After 55 years, Earth Day is still going strong.
And after 4.5 billion years (give or take a couple), the Earth itself is going semi-strong.
As the day arrives (April 22), people still plant trees, clean rivers, visit parks … and watch TV. There are plenty of choices there.
The streaming services store Earth-ly films from the past, especially on Disney+, Apple TV+ (shown here is “Jane”) and Netflix. In addition, new ones keep arriving.
That starts two days early, on April 20 (which is also Easter Sunday). NBC wraps its splendid “The Americas” series and the National Geographic Channel has “Secrets of the Penguins,” a sprawling, three-hour project filled with charm, humor and life-and-death danger.
The penguins film returns on Tuesday, alongside the previous “Secrets of the Elephants” and “Secrets of the Octopus.” That same day, new films debut on Amazon Prime and Disney+ And the next day, PBS launches a new season of its “Changing Planet” series.
Here’s a sampling, starting with broadcast networks, then cable and then streamers:
NBC
— April 20: “The Americas,” 7 and 8 p.m. This is the beautifully filmed view of wildlife throughout the continents. First is a rerun of the Mexico hour. Then is the series-finale, showing how these elusive scenes were filmed.
— Also: “Americas” streams on Peacock and Hulu.
PBS
— April 21: “Water For Life,” 10 p.m. It tells of three Latin Americans who resisted government and corporate plans to divert their water.
— April 22: Several animated shows have nature-themed episodes, including (check local listings) “Wild Kratts” at 8 a.m.; “Rosie’s Rules,” 2 p.m.; and “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” 2:30. On the separate PBS Kids channel, “Wild Kratts” has an hourlong show at 7:30 p.m.
— April 23: “Changing Planet” opens its season at 10 p.m. with an intriguing look at two massive projects – stripping century-old dams from the Klamath River in the Northwest U.S. and cleaning the Seine in time for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
National Geographic Channel
— April 20: “National Parks,” 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; “Secrets of the Elephants,” 1-5 p.m.; Secrets of the Octopus,” 5-8 p.m.; “Secrets of the Penguins,” 8-11 p.m.
— April 22 (Earth Day): “(etc.) Octopus,” 1-4 p.m.; “Elephants,” 4-8 p.m.; “Penguins,” 8-11 p.m.
Nat Geo Wild”
— April 20: “… Elephants,” 4-8 p.m.; “Penguins,” 8-11 p.m.
— April 22: “Octopus,” 11:37 a.m. to 2:29 p.m.; “Penguins,” 8-11 p.m.; “Octopus,” 11 p.m. to 2 a.m.
HBO
— April 22: “Trees and Other Entanglements” (2023), 8:52 a.m.; “Ice on Fire” (2019), 1:19 p.m.
Apple TV+
— New: “Jane” starts its third season on April 18. It’s the story of young Jane Garcia, who aspires to be like Jane Goodall. Her imagination does the rest.
— Library: Two spectacular (and opposite) documentary series – “Big Beasts” and “Tiny World.” Also, the “Secret Lives of Animals,” a 10-part, 2024 series narrated by “Hugh Bonneville.” More: “Earthsounds,”;’ “Earth at Night in Color” and “The Year the Earth Changed,” a compelling look at a cleaner planet during the first year of the pandemic.
— Animated: “It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown”; “It’s the Small Things, Charlie Brown”; “Here We Are: Notes For Living on Planet Earth”; also, Earth Day episodes of “Camp Snoopy,” “Frog and Toad,” “Sillwater” and “Saga Mini-Friends.”
Disney+
— April 22: “Sea Lions of the Galapagos,” from the DisneyNature unit, and a companion film, “Guardians of the Galapagos.”
— Library: Almost annually, DisneyNature has done a lush wildlife film. Others include “Tiger,” “Bears,” “Penguins,” “Elephants,” “Polar Bears,” “Monkey Kingdom,” “Growing Up Wild” and many more.
— Library (more): The National Geographic films are here, including “One Strange Rock,” “Earth Moods” and the “Secrets of” films – elephants, whales, octopus and now penguins.
Netflix
— April 21: “Pangolin: Kulu’s Journey.” This documentary follows a young pangolin (similar to an armadillo) that is rescued from poachers, nurtured and returned to the library.
— Library: A wide range of series, including “Our Planet,” “Our Oceans,” “Life on Our Platent” and Barack Obama’s “Our Great National Parks.” Also, “Elephant Whisperers,” “Wild Babies,” “Night on Earth” and more, including the Oscar-winning gem, “My Octopus Teacher.”.
Amazon Prime
— April 22: “Kiss the Ground” and “Common Ground,” two films about regenerative farming and food systems. At 1 p.m. ET, there will be a live Q-and-A with the filmmakers, including Jason Momoa, Rosario Dawson and Woody Harrelson.