Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World

CNN and others have produced this nature show. Patagonia is a mostly dry area east of the Andes Mountains on the southern tip of South America. It has much of the same epic natural scenery with all the creatures as other nature shows. On top of that, it has human participants doing important research into issues threatening the natural world. In that way, it's different than the usual pretty nature documentary series. It is news adjacent which makes sense for CNN. There is some investigative journalism with these stories. It's informative and pretty looking. Pedro Pascal is the narrator. There are six episodes.

... about a region on the planet that interests me yet I know so little about.

CNN should go around the world and use this format for other regions ... Australia, Appalachia, Cascadia, Tibet,the Aleutian Islands, etc. They could run it from 9 to 11 pm weeknights and drop CNN Tonight.

I watched these episodes on Discovery+, without commercials.

Each episode centers on a unique region or feature of Patagonia; coastline, mountains, glaciers, forests, etc. We are shown the wildlife, plants and trees, weather, and people of each region. We see the beauty, and the threats posed by global warming and human encroachment. We also see the measures being taken to save the wild places and inhabitants.

The series is beautifully filmed and edited. The narrator, Pedro Pascal, is a wonderful choice. We can savor his calm voice and perfect pronunciation of the names of places and animals. In fact, one of the best aspects of this series is that every scientist, naturalist, advocate, and citizen we meet is from or of that environment. No white saviors here.

I learned a great deal watching this documentary series, and enjoyed myself thoroughly.

Yes, it is largely about humans, but this is what makes this documentary wonderful. Our species makes a bigger part of the population of the planet and we affect the environment in the most significant and devastating ways. The role of humans in this type of documentary usually centers on how we fail at being a responsible species. While it is definitely true, it was refreshing seeing people who try to reduce the negative effects other individuals had had on the ecosystem of Patagonia. Many stories were quite inspirational, especially from people who "switched sides", like the guy who went from being a hunter to being a protector. Seeing that there are people who try very hard to help the wild nature of Patagonia stay wild gave me hope. This series was just as educational, only in a different way.

The humans featured are integral to telling the story of saving Patagonia wildlife residents and the egosystem. Beautifully filmed with a solid narration/script. It speaks heavily to the need for conservation and the vital role of dedicated researchers.

I didn't detect any audio level variations between the narrator, the music and the ambient sounds. It all held together on my system.

We'll worth watching. My only disappointment is that six episodes aren't enough.