Pole to Pole With Will Smith: Everything We Know About Nat Geo’s Must-See Docuseries

Grab your parka and your streaming passwords because Will Smith isn’t just hitting the red carpet this winter, he’s going full adventurer-in-chief. Pole to Pole With Will Smith is National Geographic’s globe-spanning docuseries that literally takes the Fresh Prince from the South Pole to the North Pole in an epic, 100-day odyssey that mixes science, culture and genuinely harrowing moments of survival. Whether you’re a nature nerd, a Will stan or just here for the chaos of watching a Hollywood icon handle spiders, snakes and freezing temperatures, here’s everything you need to know about how to watch and what to expect.

From Icy Extremes to Amazon Jungles: What the Series Is All About

The series follows Smith across all seven continents, partnering with scientists, explorers and Indigenous community leaders to uncover not just wildlife wonders but deeper environmental truths. Think skiing across frozen wastelands, extracting venom from spiders and confronting a massive anaconda in the Amazon, this isn’t your standard nature doc.

Produced by National Geographic alongside Westbrook Studios, Pole to Pole blends cinematic visuals with meaningful storytelling, highlighting world-first scientific research and indigenous perspectives while challenging Smith physically and mentally. Stunning landscapes, unexpected dangers and human stories from the edges of the planet make this a series worth your binge-watching attention.

Where & When to Watch Online

The journey kicks off on Tuesday, January 13, 2026 at 9 p.m. ET on the National Geographic channel. For those who prefer streaming, all episodes will be available starting January 14, 2026 on Disney+ and Hulu, letting you binge-watch at your own pace. If you’ve cut the cable cord but want the live premiere vibe, streaming services that carry Nat Geo will also let you watch the series as it airs.

Why It Matters (Beyond the Celeb Factor)

Will Smith hosting a travel-science show is a surprisingly effective way to pull viewers into critical conversations about climate, conservation and cultural resilience. From molecular science in the Amazon to Inuit expedition camps at the Poles, the series showcases the planet’s extremes and the people who live with them. There are funny moments (yes, spiders), tense moments (ice diving) and genuinely touching ones, like when Smith confronts his own limits or listens deeply to communities whose ways of life are literally disappearing.

Pole to Pole With Will Smith isn’t just another celebrity travel show, it’s a wild, messy and unexpectedly thoughtful expedition across our shared home. Whether you’re tuning in for Smith’s antics or the serious science, now you know exactly how to watch it online and why it’s worth the screen time. Grab your snacks, set that reminder for January and prepare for the type of adventure TV that makes you feel like you traveled the world without leaving your couch.