TRAVEL CHANNEL'S "TIME TRAVELING WITH BRIAN UNGER" BRINGS AMERICAN HISTORY TO LIFE WITH ASTONISHING CGI GRAPHICS AND FASCINATING UNKNOWN TALES ABOUT NATIONAL TREASURES
New Original Series Premieres with Back-to-Back Episodes on
Monday, April 20 at 10:00 p.m. & 10:30 p.m. ET/PT
CHEVY CHASE, MD (February 19, 2015) - Travel Channel takes viewers on an unexpected journey back in time with the help of a witty tour guide and eye-popping CGI graphics. In the new half-hour original series, "Time Traveling with Brian Unger," premiering with back-to-back episodes on Monday, April 20 at 10:00 p.m. & 10:30 p.m. ET/PT, audiences will be visually transported to America's past and entertained by amazing tales of yesteryear - typically not found in guidebooks. Hosted by Unger, an experienced producer, commentator, actor and comedian with credits including "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," "The Daily Show" and more, the series looks at iconic landmarks, personalities and events in a fresh, new way, revealing historical details many of us never knew occurred.
"This is a funformitive, historic thrill-ride through familiar events and places we often take for granted - a show in which past and present collide but, thankfully, no one gets hurt," said Unger.
In the premiere episode of "Time Traveling with Brian Unger," airing at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT, Unger takes locals on an adventure to two vastly different but equally awe-inspiring symbols of American ingenuity. First, Unger travels back to San Francisco in the midst of the Great Depression. This ultra-modern city transforms to a time when the famous Golden Gate Bridge was merely a dream of chief engineer, Joseph Strauss. Unger and his guests get an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the bridge's engineering and design. They take a rare look at the Golden Gate's anchorage, then travel by boat underneath it as the bridge transforms before their eyes to its original design and construction. Unger also reveals the identity of the bridge's real designer, Charles Ellis, who didn't get credit until many years after the Golden Gate opened. Next, Unger travels back to New York City in 1913 for an adventure involving the very first building to "scrape the skies" of Manhattan - The Woolworth Building. Guests get an exclusive tour of this Gothic skyscraper, built by "Five and Dime" mogul Frank Woolworth. Nicknamed the "Cathedral of Commerce," the building transitions back to the early 20th century, when the first tenants graced its elegant halls, elevators and offices. Unger leads the tour through Woolworth's basement vault, as guests explore the hidden safes and lock boxes where Manhattan's elite once kept their cash and jewels. Then, the ultimate bombshell is revealed, as Unger's guests find out which top-secret World War II government project had offices in this very building. Afterward, Unger provides an exclusive look at Frank Woolworth's private office that morphs into its original form - sheer elegance, only befitting a corporate mega-mogul such as Woolworth.
In the second episode, airing at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT, the host travels through time to the Old West and the New West to relive two uniquely American stories. First stop, Tombstone, AZ, where the restored touristy town of today transforms before our eyes to the dusty Wild West locale of 1881. Once home to men like Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, this historic location is where these gunslingers enforced their own brand of frontier justice. Unger busts a few myths about the infamous shootout at the O.K. Corral and reveals where the gunfight actually took place. Hint, it wasn't at the O.K. Corral. Next, Unger travels to Las Vegas in the 1940s and '50s. The present-day indoor mall that covers Fremont Street reverts back to the neon-lit glory days, when Hollywood celebrities like Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe flocked to Sin City to get 'unhitched.' Unger and his guests explore the sites of two former "divorce ranches." One is a pristine city park and the other an abandoned, overgrown lot. Audiences will be amazed as the weed choked lot morphs into the luxurious Boulderado ranch, frequented by Mickey Rooney.
"Time Traveling with Brian Unger," previously greenlit for six episodes, has been upped to 13 half-hour episodes produced by Half Yard Productions for Travel Channel. For Half Yard Productions, the executive producers are Abby Greensfelder, Sean Gallagher and John Jones. For Travel Channel, the executive producer is Brian Leonard.
TRAVEL CHANNEL (http://www.TravelChannel.com) is a multiplatform travel lifestyle brand with the core mission of providing inspiring and compelling programming that takes viewers beyond their everyday destinations, making the unfamiliar familiar, whether it's around the world or around the block. A dual feed network that is also available in HD, Travel Channel is the world's leading travel media brand, and is available in over 94 million U.S. cable homes. Owned and operated by Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI), Travel Channel has offices in Chevy Chase, Md., and New York, N.Y. Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI) also owns and operates HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, Cooking Channel and Great American Country.
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