Biology:Life After People
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| Life After People | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | David de Vries |
| Narrated by | James Lurie |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 3 (+ 1 special) |
| No. of episodes | 28 (+ 1 special) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 45 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Flight 33 Productions (Special, Seasons 1 and 2), Cream Productions (Season 3) |
| Release | |
| Original network | History |
| Original release | Script error: No such module "Date time". – September 13, 2025 |
Life After People is a television series on which scientists, mechanical engineers, and other experts speculate about what might become of planet Earth if humanity suddenly disappeared. The featured experts also talk about the impact of human absence on the environment and the vestiges of civilization thus left behind. The series was preceded by a two-hour special that aired on January 21, 2008, on the History Channel which served as a de facto pilot for the series that premiered April 21, 2009. The documentary and subsequent series were both narrated by James Lurie.
After a 15 year hiatus, History will air a new third season beginning July 14, 2025.[1]
Format
The program does not speculate on how humanity may disappear, stipulating only that it has, and that it has done so suddenly, leaving everything behind including household pets and livestock that have to fend for themselves. The thought experiment is based on documented results of the sudden removal of humans from a geographical area and thus, the discontinuation of the maintenance of buildings and urban infrastructure. Lurie's narration begins:
| “ | What would happen if every human on Earth disappeared? This isn't the story of how we might vanish...it is the story of what will happen to the world we leave behind. | ” |
The series' episodes thematically offer examples of urban and biological decay. The focus is on specific locations such as skyscrapers, religious icons, bridges and dams, and government buildings, and the fate of certain related objects, such as artifacts, documents and human bodies. The fate of some kinds of flora and fauna are covered as well. Each episode also contains a segment in which experts examine real locations that have been abandoned by people, including ghost towns and other sites of deterioration, where the deterioration has been caused by events similar to those outlined in the episode. Although the series speculates on the fates of landmarks around the world, the main focus is on situations that may occur at locations in the United States.
The various events that may occur after people disappear suddenly are depicted using CGI dramatizations. The timeline of predicted events begins approximately one day after the disappearance of humankind and extends at various intervals up to one hundred million years into the future.
Beginning with the third season, there is use of AI generated video. The new season's executive producer, Yoshi Stone, claimed that using AI technology helped them to "react much more quickly and really expand our visual horizons" at a lower cost. He cited Las Vegas as an example, in which he claimed that using AI helped them to visualize the entire city as a whole and not just limited to a single block or casino.[2]
Episodes
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| Special | Script error: No such module "Date time". | |||
| 1 | 10 | Script error: No such module "Date time". | June 23, 2009 | |
| 2 | 10 | Script error: No such module "Date time". | March 16, 2010 | |
| 3 | 8 | Script error: No such module "Date time". | September 13, 2025 | |
Special (2008)
| Title | Original air date |
|---|
Season 1 (2009)
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Original air date
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|---|
Season 2 (2010)
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Original air date
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Season 3 (2025)
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Original air date
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Home media
A&E Home Video has released these DVDs:
That of the original documentary:
- Life After People (History Channel)
- UPC: 733961110906
- Released 18 March 2008 on DVD
- Runtime: 94 minutes
That of the first season of the series:
- Life After People: The Complete Season One
- UPC: 733961155303
- Released 27 October 2009 on DVD
- Runtime: 470 minutes
That of the second season of the series:
- Life After People: The Complete Season Two
- UPC: 733961221626
- Released 27 July 2010 on DVD
- Runtime: 425 minutes
Ratings
The two-hour special documentary had an audience of 5.4 million viewers and was the most watched program ever on the History Channel.[3] The program was broadcast in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 and narrated by Struan Rodger on May 29, 2008 and in Australia on Channel Seven on November 25, 2008, edited down to air for 90 minutes and included additional footage of a decaying Sydney Harbour Bridge, with narration by Australian television presenter Simon Reeve.[4]
See also
- 10 Ways to End the World
- Aftermath (TV series), a similar TV series
- Population Zero (special, preceding above series)
- The World Without Us
- The Future is Wild
- After Man
References
- ↑ "Watch Life After People Season 3 Online". https://www.history.com/shows/life-after-people/season-3.
- ↑ Hendrickson, Paula. "Life After People™ Insider: Interview With Executive Producer and Show Runner Yoshi Stone". https://www.history.com/shows/life-after-people/articles/life-after-people-insider-interview-with-executive-producer-and-show-runner-yoshi-stone.
- ↑ Tucker, Neely (March 8, 2008). "Depopulation Boom". The Washington Post: pp. 2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/07/AR2008030703256.html.
- ↑ Knox, David (2008-11-15). "Airdate: Life After People" (in en-AU). https://tvtonight.com.au/2008/11/airdate-life-after-people.html.
External links
 | |
 Life After People (FULL EPISODES) playlist on YouTube by History (TV Network) |
- Official website of production company
- Template:Channel4.com ()
- Life After People on IMDb (original documentary)
- Life After People on IMDb (series)
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