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Picture Shows: A last second leap saves a Thomson’s gazelle from a cheetah’s grip.
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Tuned In: Nature shows look at predators, prey; embrace music

© Grégoire Bouguereau (All uses

Tuned In: Nature shows look at predators, prey; embrace music

PASADENA, Calif. — Turns out summer TV is for more than an abundance of reality shows and original scripted series: Natural history programs also get a spotlight this month with Sunday’s debut of “The Hunt” (9 p.m., BBC America) and next weekend’s “Hello World!” (8 p.m. July 9, Discovery Channel).

From executive producer Alastair Fothergill, whose previous series include 2006’s “Planet Earth,” “The Hunt” focuses on the strategy of predators and their prey. Sir David Attenborough narrates the eight-episode series that was almost four years in the making.

Mr. Fothergill said if “Planet Earth” was about scenery and taking viewers to places they might not be able to afford to visit, “The Hunt” adds another element.

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“What we've tried to do with ‘The Hunt’ is to combine that epic cinematic photography with the most exciting behavior in the natural world,” he said during a BBC America press conference at the Television Critics Association winter press tour in January. “There's absolutely no doubt that the tension between predators and their prey is very dynamic. The outcome is never certain.”

He said “The Hunt” also tries to walk back the prevailing narrative on predators.

“If you look at all the predator shows that have been made, and there have been many, the predator is always depicted as the villain, reddened tooth and claw, bitey sharks,” Mr. Fothergill said. “And scientifically, that's totally inaccurate. Predators usually fail [and we wanted to] tell that story. And it's very deliberately not called, ‘Predators’ or called ‘The Kill,’ because we're not interested in that. … Once an animal has caught its prey, the story is over. What's really interesting and has given us the narrative of our series is the strategies predators use to try to catch their prey and the strategies prey try and use to escape.”

Discovery’s “Hello World!” is a different kind of nature series altogether.

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Each of the six, half-hour episodes uses the music of popular recording artists to highlight the narrative. For instance, the Joan Jett episode (8 p.m. July 23) uses her song “Bad Reputation” to profile wolves, alligators and sharks and whether these creatures get a bad rap.

Wexford’s own Christina Aguilera narrates and contributes her song “Light Up the Sky” for the episode “Don’t Mess with Mama” (8:30 p.m. July 9), featuring maternal caregivers that include mountain goats and cheetahs.

Kept/canceled

Freeform renewed sitcom “Baby Daddy” for a sixth season.

Sundance TV ordered a second season of “Hap and Leonard” for 2017.

Hulu will bring back streaming series “Casual” for a third season.

AMC will bring back "Preacher" for a 13-episode second season in 2017.

Channel surfing

HBO’s “Game of Thrones” reached a new series ratings high with Sunday’s sixth season finale, drawing 8.9 million viewers. For the season, the series averaged 23 million viewers per episode when viewing online and DVR is factored in. … Nancy Grace will end her HLN series Oct. 13 when her contract is up. ... Discovery Family Channel airs the “Back to the Future” trilogy beginning Monday at 5 p.m. … New episodes of PBS’s children’s shows from The Fred Rogers Company are on tap Monday for “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” (9 a.m., WQED-TV) and “Peg +Cat” (10:30 a.m., WQED-TV).

Tuned In online

Today's TV Q&A column responds to questions about a short-lived soap opera, an Australian TV import and a local news anchor look-alike. This week's Tuned In Journal includes posts on “Downward Dog,” “Dead of Summer” and “No Man Left Behind.” Read online-only TV content at http://communityvoices.post-gazette.com/arts-entertainment-living/tuned-in.

Tuned In podcast has the week off.

TV writer Rob Owen: rowen@post-gazette.com or 412-263-2582. Follow RobOwenTV on Twitter or Facebook for breaking TV news.

First Published: July 1, 2016, 4:00 a.m.

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Picture Shows: A last second leap saves a Thomson’s gazelle from a cheetah’s grip.  ( © Grégoire Bouguereau (All uses)
Polar Bears from "Hello World."  (Discovery Communications, Inc.)
© Grégoire Bouguereau (All uses
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