Our Universe is a new nature documentary set to be released on November 22, 2022, narrated by Morgan Freeman and produced by BBC Studios.
Using modern technology and exquisite computer-generated visual effects, this series takes the nature documentary format one step further and examines the larger context of our Earth in the universe. It explores the interconnectedness of our planet, reminding us that we are just a small feature created by the connections of time and space.
In this guide on how to watch Our Universe, we’ll cover the premise of this unique series, offer spoiler-free recommendations on how to dive in, and offer an episode guide.
Netflix was kind enough to send us a preview clip of the show, which you can watch below.
Where to watch Our Universe?
All six episodes of Our Universe are available November 22, 2022 on Netflix. Each episode is 45 minutes long and explores different aspects of life on Earth and how we got to this point in space and time.
The Our Universe soundtrack features music written and produced by Anne Nikitin and Jessica Jones and is available from November 18, 2022 wherever you get your music.
Our Universe Trailer
The Our Universe trailer was released on November 10, 2022 and offers a preview of the exciting features this series will explore. Clear from the start, Morgan Freeman’s baritone voice chronicles the journey through our world and the cosmos. What becomes immediately apparent is that this is not your standard nature documentary.
It folds into stunning computer-generated graphics of events happening in our universe, like a massive collision with an early Earth, which likely caused our axis to tilt resulting in seasonal changes throughout the year. The teasing of this as a combination of nature and space documentaries ignites the most innate desire for scientific exploration.
What is Our Universe?
This six-part docuseries is billed as a 13.8 billion-year-old epic tale. Tracing the origin of our universe to the birth of our Sun and the formation of Earth, it guides us on a journey to modern Earth and the living things we know and know. These include iconic and charismatic animals such as the Alaskan brown bear, cheetahs, penguins, chimpanzees and sea turtles.
The series explores the smallest details of our world and invites the viewer to wonder how something as simple as a single blade of grass came to be and the impact it has on our environment. The viewer is left with a much deeper appreciation of the uniqueness and fragility of our planet, but also of its resilience and ability to adapt to the ever-changing cosmos.
For astronomy fans, viewers will be blown away by the awe-inspiring visuals and computer-generated imagery that recreates cosmic phenomena that fascinate us all. This series is accessible to all and highly recommended for family viewing.
The episodes of our universe
All six episodes are available on Netflix from November 22, 2022. Each focuses on a unique animal existing in its environment and the forces of the universe that brought them to this singular moment. Minor spoilers ahead.
Episode 1 – Chasing Starlight
- Featured animal: cheetah
- Featured astronomical concept: The sun
This episode explores the life of Wachini the cheetah on the Serengeti plains as she hunts for food. He then questions what it means to eat and how living beings need energy to survive. This energy begins its journey over 90 million kilometers away, fueled by the nuclear reactor that is our Sun.
Episode 2 – The Cosmic Clock
- Featured animal: Chimpanzee
- Featured astronomical concept: Time
Here we visit the forests of Gabon in Central Africa to find Céleste the chimpanzee waiting for her baby. As she notes how long it takes for the baby to be born, the episode explores what “time flies” means. Does everyone experience time the same way? Introducing the complex concept of time, and that it exists as a dimension in the fabric of our universe, it examines the fragility, or lack thereof, of time and its ability to be manipulated.
Episode 3 – Turning the Seasons
- Featured animal: Brown bear
- Featured astronomical concept: Seasons and Earth’s axial tilt
Next, we travel to arctic Alaska to catch a glimpse of the life of Luna, a brown bear, preparing to hibernate for the winter. It’s a common occurrence that most of us are aware of, along with the idea of what the changing seasons mean. Learning that the tilt of the Earth’s axis causes different hemispheres to “face” the Sun at different times of the year, we see (thanks to phenomenal CGI technology) the cosmic collision of ages ago. billion years that probably caused this tilt.
Episode 4 – Elementary
- Featured animal: Sea turtle
- Featured astronomical concept: The Big Bang
In this episode, we head south to the Great Barrier Reef and discover Stella, a baby sea turtle emerging from its shell and beginning its perilous journey into adulthood. To survive, she will have to fight off predators and search for food, but her needs run deeper, relying on the fundamental elements of our universe such as hydrogen and iron to survive. As the classic saying goes, “We are stars” and this episode examines where these elements came from and their path to the planet as we see them today.
Episode 5 – The World of Water
- Featured animal: Elephants
- Featured astronomical concept: Water ice in asteroids and comets
Leaving the islands and the lush life of the Great Barrier Reef, this episode takes us to Botswana in the Okavango Delta to find a family of elephants in search of water. By reflecting on their regular migration patterns based on a search for this fundamental molecule that makes up 70% of our planet, we explore how water ended up here in the first place. It is often a major revelation that there is a lot of water in the form of ice throughout our solar system, and delivery mechanisms in the form of comets and asteroids are a likely explanation for the distribution on Earth.
Episode 6 – Force of Attraction
- Featured animal: royal penguins
- Featured astronomical concept: Gravity
For the latest episode, we go on an adventure to the South Atlantic, specifically to the island of South Georgia to find a pair of king penguins named Rocky and Paloma, who meet and fall in love. Now that we have thought about the effects of the sun, water, the elements, the seasons and the passage of time, we end up thinking about what brings us together. No, not love, but rather the force of gravity.
Who worked on Our Universe?
From BBC Studios, Our Universe is produced, written and directed by Alice Jones, Stephen Cooter and Naomi Austin. Executive producer is Andrew Cohen alongside showrunner Mike Davis. The music is written and produced by Anne Nikitin and Jessica Jones. The series soundtrack is now available wherever you get your music. And, of course, you have the cool, sweet Morgan Freeman tones guiding you through your epic journey.
#watch #Universe #Netflix #BBCs #interstellar #documentary #series