Plot Synopsis

Narrated by Laura Carmichael, A WILD YEAR ON EARTH is a six-episode documentary series that charts the planet's most spectacular events of migration, rebirth and transformation over the course of a year. Each one-hour episode covers two consecutive months, beginning with January. A WILD YEAR ON EARTH had its U.S. premiere on Saturday, January 23, 2021 at 8pm ET/PT on BBC America, airing as part of the cable channel's Wonderstruck showcase. Episodes include:

"The Year Begins" (U.S. premiere on Saturday, January 23, 2021 at 8pm): The start of the year is a time of extremes across Earth. From the realm of the Polar Bear, the Arctic winds plunge the Northern Hemisphere into winter. Creatures, miniscule and magnificent are challenged by the conditions. While in the tropics, animals and human have a different response to the season.

"A Time of Renewal" (U.S. premiere on Saturday, January 30, 2021 at 8pm): In March, a wave of blooming Cherry Blossoms unfolds across Japan signaling the arrival of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere. The longer days trigger dramatic events across the natural world. Whooper Swans overwintering in Japan are called northward. In India it's time for one of the largest congregations of wild Asian elephants known on Earth.

"A Time of Volatility" (U.S. premiere on Saturday, February 6, 2021 at 8pm): May is a time of seasonal gear shifting and powerful forces of nature. In the heart of North America violent tornadoes tear across the plains as wild mustang herds gather on the grassland. In South East Asia, the largest migration of rain on the planet is underway as monsoon season arrives and inundates the Subcontinent

"A Time of Migration" (U.S. premiere on Saturday, February 13, 2021 at 8pm): In July, the Arctic ice sheets thaw and crash as ice moves towards the shore during iceberg calving season. Summer on the Arctic island of Svalbard sees migrating seabirds revel in rich ice-melt waters while a cunning Arctic fox adopts season-specific hunting strategies.

"A Time of Activation" (U.S. premiere on Saturday, February 20, 2021 at 8pm): In September, seasonal swings activate change across the natural world. The heat rises in Southern Africa as the dry season deepens. A hungry pride of lions attacks animals desperate for water and stressed hippos are forced into ever decreasing pools.

"Full Circle" (U.S. premiere on Saturday, February 27, 2021 at 8pm): In November, millions of migrating Monarch butterflies converge in the forests of Mexico for the winter coinciding with the annual ritual of the 'Day of the Dead'. In dry Southern Africa the rains finally returned and are welcomes by nesting birds. Meanwhile, in Australia the warming waters trigger the annual coral spawning on the Great Barrier Reef.