

Life After People
2009– · History · 60 min · 3 seasons
S03E08 · Ticking Time Bombs
Sun, 14 Sept, 2:00 am
Hidden dangers once held at bay by humans erupt with catastrophic force—from everyday objects ready to explode to chemical plants and locust plagues—as nature and human legacy collide, these ticking time bombs threaten to send the world up in smoke.
About
What would happen to planet earth if the human race were to suddenly disappear forever? Would ecosystems thrive? What remnants of our industrialized world would survive? What would crumble fastest? From the ruins of ancient civilizations to present day cities devastated by natural disasters, history gives us clues to these questions and many more in the visually stunning and thought-provoking special, Life After People.
Episodes
- E01
Water World
Tue, 15 July· 62 minIn a world without humans, water turns from life-giver to destroyer--flooding cities, collapsing dams, and triggering ancient forces long kept at bay.
- E02
Shop 'Til You Drop
Tue, 22 July· 62 minWhen humanity disappears, the global retail machine collapses—malls rot, shipping lanes turn explosive, and ghostly grocery stores become battlefields for rodents, predators, and time.
- E03
Urban Jungles
Tue, 29 July· 62 minIn the absence of humanity, the world's most iconic cities—from New York, to Orlando, to Rio de Janeiro—are reclaimed by nature, as forests rise, animals roam free, and fire and flood undo centuries of construction.
- E04
Sands of Time
Tue, 5 Aug· 62 minIn a world without humans, the deserts we once tamed rise to reclaim our greatest triumphs—from the glittering lights of Las Vegas to the soaring heights of Dubai's Burj Khalifa.
- E05
Home on the Strange
Tue, 12 Aug· 62 minAfter humanity ceases to exist, the homes we built—from suburban mansions and Miami condos to rural farmhouses—face a relentless siege by fire, flood, wildlife, and time.
- E06
The Underground Rises
Tue, 19 Aug· 62 minWhen humanity vanishes, the vast and fragile infrastructure hidden underground—from subways and pipelines to one of the biggest coal seams in the United States—begins to unravel.
- E07
Built to Last
Tue, 26 Aug· 62 minHumanity's strongest structures were engineered to defy disaster—but in a world without people, even the mightiest begin to crack.
- E08
Ticking Time Bombs
Sun, 14 Sept· 60 minHidden dangers once held at bay by humans erupt with catastrophic force—from everyday objects ready to explode to chemical plants and locust plagues—as nature and human legacy collide, these ticking time bombs threaten to send the world up in smoke.
Cast

James Lurie
Narrator