TCA press tour: National Geographic balances apocalypse, puppies

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In the classic view of the Machu Picchu ruins, the peak of neighboring Wayna Picchu stands tall in the background. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

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Some of the highest ground at Machu Picchu is occupied by temples, which overlook the residential and agricultural sectors. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

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Shimmering on the banks of the Yamuna River, the marble Taj Mahal is an architectural spectacle, its symmetry four minarets and matching mosques on two sides enhanced by its reflection on the water. Because worshipers must face east, only one of the mosques is functional; the other was duplicated for purposes of symmetry. (Scott Kraft / Los Angeles Times)

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The onion-domed Taj, as seen through an archway. (Scott Kraft / Los Angeles Times)

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Surrounded by a rectangle of long corbel-arched galleries, Angkor Wat rises in three astounding tiers to a cluster of five beehive-shaped towers, or prasats. (Paul Watson / Los Angeles Times)

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Statues line a roadway in the Angkor temple complex in Cambodia. (Paul Watson / Los Angeles Times)

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A school of fish swim in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

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Elephants take their ease at a watering hole at Bilila Lodge Kempinski, making it easy for guests to get a close-up view of some of the wildlife of Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park. (Rosemary McClure / For The Times)

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A lion dozes after filling up on a kill in Tanzania’s Serengeti park. Large cats rarely go hungry in the park, which has huge herds of wildebeests, gazelles and zebras. (Rosemary McClure / For The Times)

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Vehicles stop along a Serengeti route, as often happens when animals come into view. One of them might be your neighbor; Los Angeles provides 30% or more of the leisure travelers who visit Africa, says Ron Mracky of the Africa Travel Assn. (Rosemary McClure / For The Times)

By Meredith Blake

July 24, 2013 4:08 PM PT

The National Geographic Channel kicked off the summer gathering of the Television Critics Assn. with a presentation that teetered between the adorable and the unsettling.

Building on the success of “Doomsday Preppers,” the network is doubling down on the apocalyptic with a new reality series called “Doomsday Castle.” It follows “Brent Sr.” (no last name was provided), a North Carolina survivalist realizing his dream of building a medieval-style fortress to protect his family from what he believes are the coming “end days.”

He was joined on stage at the Beverly Hilton by his brood of strapping children who also appear, however reluctantly, in the series. “It is my bibilical obligation to God to protect my family,” said Brent Sr., whose fortress is on a 15-acre plot in an undisclosed corner of the North Carolina mountains and who fears hostile overthrow by foreign countries, solar flares and electromagnetic pulses.

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Speaking of terrifying scenarios, Nat Geo also teased an upcoming special event called “American Blackout,” a fictional dramatization of what might happen following a catastrophic power failure.

“It seems not a week goes by without threat of cyberattack,” network President Howard Owens helpfully reminded the crowd.

And if that weren’t enough to scare the daylights out of you, there was also a planned live broadcast of free climber Alex Honnold’s ascent of an as-yet-undisclosed skyscraper. For a taste of what that might look like, watch this gut-churning “60 Minutes” report on the climbing prodigy – if you have the stomach for it.

Thankfully, sister network Nat Geo Wild has plenty of adorable critters to balance out all the scary stuff. A new series called “The Secret Life of Dogs” will take a look at man’s best friend from a scientific point of view. Another animal-related offering is “Jobs That Bite” – think of it as “Dirty Jobs” with animals — hosted by the hunky Jeremy Brandt, who appeared on stage clutching a 5-month-old piglet and ended the presentation by summoning a hawk with his outstretched hand.

Should come in handy in the apocalypse.

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