Plot Synopsis

Hosted by biologist Patrick Aryee, AMAZING MONKEYS is a three-part series that tells the story of primate evolution, taking viewers on a journey along the bizarre and miraculous branches of the primate family tree. Patrick travels to wild locations in Asia, Africa and Central and South America to get eye-to-eye with some of the world's most charismatic and mischievous monkeys. Using intimate monkey encounters, stunning wildlife photography, field demonstrations and a CGI family tree, the series explores the details of four mighty monkey dynasties are uncovered: prosimians, Old World monkeys, New World monkeys and apes. Each group has split from one another over centuries, and each has its own story of epic migrations, lost lands, mass extinctions, marooned beasts and incredible animal characters. The season opener, "Asia," takes viewers to the beginning of the primate family story in Southeast Asia. The very first primates evolved here almost 60 million years ago, and today, some of the most extraordinary and captivating monkeys still call this spectacular region home. Patrick travels to Thailand and gets face-to-face with the 'King of the Swingers,' the gibbon; to the Philippines to meet the tarsier, the world's only 100% carnivorous primate; and to Borneo and China to see the peculiar proboscis monkey and the beautiful golden snub-nosed monkey. Along the way, Patrick witnesses all of their amazing traits and oddities, each just as unique as the last.
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On Wednesday, June 28, 2017 at 8pm ET/PT, Smithsonian Channel premieres the finale of AMAZING MONKEYS. The final installment, "The Americas," tracks primates' astonishing rise to power, leading the series to the Americas, the final continents to be colonized by man's closest relatives. This episode reveals the incredible journey a group of monkeys took to get here from Africa 35 million years ago. The program then comes face-to-face with some of the new branch of primates, who adapted to this environment in weird and wonderful ways, including spider monkeys, capuchins, and the king of the primates: humans.