Nat Geo’s New Series: “Inside Combat Rescue”

By: Lesley Goldberg The Hollywood Reporter Following its success with Seal Team Six, National Geographic Channel is re-enlisting in military fare. The cable network on Friday announced that it will launch Inside Combat Rescue in February, following an elite unite of Air Force rescue warriors who risk their lives to rescue those injured and clinging to life. For the first time in history, the U.S. Air Force allowed cameras to follow the skilled airmen through training, pranks and camaraderie at the base and provide a 360-degree view of the Pararescuemen (aka PJs), their leaders, Combat Rescue officers and their PaveHawk helicopter teammates as they fly into battle. Episodes will include “Whatever It Takes,” “Visions of War” and “Into the Fire,” the latter of which centers on the “golden hour” time of rescue. National Geographic Television will produce with Jared McGilliard on board as producer; John Collin Jr. will serve as supervising producer/editor and Ted Duvall and Jerry Decker will be EPs. Nat Geo’s Richard Wells, vp production and development Charlie Parsons and execvp programming Michael Cascio and president Howard T. Owens will also oversee the effort. The docuseries joins the recently announced telepic Killing Kennedy at the network and comes just two months after Nat Geo made headlines with SEAL Team Six: The Raid on Osama Bin Laden, which drew 2.7 million viewers for the cabler.