EXCLUSIVE: The Discovery Channel has set its plans for 2026 and it includes a new spinoff of long-running hit Naked and Afraid.
The WBD-owned cable network has greenlit a number of new shows including a new Alcatraz investigation and a series fronted by TikTok star Michael McWhorter.
The big news is Naked and Afraid: Global Showdown (w/t). It is the eighth spinoff of the franchise, which premiered in 2013.
It will feature survivalists from all over the world including Brazil, Australia, Mexico, and the United States, representing their homelands in a 40-day primitive bushcraft competition. Paired with a partner, their skills, toughness and teamwork will be tested as they compete for national pride and the largest cash prize in franchise history.
The series will launch on May 17. It is produced by Lionsgate Alternative Television and comes as Season 19 of the mothership series is airing on Discovery.
In addition to the main show, Discovery has launched six other spinoffs including Naked and Afraid XL, Naked and Afraid: Alone, Naked and Afraid: Solo, Naked and Afraid of Love, Naked And Afraid: Last One Standing and Naked and Afraid: Castaways.
Elsewhere, Escape From Alcatraz (w/t) follows some true-crime podcasters who examine the infamous 1962 Alcatraz prison escape and uncover new files and evidence suggesting that brothers John and Clarence Anglin may have survived and spent the rest of their lives in hiding. Now, new DNA evidence could finally expose the truth and reveal a government cover-up that lasted for decades.
John and Clarence Anglin escaped from The Rock in 1962 using a homemade raft and were never found. The FBI closed their case in 1979 and there were rumors that the pair had made it to Brazil.
The series, which comes from Leepson Bounds Entertainment, Kontent Farm and Strong Island Films, will premiere later this year.
It also has How To Catch A Dirtbag (w/t), an investigation series hosted by Michael McWhorter, aka Tizzy Ent, who has nearly 8M followers on TikTok. It will search for people who think they can do horrible things in public and get away with it.
The series, which premieres later this year, comes from Jupiter Entertainment.
There’s also a new storm chaser series. In The Eye of The Storm: Chasers (w/t) follows In The Eye of The Storm, which has run for two seasons. It will follow teams of real-world storm chasers and certified weather spotters as they venture into America’s tornado alley, risking everything to self-shoot their encounters with nature at its most extreme, warn people in harm’s way, and help save lives when disaster strikes.
The series, which premieres on May 17, is produced by Arrow Media.
These shows join the likes of Conspiracies and Coverups, hosted by former CIA covert agent Andrew Bustamante, which launches on April 1, and Jeff Dunham’s The Cars That Drove Us, which premieres on March 31.
“Each of these new series reflects bold and original storytelling, anchored on larger-than-life characters and a deep sense of curiosity.” said Joseph Boyle, Head of Content, Discovery Channel. “Our goal is to deliver a broad slate of stories that transport viewers and feel authentically Discovery.”
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