Traverse The Globe Big Willie Style with New Nat Geo Documentary Series "Pole to Pole with Will Smith"

Join Will Smith for a new docuseries that takes him literally from “Pole to Pole” across the globe on an awe-inspiring journey from National Geographic. 

What’s Happening: 

• Viewers are invited to join Will Smith as he travels from “Pole to Pole” across the globe, meeting with scientists who are conducting groundbreaking research at the edges of the world. 
• The new seven-part docuseries, aptly titled Pole to Pole with Will Smith was five years in the making. In it, we follow Smith 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, Smith 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. 
• Guided by experts, scientists and explorers, Smith 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. 
• Told with a cinematic scale, access, and authenticity only National Geographic can deliver, this adventure blends cutting-edge science, environmental storytelling, and bold exploration.

• Pole to Pole with Will Smith will debut with two episodes on National Geographic on January 13th, 2026, streaming the next day on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ in the U.S., and globally on Disney+. The remaining episodes will drop weekly on National Geographic, though all episodes will be available to stream on January 14th. 

What They’re Saying: 

• Will Smith: “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. From the coldest ice to the deepest jungles, the beauty of our world inspired my every step with awe and hope.”
• Tom McDonald, EVP, Content, National Geographic: “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. 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.”

Pole to Pole with Will Smith Episodes: 

• The South Pole premieres Jan. 13 at 9/8c on National Geographic and streams the next day.
  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 premieres Jan. 13 at 10/9c on National Geographic and streams the next day.
  Will, a man scared of spiders his whole 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.

• The Amazon: Dark Waters premieres Jan. 20 at 9/8c on National Geographic and streams Jan. 14th
  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 premieres Jan. 20 at 10/9c on National Geographic and streams Jan. 14.
  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 premieres Jan. 27 at 9/8c on National Geographic and streams Jan. 14
  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 premieres Jan. 27 at 10/9c on National Geographic and streams Jan. 14
• 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 premieres Feb. 3 at 9/8c on National Geographic and streams Jan. 14
  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.
  

Years In The Making: 

• Pole to Pole was originally announced back in February of 2022, marking the third project from Will Smith for National Geographic. 
• At the time, the reveal was part of thirteen different titles that were going to be coming, including projects we’ve already seen arrive, like Secrets of the Elephants, Secrets of the Octopus, Super/Natural, We Feed People, and others. 
• The series follows the other two collabs from Smith, One Strange Rock, and Welcome to Earth and comes from Smith’s Westbrook Studios, which was founded by the star, along with Jada Pinkett Smith, Miguel Melendez, and Ko Yada. 
• Nutopia, and Protozoa for National Geographic also produce the series.