National Geographic Premieres First-ever Fully Scripted Series: ‘Genius’

Although his scientific achievements still inspire awe, few know the full story of the 20^th century’s most brilliant icon Albert Einstein. National Geographic’s new 10-part series GENIUS – the channel’s first fully scripted series – explores Einstein’s extraordinary professional achievements along with his passionate and complex personal relationships. The mini-series arrives in Asia first, premiering on National Geographic on Sunday, April 23 in Hong Kong at 7pm – a full two days before the series’ global premiere.

With GENIUS, National Geographic is taking a revolutionary step to becoming an original content creator, ready for battle on the scripted TV landscape. GENIUS follows Einstein’s journey from an imaginative thinker of humble origins, to fleeing the Nazis during World War II, to attaining global celebrity status for his scientific endeavours. National Geographic’s first-ever fully scripted series reveals the untold story of the man behind the mind, delving into Einstein’s happiness and heartbreak as he struggles to be a husband, a father, and a man of principle. Entertaining as well as educational, GENIUS will help viewers learn more about how Einstein unlocked the mysteries of the cosmos in a significant historical era spanning two World Wars.

A start-studded cast and behind-the-camera team join GENIUS. The fully scripted series stars world-famous Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech, Pirates of the Caribbean) as Einstein, while prestigious English actress Emily Watson (War Horse, The Theory of Everything) plays Einstein’s second wife. The GENIUSexecutive production team includes the multi Oscar-winning team of Ron Howard and Brian Grazer; and Howard also makes his scripted television directorial debut with the first episode of GENIUS. Other GENIUS stars include familiar faces from Game of Thrones, Grey’s Anatomy, Mad Men and more.

The series begins in Einstein’s teenage years, when he argues with his father and drops out of school in Germany to go to university in Switzerland. Einstein encounters romance, political drama and unexpected personal struggles, but he manages to make a name for himself as a rising scientific mind. As relief at the end of World War I turns to fear at Europe’s rising tide of anti-Semitism, Einstein seeks sanctuary in the United States. Here, he struggles to balance his identity as a lifelong pacifist and a remarkably talented scientist who is the only one in the world potentially capable of stopping the rise of Hitler.

Lucien Harrington, SVP of Marketing & Communications for FOX Networks Group in Asia, says, “GENIUS is an evolution of National Geographic programing. Already the global leader in premium science, adventure and exploration programing, National Geographic is now firmly establishing itself as an original content creator bringing the best in education and entertainment to audiences in Asia and around the globe. We are delivering on the National Geographic renewed vision to take people one step to the edge of impossible and then, further. GENIUS is not only a global mini-series entertainment event – it is also a brand new way for National Geographic audiences to explore the past and learn the truth behind the legend of famous historical figures like Albert Einstein.”