After taking five years to make, Will Smith is climbing up the streaming charts with Pole to Pole. Even as more and more A-list stars have turned to television, breaking the perceived differences between the two mediums, Smith has kept away from leading roles on the small screen since his breakout performance on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
The Oscar winner has remained involved in TV, however, by serving as an executive producer on shows like Cobra Kai and the limited drama Women of the Movement. He has also regularly hosted documentary series, including Amend: Fight for America and Will Smith’s Bucket List.
Will Smith in a cold enviorment during an episode of Pole to Pole
The actor’s latest documentary series is Pole to Pole with Will Smith, and it’s already rising the streaming charts since its early January drop. The seven-part epic has made its debut in the Top 10 in several European countries, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, and Switzerland, among others, though it ranks highest in the Czech Republic and currently comes in at #6.
Available on Hulu and Disney+ for U.S. subscribers, episodes of Pole to Pole air weekly every Tuesday on National Geographic at 9 PM PT until the finale on February 3. The project is said to be five years in the making, blending cutting-edge science with environmental storytelling and bold exploration to follow the Men in Black star as he throws himself into a diverse set of challenges for 100 days.
Those challenges include climbing mountains, skiing to the South Pole, catching a giant anaconda, milking a venomous tarantula, and diving under the ice of the North Pole. Smith also helps to make “world-first scientific discoveries,” according to an official press release, while creating human connections with the people he meets along the way.
Pole to Pole with Will Smith was initially announced in February 2022. It marks Smith’s third collaboration with National Geographic, coming after One Strange Rock in 2018 and Welcome to Earth in 2021. On the film side, Smith is attached to several upcoming movies both as a producer and an actor.
Some of the upcoming Will Smith roles include potentially returning to I Am Legend. But for viewers hoping to see the Oscar-winning King Richard star in a different setting, Pole to Pole fits the bill and looks to be building up steam just days after releasing on January 13.
Birthdate
September 25, 1968
Birthplace
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA