Why Tom Hanks Was Ready to Be 'on the Front Line' of His New Docuseries The Americas: 'TV at Its Absolute Best' (Exclusive)

Tom Hanks is ready to help shed light on Earth’s natural beauty America.

PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at the upcoming 10-part nature docuseries narrated by the 68-year-old actor, showcasing “the wonders, secrets and fragility of the world’s only supercontinent,” the synopsis explains.

Filmed over five years and 180 expeditions, the series is divided into hour-long episodes that explore various terrains across the Americas, including the Atlantic Coast, Mexico, the Wild West, the Amazon, the Frozen North, the Gulf Coast, the Andes, the Caribbean, the West Coast, and Patagonia.

“It’s an hour of discovery. You’ll be enchanted, enlightened, educated and — most of all — entertained,” Hanks tells PEOPLE of the show, which promises to “deliver extraordinary world news,” including “new species, new intimate courtship, dramatic deep-sea hunting and some of nature’s strangest stories.”

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Tom Hanks for ‘The Americas’.

Austin Hargrave/NBC

Hanks tells PEOPLE that the show is special because it’s “CGI-free,” noting, “Nothing here was created inside the magic of a camera, absolutely nothing.”

“This is TV at its absolute best, because – number one – you can’t make this stuff up. It’s true. It’s real,” he continues.

The Here The star says the best part of the show, which features extraordinary animals including a wandering salamander, is the chance to watch “creatures of all ages play”.

A sand tiger shark cruises the ‘Graveyard of the Atlantic’ off the coast of North Carolina.

Tanya Houppermans/BBC Studios

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“That’s my favorite part America — seeing how often all great and small creatures play, occupy their time, have fun. Carefree young — cubs, otters, cubs, chicks, owls — are learning for the first time how to do whatever they’re doing,” he says. “It seems as if all creation is seeking some form of contact, affection, and togetherness that is undeniably part of their behavior.”

The opportunity to highlight them was something Hanks couldn’t pass up.

“I knew I was going to learn a lot. I wanted to be on the front lines. I feel lucky to be a part of this extraordinary project – to capture something so real that it’s undeniable to anyone who watches it. And it’s glorious to be a part of it,” he adds.

Black bear mother and cub.

Chris Norcott/NBC/BBC Studios

In addition to being narrated by Hanks, the series is executive produced by Mike Gunton, with music by Oscar and Grammy-winning composer Hans Zimmer.

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America premiering with two back-to-back episodes on Sunday, February 23 at 7:00 PM ET/PT on NBC.

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Source: HIS Education