TV is the New Reading

‘Evolve,’ ‘The Works’ are two shows you might have missed

Before the big fall premieres pile up on me, I wanted to highlight a couple of cool little shows out there that might have slipped under your radar. They could’ve done this easily because I am a person who watches far too much television and I nearly missed them myself.

‘Evolve’

“Evolve” is a show on the History Channel that takes various elements of life on Earth and invites top biologists, paleontologists and other specialists to talk about what can be learned in the fossil record and observed directly in nature.

A recent exploration titled “Skin” talked about the development of skin as creatures moved from water to dry land, and how skin changed over time to meet changing needs. Another installment, “Flight,” explored examples of convergent evolution in insects, dinosaurs, birds and bats from several different perspectives.

To be clear, the show makes no apologies to alternate theories concerning the origins of life on Earth, such as creationism or intelligent design. So its very existence might be upsetting to some.

Even so, the show itself is quite interesting, both as information and visuals – although purists may still cry foul. Camera teams have captured beautiful images of a wide variety of animals against a white backdrop, adding pleasant and visually interesting illustration. Jarringly enough, readily recognizable contemporary animals are interspersed with what are certainly computer simulations of dinosaurs and other animals long extinct, shown against the same white background.

In a show claiming a basis in pure science, these speculative inclusions do raise an eyebrow. But it’s certainly worth a look to be judged on its own merits. “Evolve” airs at 8 p.m. Tuesdays on the History Channel.

‘The Works’

Another show that might be worth your attention is “The Works,” also on The History Channel. Host Daniel H. Wilson is an engaging, energetic 30-year-old with a Ph.D. in robotics and a consuming interest in things generally, especially technology. He’s terrifically interested in how things work, and his show, “The Works,” takes him on an exploration of topic after topic including skydiving, motorcycles, trash, robots – any gadget, technique or system he’d care to learn more about.

He’s not exactly Matthew Lesko, the gadfly question-mark guy with the free-money-from-the-government books, getting in everyone’s face with a million questions. For the episode on motorcycles, for example, Wilson stepped back and let the experts guide the show. He interjected a couple facts about physics and some basic narration, but long passages of the show featured guest speakers and demonstrations.

He’ll almost certainly have more to say in his installment on robotics, airing Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. on The History Channel.

It’s already here. FOX is already airing its fall season lineup, and the other networks are following suit. As the fall season unleashes an explosion of fresh programming, there will absolutely be plenty of new to view. But try to save a little room on the DVR for these lower-profile gems as well.

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