Our Planet arrived on Netflix in April 2019, bringing together the key creative forces behind Planet Earth and Planet Earth II for a new series with a different platform, a different structure, and a more urgent tone. Produced by Alastair Fothergill and Keith Scholey’s Silverback Films in collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund, and narrated by David Attenborough, the series was filmed over four years across 50 countries. All eight episodes of the first season dropped simultaneously on Netflix, a departure from the weekly broadcast model that had defined BBC nature documentaries. A second season of four episodes followed in 2023.
The series was watched by over 33 million households in its first month, confirming that nature documentary filmmaking could command massive audiences on streaming platforms. Critical response was overwhelmingly positive, though the conversation around Our Planet has always included a secondary debate about its approach to environmental messaging. Where Planet Earth celebrated the natural world and Planet Earth II began integrating environmental awareness more directly, Our Planet makes the climate crisis and biodiversity loss central to every episode. Every habitat showcased is also presented as a habitat under threat. This framing is the show’s defining characteristic and its most polarizing quality.
The Visual Power of a Planet in Crisis
The footage in Our Planet stands alongside the best the BBC Natural History Unit has ever produced, which makes sense given that many of the same filmmakers were involved. Aerial drone shots over frozen landscapes, underwater sequences in pristine coral reefs, and intimate animal behavior captured with remote cameras all demonstrate the same technical mastery that defined the Planet Earth series. The production had access to locations and filming technologies that few other teams could match, and the results are consistently stunning.
The walrus sequence in the “Frozen Worlds” episode became a watershed moment in nature documentary history. Footage of Pacific walruses crowded onto rocky beaches due to diminishing sea ice, with individuals falling from cliffs to their deaths, provoked an intense emotional response from viewers worldwide. The sequence was praised for its courage and criticized by some who questioned aspects of the editorial framing, but its impact was undeniable. It forced viewers to confront the real-world consequences of climate change in a way that statistics and charts never could.
Attenborough’s narration carries a tone distinct from his BBC work. There’s an urgency that wasn’t as present in Planet Earth, a sense of a narrator who feels the clock ticking. His delivery remains masterful, balancing scientific information with emotional weight, but the scripts give him more direct appeals to the viewer than his earlier work typically included. When he describes what will be lost if current trends continue, the combination of his voice with the footage creates moments of genuine emotional power.
The production also excels at showing connections between ecosystems. Rather than treating each habitat in isolation, the series repeatedly illustrates how changes in one system cascade through others. Arctic ice loss affecting ocean currents, deforestation altering rainfall patterns, overfishing destabilizing marine food chains. These connections give the series a cumulative argument that builds across episodes, and by the final installment, the scope of what’s at stake feels fully communicated.
The Weight of the Message
The most consistent criticism of Our Planet is that the environmental messaging can feel relentless. Unlike Planet Earth, where viewers could immerse themselves in the beauty of nature without confronting its destruction, Our Planet rarely lets a segment pass without connecting it to human impact. Some viewers find this essential and overdue. Others report that the constant framing of loss and decline creates a viewing experience that is exhausting rather than inspiring. The show’s effectiveness depends partly on what the viewer wants from a nature documentary, and those who come seeking escape or pure celebration of the natural world may find Our Planet a more challenging watch than they expected.
The Netflix all-at-once release model also drew criticism from viewers and commentators who felt it undercut the series’ potential cultural impact. BBC documentaries like Planet Earth II and Blue Planet II benefited from weekly episodes that allowed each installment to become a shared cultural event, generating conversation and anticipation across weeks. Our Planet’s simultaneous release spread attention more thinly, and individual episodes had less opportunity to make an impact before the conversation moved on. The streaming model suits many types of programming, but nature documentaries may benefit from the slower release cadence.
Season two’s shorter four-episode run was well received but didn’t generate the same level of discussion as the first season. Some viewers felt it covered similar ground without the revelatory power of the original episodes. The walrus sequence cast a long shadow, and subsequent seasons struggled to produce moments with equivalent emotional force.
Nature Documentary as Climate Argument
Our Planet’s most important contribution to the genre is its demonstration that nature documentary filmmaking and environmental advocacy can coexist without one undermining the other. The footage is beautiful enough to work as pure spectacle, and the environmental messaging is grounded enough in visible evidence to avoid feeling preachy. The show doesn’t tell you what to think. It shows you what’s happening and trusts the footage to make the case. That approach is more effective than any lecture could be, and it represents an evolution of the nature documentary form that reflects the urgency of the current moment.
Should You Watch Our Planet?
Watch this if you want nature documentary filmmaking at the highest level with an honest confrontation of environmental realities. The footage rivals Planet Earth II, and Attenborough’s narration is as strong as ever. This is the right choice for viewers who want to understand the state of the natural world rather than simply admire it. Skip it if you want a nature documentary as comfort viewing or relaxation, because Our Planet carries emotional weight that can be heavy. If you’ve already seen Planet Earth and its sequel, Our Planet offers a meaningfully different perspective on similar material.
The Verdict on Our Planet
Our Planet proves that world-class nature filmmaking and environmental urgency can reinforce rather than diminish each other. The footage is spectacular, Attenborough’s narration gains power from its sense of stakes, and individual sequences like the walrus episode achieve an emotional intensity that few documentaries of any kind can match. The relentless environmental framing won’t suit every viewer, and the Netflix release model didn’t serve the series as well as weekly broadcasts might have. Those trade-offs are real, but the overall achievement is a nature documentary that is both beautiful and necessary, capturing a natural world that is running out of time.