Plot Synopsis

Hosted by biologist Shane Campbell-Staton, HUMAN FOOTPRINT is a one-hour documentary series that embarks on a journey to understand all the ways humans have transformed the planet. Part science series and part travel show, HUMAN FOOTPRINT takes viewers from farms to restaurants, from a high-tech lab to a sweltering street market, from pristine rain forests to the sewers of New York City. In 4.5 billion years, the planet has never experienced anything like humans; we are no ordinary organism. Even our most basic needs -- food, water, and shelter -- place a staggering burden on the planet's resources. Through unique interactions with an eclectic cast of characters -- from scientists and historians to rat exterminators and dog dancing gurus -- Shane discovers the complex motivations behind our impacts and unveils opportunities for a less lopsided coexistence. Stories of science, history, and culture reveal the complicated, conflicted, and remarkable species that is Homo sapiens. The series is an honest reckoning with our vast footprint and our species' singular history of transforming the planet. The six Season 1 episodes are:

"Strangers in Paradise" (Wednesday, July 5, 2023): Invasive species are reshaping the world's ecosystems, but who's to blame? Shane wrestles a python, hunts a wild pig, and gets sucker-punched by a carp to answer the question: in the age of humans, how does our species decide what belongs?

"Top Predator" (Wednesday, July 12, 2023): There is a killer inside us. Our biology, culture, technology, and economy have transformed our species into the world's greatest predator. From Yellowstone to Mozambique, Shane explores our global impact as the planet's Top Predator.

"Man's Best Friend" (Wednesday, July 19, 2023): Shane discovers why dogs are more than "Man's Best Friend" -- they have been reshaped by evolution into humans' perfect partner. And just as we've transformed them, dogs have left an unmistakable pawprint on us -- and the world we share.

"The Replacements" (Wednesday, July 26, 2023): Shane explores the surprising science and unexpected histories of "The Replacements": five animal and plant species that made allies of humans, grew to dominate the planet alongside us, and changed their destinies (and ours) forever.

"The Urban Jungle" (Wednesday, August 2, 2023): Shane explores the modern city: an ecosystem built by and for us. He encounters three species thriving in the city, reckons with our complex urban history, and envisions a new and wilder urban future.

"The Ground Below" (Wednesday, August 9, 2023): In an episode that hits close to home, Shane explores the history and science of cotton. A prehistoric coastline from North Carolina to Texas laid the foundation for a crop that re-shaped our history, our culture, and even our DNA.
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The sophomore season of HUMAN FOOTPRINT debuted on Wednesday, June 25, 2025 at 9pm on PBS (check local listings), hosted again by biologist and Princeton University professor Shane Campbell-Staton. In the six-episode second season, Shane travels the globe and gives audiences a firsthand look at how people have transformed the planet and the millions of species around us. Along the way, Shane meets farmers, scientists, journalists and business owners across Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas. He discovers that the ways that we reshaped the world have been driven not only by our biological needs but also by our social, political, and cultural identities. Season 2 explores the origins of our complex and controversial global food chain, the alliances humans have formed with species to control other species, and what exactly is happening with bees. The series also examines how fashion has impacted the planet, the human quest to control water, and the species on the brink of extinction. The six episodes in Season 2 are:

"Shelf Life" (Wednesday, June 25, 2025 at 9pm): Shane travels from New York City to rural Thailand to explore the Human Footprint of the supermarket - a 20th-century innovation that transformed our relationship with food, reshaping our bodies, our society, and our planet along the way.

"The Enemy of My Enemy" (Wednesday, July 2, 2025 at 9pm): In humankind's conquest of planet Earth, we rely on improbable allies -- species we've recruited from nature to help us defeat our adversaries. But in this brave new world of "biocontrol," is the enemy of an enemy always a friend?

"Dressed to Kill" (Wednesday, July 9, 2025 at 9pm): Take a look in the mirror... do you like what you see? From biotech labs to beaver ponds, from New York Fashion Week to Chile's textile graveyards, Shane unravels how the trends we chase to fit in and stand out leave a lasting mark on our planet.

"The Honey Trap" (Wednesday, July 16, 2025 at 9pm): Everyone knows the honey bee, but it's just one species -- there are 20,000 others! Humans have depended on bees - both wild and managed -- for millennia. But as bee populations collapse around the world, can we save them before it's too late?

"Dammed If You Do" (Wednesday, July 23, 2025 at 9pm): Shane travels from ancient aqueducts to modern mega-dams, following our age-old quest to tame water. On a journey down the Colorado River, he discovers how humanity's thirst for control has reshaped rivers, ecosystems, and civilization itself.

"Vanishing Act" (Wednesday, July 30, 2025 at 9pm): From fossils entombed in tar to cells frozen in hope, Shane traces the arc of extinction from prehistory to the present. On an epic global journey, he meets species at the brink of oblivion... and the people who won't give up on them.