Pole to Pole with Will Smith is an ambitious seven-part National Geographic docuseries that follows the actor on a 26,000-mile, 100-day journey from the South Pole to the North Pole. As of January 8, 2026, the series is just days away from its global premiere.
Pole to Pole with Will Smith (2026) Overviews
| Episode | Title | Location | Summary Highlight |
| 1 | The South Pole | Antarctica | Will skis 700 miles across the Polar Plateau. |
| 2 | Deadly Creatures | Amazon (Ecuador) | Extracting venom from a giant tarantula for medical research. |
| 3 | Dark Waters | Amazon | Searching for a 17-foot giant green anaconda. |
| 4 | The Himalayas | Bhutan | A spiritual journey to find the secret to happiness. |
| 5 | The Pacific Islands | South Pacific | Recording a lost language on an island threatened by rising seas. |
| 6 | The Kalahari Desert | Southern Africa | Hunting with the San people in one of the world’s harshest deserts. |
| 7 | The North Pole | Arctic Ocean | A dangerous mission to dive under the ice during a snowstorm. |
Pole to Pole with Will Smith (2026) OTT Release Date
National Geographic Premiere: Tuesday, January 13, 2026 (Episodes 1 and 2).
Streaming Release (Disney+ & Hulu): Wednesday, January 14, 2026 (Full series available).
Middle East Premiere: A special red-carpet event featuring Will Smith is scheduled for tomorrow, January 9, 2026, in Dubai at The Sustainable City.
Pole to Pole with Will Smith (2026) Storyline
Five years in the making, the series marks Will Smith’s third major collaboration with National Geographic (after One Strange Rock and Welcome to Earth). The show captures Smith’s physical and spiritual growth as he tackles extreme environments across all seven continents.
The Mission: Smith travels through the Ellsworth Mountains in Antarctica, the Amazon rainforest, the Himalayas, the South Pacific islands, and the Kalahari Desert, eventually reaching the North Pole.
The Challenges: Highlights include skiing to the South Pole, milking a venomous tarantula in the Amazon, and diving beneath the Arctic ice.
The Depth: Beyond the action, Smith explores cultural traditions with groups like the Waorani in the Amazon and the San people in the Kalahari, while facing his own fears and reflecting on his life’s journey.
