiting the area and cold arctic temperatures have preserved the town's architecture. | ||||
18 | 8 | "Sky's the Limit" | March 2, 2010 | |
Human neglect affects the world's skies and aeronautic icons, including
Air Force One, the
Theme Building and a
control tower at
Los Angeles International Airport, the
Spirit of St. Louis in the
National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., and the
KVLY-TV mast in
North Dakota. Elsewhere,
Rocky Mountain locusts invade the cities in the
Midwest,
Mount Everest's ice preserves artifacts left by climbers and even the bodies of climbers who died on its summit, and the migratory patterns of birds and even the weather are affected by the absence of humankind patrolling the skies. The solar-powered radio station
KTAO continues broadcasting long after humans are gone, thanks to its efficient
solar panels.
Cassini makes a crash landing on
Saturn's moon
Enceladus, leading to
extremophile bacteria from Earth that had been present inside the probe colonizing its possible water ocean and possibly causing life to evolve on it. The episode also visits
RCAF Station Edgar in
Oro-Medonte, Ontario, a
Cold War radar site which was abandoned in 1999, and the aging
Berlin Tempelhof Airport in Germany which was closed in 2008. | ||||
19 | 9 | "Depths of Destruction" | March 9, 2010 | |
The underground and underwater world suffers a destructive destiny in a post-human era. The
NORAD
operations facility comes under assault, but the
echo chambers below the foundation of the
Capitol Records Building in Los Angeles outlast the structure's downfall. The subterranean
Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico are repopulated by bats, mineral rich water and geothermal heating means the already gigantic
gypsum crystals inside the
Naica Mine's
Cave of the Crystals grow larger still, and humankind's former geothermal power sites such as
the Geysers in northern California relinquish their strength to geologic forces. The
SEA Underground system at
Seattle's airport is disabled, the
Underwater Sculpture Gardens outside of
St. George's, Grenada provides new foundations for growing
coral reefs, and
Prairie dogs reclaim their territory in
Lubbock. The episode features the
Bonne Terre Mine, which was closed in 1962 and subsequently became partially flooded, and also the
steamboat Arabia in
Parkville, Missouri. | ||||
20 | 10 | "Take Me To Your Leader" | March 16, 2010 | |
This episode analyzes how structures and testaments devoted to world leaders factor adversely without human sustainment, among them include the
White House, the
Palace of Versailles,
Thomas Jefferson's home at
Monticello, the
Secretariat Building and the
General Assembly Chamber of the
United Nations Headquarters, and the
Hall of Supreme Harmony in China's
Forbidden City. The
entombed body of
Ulysses S. Grant is buried for the first time in history when the
London planes that grow nearby generate enough soil to cover the tomb's sarcophagus, and
Mao Zedong's mysterious body at the
Mausoleum of Mao Zedong submits to the quirks of his embalmers. As a result of his owner's disappearance, the dependent life of
Barack Obama's dog, "
Bo," is transformed as he embarks on an adventure into the wilderness. The episode also examines the aftermath of the
Hiroshima bomb on the
San Francisco Naval Shipyard in
Hunters Point. |
A&E Home Video has released these DVDs:
That of the original documentary:
That of the first season of the series:
That of the second season of the series:
The two-hour special documentary had an audience of 5.4 million viewers and was the most watched program ever on the History Channel. [1] The program was broadcast in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 and narrated by Struan Rodger on May 29, 2008 and in Australia on Channel Seven on November 25, 2008, edited down to air for 90 minutes and included additional footage of a decaying Sydney Harbour Bridge, with narration by Australian television presenter Simon Reeve. [2]
![]() | This article has multiple issues. Please help
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|
Life After People | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Created by | David de Vries |
Narrated by | James Lurie |
Country of origin | United States |
No. of seasons | 2 (+ 1 special) |
No. of episodes | 20 (+ 1 special) |
Production | |
Running time | 45 minutes |
Production company | Flight 33 Productions |
Original release | |
Network | History |
Release | January 21, 2008 March 16, 2010 | –
Life After People is a television series on which scientists, mechanical engineers, and other experts speculate about what might become of planet Earth if humanity suddenly disappeared. The featured experts also talk about the impact of human absence on the environment and the vestiges of civilization thus left behind. The series was preceded by a two-hour special that aired on January 21, 2008, on the History Channel which served as a de facto pilot for the series that premiered April 21, 2009. The documentary and subsequent series were both narrated by James Lurie.
The program does not speculate on how humanity may disappear, stipulating only that it has, and that it has done so suddenly, leaving everything behind including household pets and livestock that have to fend for themselves. The thought experiment is based on documented results of the sudden removal of humans from a geographical area and thus, the discontinuation of the maintenance of buildings and urban infrastructure. Lurie's narration begins:
What would happen if every human on Earth disappeared? This isn't the story of how we might vanish...it is the story of what will happen to the world we leave behind.
The series' episodes thematically offer examples of urban and biological decay. The focus is on specific locations such as skyscrapers, religious icons, bridges and dams, and government buildings, and the fate of certain related objects, such as artifacts, documents and human bodies. The fate of some kinds of flora and fauna are covered as well. Each episode also contains a segment in which experts examine real locations that have been abandoned by people, including ghost towns and other sites of deterioration, where the deterioration has been caused by events similar to those outlined in the episode. Although the series speculates on the fates of landmarks around the world, the main focus is on situations that may occur at locations in the United States.
The various events that may occur after people disappear suddenly are depicted using CGI dramatizations. The timeline of predicted events begins approximately one day after the disappearance of humankind and extends at various intervals up to one hundred million years into the future.
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | |||
Special | January 21, 2008 | |||
1 | 10 | April 21, 2009 | June 23, 2009 | |
2 | 10 | January 5, 2010 | March 16, 2010 |
Title | Original air date | |
---|---|---|
"Life After People" | January 21, 2008 | |
Pripyat, abandoned towns on islands off the coast of Maine, and tunnels under New York City are highlighted in this documentary to show how the landscape of our planet would drastically change in the event of human absence. |
No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | "The Bodies Left Behind" | April 21, 2009 | |
This episode looks at the future of cities like
Boston and
Houston and their static structures after the disappearance of humanity and what will happen to the human bodies that are
buried,
embalmed, and
mummified, as well as the fate of the
Immortality Drive inside the
International Space Station,
cryonically frozen bodies and human
embryos, and parrots. This episode also examines the fate of the
Astrodome, the
Bunker Hill Bridge, the
John Hancock Tower, the
JPMorgan Chase Tower, the
Sistine Chapel and the
Statue of Liberty. The episode also explores
Hashima Island in Japan, which was formerly host to several coal mines, but was left to nature in 1974 as the mines became depleted, having since become a tourist attraction as a result of its well-preserved ruins and as a site of industrial heritage. | ||||
2 | 2 | "Outbreak" | April 28, 2009 | |
This episode predicts the uncontrolled encroachment of nature upon the abandoned cities of
Chicago,
Atlanta and
London, and how deadly viruses, like the one that causes
rabies, could spawn out of control as the populations of escaped pets and other animals, like
wild hogs and the
corgis belonging to Queen
Elizabeth II at
Buckingham Palace, could explode without the interference of humanity. This episode also examines the fate of
Big Ben, the
John Hancock Center, the
L train, the
Sears Tower,
Wrigley Field and the
Confederate Memorial Carving, the latter of which may last for more than 5,000 years. The episode also explores nearby
Gary, Indiana, portions of which were abandoned by people in the late 1970s. | ||||
3 | 3 | "The Capital Threat" | May 5, 2009 | |
In a life after people, the forces of nature could consume Washington, D.C. and America's national treasures as they fall into ruin, zoo animals could escape their enclosures, and Los Angeles could burn in an inferno, suffer a massive earthquake, and eventually return to its original state before it became civilized by humans. The episode also explores
Angkor Wat in Cambodia, which, while not fully abandoned, was largely neglected for centuries before its impressive preserved architecture and long history attracted renewed interest. | ||||
4 | 4 | "Heavy Metal" | May 12, 2009 | |
This episode projects how long the nation's buildings and bridges will stand before the elements consume the steel and concrete, from the
Empire State Building,
Chrysler Building,
Brooklyn Bridge and the
Roosevelt Island Tramway in New York City to the
Gateway Arch in
St. Louis, and how once domesticated animals, like horses, will return to wild herds that roam America's grasslands. The episode also examines the ghost town of
Rhyolite, Nevada, a town its designers wanted to rival Chicago, which was abandoned by people around 1910, and now stands remarkably intact, preserved by the dry air and regularly described as 'one of the most photographed ghost towns in the West'. | ||||
5 | 5 | "The Invaders" | May 20, 2009 | |
After the disappearance of humanity, sandstorms could sweep through
Phoenix, Miami and Shanghai might disappear into the ocean, and invasive plants and animals such as
Burmese pythons will spread uncontrolled. Also included is the fate of the
Taj Mahal in India, the
Kennedy Space Center, the
Grand Canyon Skywalk, and the
Seven Mile Bridge in the
Florida Keys. The episode also explores the village of
Tyneham, England, which was requisitioned by the War Office in 1943 during World War II in preparation for the
D-Day landings, and has remained under the ownership of the military ever since as a test range. | ||||
6 | 6 | "Bound and Buried" | May 26, 2009 | |
In a post-apocalyptic future, even sealed artifacts such as the
Liberty Bell and the
United States Declaration of Independence in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the seeds of the
Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway will not survive indefinitely. Wolf populations and
feral dogs struggle to survive. In San Francisco cables snap on the
Golden Gate Bridge and the
cable cars are sent careening through the streets, while the
Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur survive longer than most other modern towers. In Paris, the fate of the
Mona Lisa, the prehistoric
Lascaux caves, the modern
Lascaux II replica, the
Venus de Milo and the
Notre-Dame de Paris are shown. The episode also examines
Centralia, Pennsylvania, which was largely abandoned in 1984 because of a
coal-seam fire burning beneath the town that continues to rage to this day. | ||||
7 | 7 | "Sin City Meltdown" | June 2, 2009 | |
This episode predicts how the gambling meccas of humankind will deteriorate without people; rats invade
Las Vegas, Nevada, the famous hotels such as the
Stratosphere Tower and the
Luxor Las Vegas crumble to dust, the
Las Vegas sign falls off its post, and the wax statues of celebrities at the
Madame Tussauds museum melt under exposure to the hot desert air.
Atlantic City is destroyed as ocean waves and hurricanes smash through casinos, break up the boardwalk and piers and tarnish the fate of
Lucy the Elephant. Camels go wild in North America, like their ancestors, and are transformed after the next ice age. Over thousands of years, the
Voyager space probes are battered by impacts from dust and debris, leaving few recognizable remnants of humanity behind. The episode also examines the
Americana Amusement Park in
Monroe, Ohio, showing how degraded it has become after only recently having been abandoned in 2002. | ||||
8 | 8 | "Armed & Defenseless" | June 9, 2009 | |
In a future without people, the machines of war deteriorate; nuclear submarines lie on the ocean floor, and the
USS Missouri is the target of a renewed "attack" on
Pearl Harbor, as the ship transforms into a plant-covered island. Most dairy cows die, but a few survive and adapt to life on America's plains alongside thriving herds of
bison. This episode also examines
Aloha Tower in
Honolulu, the
Wells Fargo Center in
Denver and
North Brother Island off of New York City, which was abandoned around 1960. | ||||
9 | 9 | "The Road To Nowhere" | June 16, 2009 | |
This episode looks at how vehicles will deteriorate without people, how America's automobile plants and transportation symbols such as the
Renaissance Center and the
Ambassador Bridge will shatter in Detroit's harsh winters, and how unattended oil refineries will explode. In
San Antonio the
Alamo falls to a new invader, and the
Tower Life Building meets its demise. Also, animals adapt,
armadillos spread, some dogs rekindle their hunting instincts, and
longhorn cattle flourish once again. This episode also examines the
Packard plant and the 60 square miles (160 km2) of Detroit which were abandoned in the 1960s. | ||||
10 | 10 | "Waters Of Death" | June 23, 2009 | |
In a world devoid of humans, water floods cities like
New Orleans and
Seattle. The marine animals housed inside the
former city's aquarium die off.
Head lice become extinct without human hosts. The fate of Seattle's symbolic
Space Needle is shown as the city reverts to a
salt marsh, and the humid atmosphere over the Arabian Peninsula wrecks the space-age structures of
Dubai, including the
Burj Al Arab hotel. The fate of
Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow is shown and Louisiana's tallest building,
One Shell Square, collapses. The episode examines the areas of New Orleans that were damaged by
Hurricane Katrina and were left in ruins after the flood water receded. |
No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|
11 | 1 | "Wrath of God" | January 5, 2010 | |
This episode predicts the fate of humanity's religious symbols and artefacts after the disappearance of humans – such as the
Christ the Redeemer statue which stands over
Rio de Janeiro, the
Crystal Cathedral and the
Memorial Coliseum in Southern California, the
Colosseum, the
Jubilee Church and
St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, and the
Shroud of Turin. Rattlesnakes thrive in the
American Southwest, and shepherd dogs, following the instincts bred into them by humans, continue to protect sheep for several generations. The episode also examines
Kolmanskop, a desert town in
Namibia established by the Germans during a
diamond rush, and abandoned in the 1960s, having remained in remarkable condition thanks to the arid environment of the surrounding
Namib Desert. | ||||
12 | 2 | "Toxic Revenge" | January 12, 2010 | |
In a life after people, toxic materials leak into the environment without human intervention:
spent nuclear fuel rods spontaneously burst into flames,
chlorine gas spills out of tanks and turns lakes into deadly acid, and in New York City underground
methane gas originates from
Grand Central Terminal and leaks into the adjacent
MetLife Building, which eventually ignites an explosion. Cargo ships from the
Great Lakes drift past the fallen
International Railway Bridge and tumble over the edge of
Niagara Falls.
Raccoons use homes as a temporary paradise. The episode also features
Picher, Oklahoma, a toxic former lead mining town which has been slowly abandoned ever since the 1970s. | ||||
13 | 3 | "Crypt of Civilization" | January 19, 2010 | |
This episode looks at how crypts, safes, vaults and
time capsules survive in a post-apocalyptic world, including a visit to the mysterious "
Crypt of Civilization" at
Oglethorpe University in
Atlanta, Georgia, the
Gherkin in London, the
Marine Corps War Memorial and the
Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Military-trained
German Shepherds battle
coyotes in the wild and the
remains of naval hero
John Paul Jones are entombed by
rising sea levels in
Annapolis, Maryland. The proposed
KEO satellite,
Rosetta disks (focusing on one at the
Smithsonian Institution), and the prototype
10,000-year clock meet their fates in the far future. The episode also examines
Norwich State Hospital in Connecticut, sections of which were abandoned between 1970 and 1995. | ||||
14 | 4 | "The Last Supper" | January 26, 2010 | |
In a world without people, humanity's food supplies decay as supermarkets turn into breeding grounds for insects and vermin, humidity causes
Leonardo da Vinci's mural
The Last Supper in the
Santa Maria delle Grazie to crumble, and both the landmark
Randy's Donuts restaurant in Los Angeles and the restaurant atop
Taipei 101 in Taiwan eventually succumb to the force of gravity.
Snack cakes - including a
certain brand known for its longevity - survive at least 25 years thanks to the
preservatives inside them, but are outlasted by jars of honey, which can remain edible for millennia. The episode also includes footage from the Mexia Supermarket in
Fort Worth, Texas, which sat abandoned for three months in 1999 with all its contents still inside after its owners went bankrupt and fled the USA, leaving a horrendous clean-up operation in their wake. This episode also examines the
Tranquille Farms in the
British Columbia Interior, which were abandoned and closed in 1985, and have since started returning to a natural state. | ||||
15 | 5 | "Home Wrecked Homes" | February 2, 2010 | |
This episode predicts the apocalyptic fate of homes—from the
Stahl House outside Los Angeles to
the San Remo in New York City.
Co-op City sinks beneath the tide and
Dubai's
Burj Khalifa (the tallest building in the world) corrodes and collapses. Gas leaks turn suburban homes such as
Levittown into infernos, a hidden flaw topples
Hearst Castle,
linseed oil in paint-soaked rags causes some high-end homes, including the San Remo apartments, to explode in flames, and the contents of the
Bettman/Corbis Archive in Pennsylvania meet a tragic fate.
Bobcats use abandoned houses as dens, and zebras from the
Hearst Castle private zoo escape and survive for generations. The episode also visits the picturesque Italian commune of
Balestrino, which has an old section that was completely abandoned due to geologic instability, with its residents moving the centre of the town to the foot of the hill on which the old buildings are built on. | ||||
16 | 6 | "Holiday Hell" | February 9, 2010 | |
Vacation destinations and holiday treasures are featured in this episode; fireworks factories explode with no people to see the event, sand inside
Knott's Berry Farm's
Silver Bullet roller coaster is the key to its destruction, and domesticated reindeer join herds of wild caribou, only to be hunted by wolves. Lions escape the
San Diego Wild Animal Park and fill the ecological role
American lions once had. Nearby
Palm Springs is consumed by the desert, its
aerial tramway suffers a catastrophic failure, and its
wind turbines shatter. In Detroit, Aldrige's Always Christmas store witnesses a not-so-jolly scene as the power goes out, only to later experience a somewhat more natural festive display when the winter weather blows snow inside, while plants compete for shelf space with decorations and
fruitcake, which can survive for at least 130 years if prepared and stored properly. Meanwhile, while
domestic turkeys struggle to survive, their
wild counterparts continue to thrive. This episode also examines the
Salton Sea and
Salton City, California, a town once intended to be a resort community, but these plans never materialised, with some areas left in an eerie state of rust and
urban decay. | ||||
17 | 7 | "Waves of Devastation" | February 16, 2010 | |
This episode examines the effects of water on humanity's structures.
Rotterdam and
Amsterdam flood as
levees fail, washing away the treasures of the
Boijmans Museum, while
Sacramento is first swamped, then destroyed when the
Folsom Dam ruptures. Non-native
Asian carp, long the bane of boaters and conservationists, slip through human-made barriers to invade the
Great Lakes, but must compete with another invasive species: the
sea lamprey. The
Trans-Alaska Pipeline spills its hazardous contents, the
Santa Monica Pier sinks into the ocean, the
Sydney Opera House caves in, and the
Sydney Harbour Bridge tears apart. The episode also explores the former Soviet coal mining town of
Pyramiden on the
Svalbard archipelago, abandoned in 1998 when the mine closed. Pyramiden will likely remain intact for many years, as a combination of deliberate maintenance for tourists visiting the area and cold arctic temperatures have preserved the town's architecture. | ||||
18 | 8 | "Sky's the Limit" | March 2, 2010 | |
Human neglect affects the world's skies and aeronautic icons, including
Air Force One, the
Theme Building and a
control tower at
Los Angeles International Airport, the
Spirit of St. Louis in the
National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., and the
KVLY-TV mast in
North Dakota. Elsewhere,
Rocky Mountain locusts invade the cities in the
Midwest,
Mount Everest's ice preserves artifacts left by climbers and even the bodies of climbers who died on its summit, and the migratory patterns of birds and even the weather are affected by the absence of humankind patrolling the skies. The solar-powered radio station
KTAO continues broadcasting long after humans are gone, thanks to its efficient
solar panels.
Cassini makes a crash landing on
Saturn's moon
Enceladus, leading to
extremophile bacteria from Earth that had been present inside the probe colonizing its possible water ocean and possibly causing life to evolve on it. The episode also visits
RCAF Station Edgar in
Oro-Medonte, Ontario, a
Cold War radar site which was abandoned in 1999, and the aging
Berlin Tempelhof Airport in Germany which was closed in 2008. | ||||
19 | 9 | "Depths of Destruction" | March 9, 2010 | |
The underground and underwater world suffers a destructive destiny in a post-human era. The
NORAD
operations facility comes under assault, but the
echo chambers below the foundation of the
Capitol Records Building in Los Angeles outlast the structure's downfall. The subterranean
Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico are repopulated by bats, mineral rich water and geothermal heating means the already gigantic
gypsum crystals inside the
Naica Mine's
Cave of the Crystals grow larger still, and humankind's former geothermal power sites such as
the Geysers in northern California relinquish their strength to geologic forces. The
SEA Underground system at
Seattle's airport is disabled, the
Underwater Sculpture Gardens outside of
St. George's, Grenada provides new foundations for growing
coral reefs, and
Prairie dogs reclaim their territory in
Lubbock. The episode features the
Bonne Terre Mine, which was closed in 1962 and subsequently became partially flooded, and also the
steamboat Arabia in
Parkville, Missouri. | ||||
20 | 10 | "Take Me To Your Leader" | March 16, 2010 | |
This episode analyzes how structures and testaments devoted to world leaders factor adversely without human sustainment, among them include the
White House, the
Palace of Versailles,
Thomas Jefferson's home at
Monticello, the
Secretariat Building and the
General Assembly Chamber of the
United Nations Headquarters, and the
Hall of Supreme Harmony in China's
Forbidden City. The
entombed body of
Ulysses S. Grant is buried for the first time in history when the
London planes that grow nearby generate enough soil to cover the tomb's sarcophagus, and
Mao Zedong's mysterious body at the
Mausoleum of Mao Zedong submits to the quirks of his embalmers. As a result of his owner's disappearance, the dependent life of
Barack Obama's dog, "
Bo," is transformed as he embarks on an adventure into the wilderness. The episode also examines the aftermath of the
Hiroshima bomb on the
San Francisco Naval Shipyard in
Hunters Point. |
A&E Home Video has released these DVDs:
That of the original documentary:
That of the first season of the series:
That of the second season of the series:
The two-hour special documentary had an audience of 5.4 million viewers and was the most watched program ever on the History Channel. [1] The program was broadcast in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 and narrated by Struan Rodger on May 29, 2008 and in Australia on Channel Seven on November 25, 2008, edited down to air for 90 minutes and included additional footage of a decaying Sydney Harbour Bridge, with narration by Australian television presenter Simon Reeve. [2]