It’s striking to realize how many of the stories we know are told from a male perspective. National Geographic’s Queens takes the idea even further, by presenting nature through a female lens. The first-of-its-kind natural history series is a bold departure from traditional natural history programming, but that’s not the only thing that makes Queens a must-watch. Informative and entertaining, Queens is the very best of National Geographic content.
Helmed by a female-led production team and narrated by award-winning actress Angela Bassett, the series showcases the female leaders of the animal kingdom in a never-before-seen way. Just like in the human world, the smart and resilient matriarchs of the natural world don’t always get enough credit. And there’s something poetic in the fact that this female-led team is the one bringing these stories to us.
But Queens isn’t just telling the story in front of the camera, it’s also telling the story of the women capturing it. It has to. One story doesn’t work without the other. And that’s part of what makes this ambitious documentary so important, and so crucial for the future. Women have been wildly underrepresented in the natural history storytelling space. The reception of this documentary, and the final product they have managed to put together, one of fierce, resilient, powerful female leaders – is something this team always knew was possible.
And yet, it’s something that hadn’t been done before, not with this focus on just female leaders, and how they love and sacrifice and come together to protect their own. But not just that, but also how they rise to power, often relying on cooperation and wisdom over brute strength. These stories are also tied to conservation efforts and women’s roles within these conservation efforts. There is a lot of talk about how important these efforts are, because so much of the natural world this series is exploring is, sadly, endangered.
Humans have done so much harm to nature. And series like Queens are meant to teach us, yes, but also to help us understand the job that needs to be done to protect what we still have left. If they, somehow, still manage to touch us while making us both learn something and make us feel like the job of helping cannot be left to the next generation, it needs to start right now, then they have done exactly what they needed to do.
If, on top of that, they also managed to make us feel like, no matter where you are, there is something pretty amazing about being a Queen, and Queens should be supported, particularly by other Queens …well, that is both the icing on the cake and probably what this female-led team truly wanted to do, deep down.
All seven episodes of Queens will air on Monday, March 4th at 8 pm EST on National Geographic. The series will also stream on Hulu and Disney+ from Tuesday, March 5th.
