National Geographic Channel has ordered a second season of Ron Howard’s docuseries “Breakthrough,” Variety has learned exclusively.
The anthology series that enlists directors to follow trailblazing scientists on the verge of possibly monumental discoveries will get another six episodes, to premiere next spring.
“’Breakthrough’ is about taking the science, these hot-button issues, and looking at it from a storyteller’s eye,” Howard said. “It’s about finding the hope in it, finding the heroism. And I have no doubt that this new season’s visionary filmmakers will add their own style of storytelling to show the power of the intersection between science and human drama, making it relatable for audiences.”
For this season, helmers include Iranian-American writer/director Ana Lily Amirpour (“A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night”) on innovative cancer treatments, Sundance Film Festival grand jury prize winner Shane Carruth (“Primer,” “Upstream Color”) on advancements in big data and artificial intelligence, and new “Breakthrough” executive producers Brendan and Emmett Malloy (“Under the Great White Northern Lights,” “Tribes of Palos Verdes”) on the promises and perils of massive fleets of commercial drones.
Season 2 of “Breakthrough” will be produced by Imagine Entertainment and Asylum Entertainment for Nat Geo. For Imagine Entertainment, executive producers are Howard, Brian Grazer, and Michael Rosenberg. For Asylum Entertainment, executive producers are Steve Michaels, Jonathan Koch, Ryann Lauckner and Kurt Sayenga. For National Geographic Channel, the executive producer is Kevin Mohs, and Tim Pastore is president of original programming and production.
