Fall 2011 TV Preview: Discovery Premiere Schedule and Trailers

Discovery has a unique gift: their slate of reality shows are addictively entertaining, but they still make you do all that learnin' stuff that I keep hearing about. I can't resist a good episode of "MythBusters" or "Dirty Jobs," and new shows like "Weed Wars" only make the channel's lineup that much more appealing.

Discovery has a string of successes that will be returning to the airwaves this fall, plus a healthy number of new shows that sound pretty darned interesting. What are they? Read on to find out!

New Shows:

"Dinosaur Revolution" - Sunday, Sept. 4th and 11th at 9pm ET/PT

This four-part series aims to be a game-changer in terms of documentary shows about dinosaurs. Sort of a "Planet Earth" of dinos, the show will bring you closer to the daily lives of dinosaurs through cutting-edge animation...none of that crappy, cheap CGI that you see on other dino shows. This one will be a must for dinosaur fanatics.

"Carfellas" - October

Mix "Goodfellas" with a used car lot and add a dash of "Jersey Shore" and you might end up with this show. "Carfellas" follows a reformed convict and his buddies as they run a used car business on Long Island. It's sure to have some colorful characters along with a fascinating look at the business of selling used cars.

"Gunsmoke (WT)" - October

Let's face it: sometimes it's fun to watch people on the Discovery channel show off some guns. Not "guns" like Ron Burgundy's gun show, mind you, actual guns. The show follows a family of gunsmiths in Colorado lead by former police officer Rich Wyatt, who create guns that are both powerful weapons and works of art.

"Penn & Teller Tell a Lie" - October

Like "MythBusters" on steroids, "Penn & Teller Tell a Lie" takes the "Mythbusters" concept and gives it the Penn & Teller twist. A variation on P&T's previous show "Bulls**t," the show involves the two sleight-of-hand performers testing out a number of "true story" stunts like lifting a car with a head of hair. Each episode will feature a number of truths and one lie, which is up to the viewer to guess before Penn & Teller reveal it through their stunts.

"Weed Wars" - November

Sure to be a fascinating and controversial show, "Weed Wars" unveils the inner workings of an Oakland marijuana dispensary, their many products, and the alleged benefits of each. But of course "Wars" is in the title, so there is sure to be plenty of time spent debating the legalization of marijuana and the raids that have been run on dispensaries in California especially.

Returning Shows:

"Man, Woman, Wild" - Friday, September 2 at 9pm ET/PT

This variation on "Man vs. Wild" returns as a daring married couple, the Hawkes, must survive together out in the wilderness.

"Swamp Loggers" - Friday, September 2 at 10pm ET/PT

Bobby Goodson returns as he searches the swamps of North Carolina for timber that he can sell for a nice profit. As with "Ice Road Truckers," the fun is in the danger and the characters.

"American Chopper" – Monday, September 5 at 9pm ET/PT

What started as a simple show about pimped-out motorcycles has become more of a family drama. But the story of this season is the possibility that father and son will put their differences aside and reunite...only after they go head-to-head in a "build-off" of course.

"Swamp Brothers" – Monday, September 5 at 10pm ET/PT

The Keszey brothers star in this series that really comes down to wildlife preservation...even if they're preserving the kind of things that kill you. Like gators. And snakes. And bears. And just about everything else that lives in swamps.

"Storm Chasers" – Wednesday, September 28 at 10pm

The tornado-chasing trio is back for another episode of this hit, as they try to chase bigger and badder storms. With climate change making the Midwest and the South into even more of a storm magnet, that shouldn't be too hard.

"Gold Rush: Alaska" - Friday, October 28th at 10pm ET/PT

The miners are back to try to hit paydirt in this show that shows just how tough gold mining is. It was probably a lot more lucrative back during the actual Gold Rush.

"Flying Wild Alaska" - Friday, November 4th at 9pm ET/PT

The Tweto family and their small-business airline are back for another season to show Sarah Palin what their Alaska is like (and hopefully not crash any planes in the meantime).

"Dirty Jobs" - October

Mike Rowe is back to host yet another season that puts him in the most disgusting, grueling, dirty jobs that America has to offer. I hope they pay that guy really well.

"Mythbusters" - October

One of the biggest shows on the network, "Mythbusters" has gained a loyal fan following over the years for their careful and methodical testing of the most puzzling myths out there. Oh, and they blow a lot of $#!% up.