‘Trafficked’ & ‘Animals Up Close’ Renewed By Nat Geo
EXCLUSIVE: National Geographic has handed renewals to two of its Emmy-nominated series, Trafficked: Underworlds with Mariana van Zeller for a fifth season, and Animals Up Close with Bertie Gregory for a second season.
Production is underway on the new season of both series.
More from Deadline
The newest season of Trafficked continues to spotlight van Zeller’s high-stakes, critical investigations into the black markets that dominate half the world’s economy.
Each episode follows van Zeller as she investigates a different underworld to talk to the players, learn the business, and better understand the world’s multitrillion-dollar shadow economy. She travels across the globe and meets with everyone from traffickers, smugglers, assassins and terrorists to law enforcement, government officials, experts, victims and more to provide a 360-degree look into these global underworlds.
“Trafficked has been an incredible journey, and it’s one that I am honored to continue with my team and our partners at National Geographic,” said van Zeller. “For me, the series is more than just a fascinating look into these rarely-seen black markets. It’s the chance to actually connect on a human level with those who make their living there.”
Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller has been nominated for 14 News and Documentary Emmys, a Critics Choice Real TV Award and a Critics Choice Documentary Award. The series was a 2021 Gracie Award winner for Best Reporter/Correspondent (van Zeller), and she recently was nominated for a 2024 Gracie Award.
The eight-episode second season of Animals Up Close with Bertie Gregory will stream exclusively on Disney+. Per Nat Geo, in Season 2 Gregory and his team will travel to the most spectacular corners of our planet to take viewers deep into the natural world and showcase extraordinary animal lives.
The immersive and unique wildlife series will continue to capture the challenges of natural history filmmaking and show the behind-the-scenes moments Bertie and his team face while adapting to unpredictable wildlife in remote environments where filming rarely goes as planned.
Animals Up Close was recently nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards as well as a BAFTA TV Craft Award nomination in the Photography: Factual category. The series won an RTS West of England Award for Sound, and Gregory was also nominated for hosting in the On Screen Talent category, an award he won in 2023 for hosting Epic Adventures with Bertie Gregory.
Animals Up Close with Bertie Gregory is produced by Wildstar Films for National Geographic. Bertie Gregory is host, producer and director of photography. For Wildstar, the executive producer is Anwar Mamon, and the series producer is Jennie Hammond. For National Geographic, Janet Han Vissering is SVP, Production and Development, and Drew Jones serves as executive producer.
Best of Deadline
2024 Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series On Broadcast, Cable & Streaming
Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2024: Photo Gallery & Obituaries
Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
