With Alaska, There's No Business Like Snow Business

摘要

A NEW SEASON OF THE LAST ALASKANS, about the few remaining residents in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, starts up on Discovery on Sunday, Nov. 25, representing yet another show set in our 49th state. The series' unforgiving terrain, and the hardy characters who brave the elements there, are something of a mainstay on Discovery and other networks. Viewers don't seem to tire of Alaska shows. "It's a place where the challenges people face come through on television so clearly," Michael Gara, executive producer on The Last Alaskans, said. "The average person is fascinated by it. We don't know if we could survive there." Discovery's other Alaska holdings include Alaska: The Last Frontier, which began season eight last month; Bering Sea Gold, which has lasted for 10 seasons; Alaskan Bush People, which has been on for eight seasons; and Deadliest Catch, which ran season 14 earlier this year. Donna D'Alessandro, senior VP of programming at Discovery, said the region's weather and landscape emerge as much characters as the humans themselves. "You never know what will happen in Alaska," said D'Alessandro. "It will always feel fresh." An ideal Discovery show depicts a world that is "unique and different," she added. Alaska has that in spades.