Will Smith is an accomplished entertainer known for his music as well as his comedic and dramatic roles on both the big screen as well as the small. However, over the course of five years, he has joined with National Geographic for his biggest adventure yet. From the South Pole to the North Pole, Will Smith joins seven extraordinary expeditions to discover the secrets of Earth’s most extreme environments, pushing his mental and physical resilience to the limits in a new documentary, Pole to Pole with Will Smith.
What Is Pole to Pole with Will Smith?
Pole to Pole with Will Smith is docuseries hat follows Will across all seven continents, taking him from the icefields of Antarctica to the jungles of the Amazon, the mountains of the Himalayas, the deserts of Africa, the islands of the Pacific and the icebergs of the Arctic.
Inspired by his late mentor to explore life’s big questions, Will throws himself into incredible challenges for 100 days: skiing to the South Pole, catching a giant anaconda, milking a venomous tarantula, climbing mountains, and diving under the ice of the North Pole. He will venture from pole to pole in the company of scientists, explorers and local experts.
Told with a cinematic scale, access, and authenticity only National Geographic can deliver, this once-in-a-lifetime adventure blends cutting-edge science, environmental storytelling, and bold exploration. Guided by experts, scientists and explorers, Will helps make world-first scientific discoveries and forges profound human connections — from the Amazon’s Waorani community to the Kalahari’s San people, whose knowledge and resilience offer powerful lessons about our future on the planet. Pole to Pole with Will Smith is an epic global undertaking defined by endurance, wonder and hope.
“This journey was unlike anything I’ve ever done — at times I feared I might not make it home! It’s an exploration not just of the planet’s edges, but of some of the most extraordinary people living there,” said Smith. “From the coldest ice to the deepest jungles, the beauty of our world inspired my every step with awe and hope.”
“With Pole to Pole with Will Smith , we’re inviting audiences to see our planet through Will’s eyes — with all the wonder, humor, and humanity he brings to every experience,” said Tom McDonald, EVP, Content, National Geographic. “It’s a thrilling adventure that embodies what National Geographic does best: combining jaw-dropping cinematography, powerful storytelling and a deeper understanding of how our world works – and why it matters.”
The series consists of 7 episodes, the first two of which premiere January 13 at 9/8c on National Geographic and begins streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. the remaining five episodes premiere the following three weeks. Pole to Pole with Will Smith is produced by Westbrook Studios, Nutopia, and Protozoa for National Geographic. Will Smith is host and executive producer. For Westbrook, Terence Carter and Miguel Melendez are executive producers. For Nutopia, Jane Root and Peter Lovering are executive producers, and Tom Williams is co-executive producer. For Protozoa, Darren Aronofsky and Ari Handel are executive producers. For National Geographic, Sean D. Johnson and Bengt Anderson are executive producers, and Tom McDonald is executive vice president of Content. Following One Strange Rock and Welcome to Earth, Pole to Pole with Will Smith is Will’s third project with National Geographic. Let’s take a look at each episode:
‘The South Pole‘
Will heads to the South Pole, where temperatures can drop below minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit. He skis and treks across giant icefields, and, faced with a giant cliff of ice in bone-chilling winds, struggles to climb to the top. Only with the support of one of the world’s best polar athletes, Richard Parks, does he succeed. In one of the planet’s most isolated research stations, scientists take ice cores deep under the surface and make incredible sacrifices to pursue their research.
‘The Amazon: Deadly Creatures‘
Will, a man scared of spiders his entire life, ventures deep into the Ecuadorian Amazon on an expedition in search of deadly creatures. Joined by professor Bryan Fry and local mountaineer Carla Perez, they abseil 200 feet into a cave network known as the “womb of the Earth,” where they discover a giant tarantula. Using cutting-edge techniques, they extract its venom, which could hold the key to saving millions of lives.
Kyle Christy)
‘The Amazon: Dark Waters‘
Will, Bryan and Carla join local Waorani elder Penti Baihua in the Amazon, in search of the world’s biggest snake: the giant green anaconda. They carefully remove just one scale from the 17-foot snake’s skin. Will’s fear turns into relief, then joy. The single scale can reveal the health of the entire ecosystem — crucial for the future of both wildlife and the Waorani.
‘The Himalayas‘
Will travels to the kingdom of Bhutan on a deeply intimate journey in search of the secret to happiness. Guided by happiness expert professor Dacher Keltner and local writer Tshering Denkar, Will treks to one of the highest and happiest villages in the Himalayas, at 13,000-foot altitude. While there, he confronts some of the most challenging moments of his extraordinary life and career.
‘The Pacific Islands‘
Joined by linguist Dr. Mary Walworth and local marine ecologist John Aini, Will travels to the South Pacific on an expedition to a remote island threatened by rising seas. What begins as an exploration into an incredible marine paradise transforms into a truly revelatory journey for Will about his own history as they record a lost language spoken by only five people.
‘The Kalahari Desert‘
Will travels deep into the Kalahari Desert to meet the San people, one of the oldest hunter-gatherer groups on Earth. To discover the secret to their enduring success, he must join them on a hunt in one of the most inhospitable places on the planet. Led by local San bushman guide Kane Motswana, it’s not long before he realizes he’s entirely unsuited to this adventure.
‘The North Pole‘
The final leg of Will’s 100-day adventure is his most dangerous mission yet: an expedition to dive under the ice at the North Pole to help polar ecologist Allison Fong capture world-first scientific samples. But when a snowstorm and mechanical failure put the mission in crisis, Will learns what it takes to be a hero in real life.
Why You Should See Pole to Pole with Will Smith
I have enjoyed watching Will Smith over the decades as he has evolved from the Fresh Prince to a great actor. Therefore, I was excited to watch this series as soon as I learned about it. The first episode which is about the South Pole actually begins at the North Pole, so viewers get a preview of where the series will eventually end up. The series pushes Smith to his physical limits at times. I really like how it covers both the wildlife of these seven areas as well as the people who live there. It provides a great balance of the topics often covered by National Geographic. As with all of the productions done by National Geographic, the cinematography is incredible.
The seven episodes of the series are released two per week beginning on January 13 and then every following Tuesday with the last one airing on February 3rd. Therefore, if you want to binge all of the episodes, then you will need to wait until Wednesday, February 4th when they will all be available for streaming. I really found this series both entertaining as well as educational and recommend watching it to learn more about the world in which we live.
Be sure to watch Pole to Pole with Will Smith when the first episode premieres January 13 at 9/8c on National Geographic and begins streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. Here is a trailer for the series.
