In “Serengeti,” Sunday at 8 p.m. on the Discovery
network, Nyong’o’s voice takes viewers on a
journey following several species that were
tracked in the massive Serengeti in Tanzania.
Filmmaker John Downer, a veteran wildlife
documenter, was tasked with zeroing in on the
familial dynamics of various species, like Kali the
lioness, who is ousted from her pride in the first
episode because she’s mated outside of it. She’s
now forced to protect and feed her young cubs
without the help of her family. Bakari, a baboon,
is seen fighting for the affection of a female
baboon who has given her affections to the ruler
of the pack. Meanwhile Tembo, an adolescent
elephant, is trying to find his way and place after
his mother gives birth again.
Downer said “Serengeti” differs from other nature
programs because it brings the viewer into the
world of the animals in a more intimate way.
“We’re not seeing them just sort of as you
would within the documentary which is usually
about what they do in dramatic moments
where you see something happen in their
lives. This is kind of more personal. It relates to
human behavior,” he said.
“We could see ourselves reflected in them,
because we see them as animals as complex
in many ways as we are, and having to make
the same life choices but in very different
environments, where it’s all about survival of
the family and about jealousies and rivalries
and many things that, you know, the human
world encounters.”
The series produced by “American Idol” producer
Simon Fuller, who was inspired by his own
experiences watching wildlife on safari and his