Tom Hanks' NBC hit The Americas lands a season 2 renewal

Here’s one I did not have on my TV bingo card: Tom Hanks is fronting one of NBC’s biggest documentary hits, and it’s not about space, toys, or the war—it’s about, well, armadillos and mountain goats. NBC are doubling down, too. 'The Americas'—which, yes, really is narrated by Tom Hanks—is officially coming back for a second series.

Backstory: Tom Hanks Meets Bison

You might have missed the first series—fair enough, it wasn’t hyped quite like a prime-time drama—so here’s the setup. 'The Americas' launched on NBC in 2025, with all the BBC Natural History Unit bonafides you'd expect (the same people giving Attenborough a run for his money). Hanks is behind the microphone, trading quips about woodland creatures and treacherous terrain across both North and South America. The series promises the kind of sweeping landscapes and ‘hidden’ wildlife stories you’d normally spot a license fee for, except now, with Oscar-winning gravitas.

Season 2… And Then Some

Reports say NBC was so chuffed with the ratings they’re keeping the animal parade rolling. Season 2 is already in production, with a promise to go 'deeper'—which presumably means new animals, more remote forests, and yet more of Hanks waxing lyrical about the ‘majestic’ Americas. There's no date yet, but if you’re desperate for your next fix, you’re looking at a wait till 2028.

Timeline of What's Next

• 2025: 'The Americas' first hits NBC.
• July 2, 2026: Special episode 'The Americas: A Wild 250th' is set to air. (Yep, scheduled over a year in advance. Only wildlife documentaries and Eurovision plan that far ahead.)
• 2027: Another special, 'The Americas: Mother's Day', is due to drop. No points for guessing the theme.
• 2028: Season 2 is expected to finally arrive.

Production Credentials (And a Weirdly Starry Cast)

All this animal mayhem is courtesy of the BBC Studios Natural History Unit, with support from Universal Television Alternative Studio. Mike Gunton and Holly Spearing are executive producers, if you’re keeping count. And yes, Tom Hanks is actually moonlighting between toy cowboy duties: just recently, he reprised Woody in the latest 'Toy Story 5' blockbuster. Clearly, he’s not fussed about typecasting.

What NBC Are Saying

NBC’s Unscripted Programming boss Sharon Vuong put it like this:

"We’re thrilled to bring The Americas back into viewers’ homes, taking them on a journey that reveals even more of the extraordinary worlds, iconic landscapes and remarkable wildlife that make North and South America so compelling — all while blending breathtaking scale, discovery, humor and heart."

Toby Gorman, who handles the unscripted stuff at Universal, called the show a 'bold bet'—apparently no one has tried pulling off a natural history series this grand on U.S. broadcast for years, but it paid off handsomely.