TCA: Nat Geo Renews ‘Wicked Tuna'

Complete Coverage: TCA Summer Press Tour 2012

National Geographic Channel has renewed its freshman reality series Wicked Tuna for a second season, the network announced Friday during its Television Critics Association presentation.

The series, which follows New England fishermen who use rod and reel to catch bluefin tuna, will premiere in early 2013, according to National Geographic Channels (NGC) executive VP of programming Michael Cascio.

"Wicked Tuna is a story of survival and tradition in a special breed of fishermen," said Cascio in a statement. "We are proud that the first season served to bring a wider audience to what is a complex and complicated discussion on the bluefin tuna, and the second season will expand on this goal even further."

On the Nat Geo Wild front, the network said it will develop a one-hour biopic featuring Dog Whisperer star Cesar Millan. The show, Cesar Millan: Pack Leader, will take a behind-the-scenes look at the animal behaviorist, according to Nat Geo Wild executive VP and GM Geoff Daniels.

Nat Geo Wild also said it has commissioned a new series, Spoiled Rotten Pets, which spotlights outrageous examples of pets that are overly catered to by their owners. 

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.