The Ancient World

The Ancient World is a 2020 speculative documentary on the Discovery Channel. Akin to series such as Walking with Dinosaurs and its spin-offs, the series follows the story of life from the Cambrian Explosion to the present day. The series aired 3 seasons, each corresponding to a specific geologic era. It also included little features such as X-ray shots and little information boards about the time and place the episode is set in. The series used some of the most up-to-date science at the time. The average episode is 47 minutes long.

Setting: The Atlantic Ocean, Cambrian Period
The episode begins with a 5-minute scene talking about the Precambrian period. It starts by showing Earth as an inhospitable planet, before colliding with Theia, another planet. It rushes through the moon forming, Earth cooling, and oceans forming. It then shows the first cell which then divides repeatedly.

The episode then fast forwards to the Cambrian Period. The episodes mainly a pregnant Anomolocaris searching for a satisfying meal before laying her eggs. The episode also has a B story of a trilobite trying to survive.

Setting: The Pacific Ocean, Ordovician Period
The episode revolves around a Megalograptus in its efforts to obtain a meal.