Steve Irwin’s family is coming back to Animal Planet, announced the network on Wednesday. ‘The Crocodile Hunter’s family will be back in 2018 with a show that’s yet in the early talks.
The Irwins are no strangers to TV, children Bindi and Robert used to make cameos on their parent’s show, ‘The Crocodile Hunter.’ Earlier this year, Steve was announced to have his Hollywood Walk of Fame star.
Crikey! The Irwins will be back
Discovery Communications announced Wednesday that they’re in early talks for an upcoming show with the Irwin family, mother Terri, and children Bindi and Robert.
“Steve Irwin was a champion for all wildlife and he and Terri’s excitement and enthusiasm brought viewers from around the world in touch with nature,” Patrice Andrews, general manager of Animal Planet, said in a statement.
“Their passion for animals, love for their family, and leadership in conservation awareness left a strong legacy that continues today. We are thrilled to have Terri, Bindi, and Robert back in the Animal Planet family.”
The family also shared the big news taking to Instagram to post a video breaking the exciting announcement.
According to the network, the family will work on projects to air across their platforms, digital and television. Also, serving as global ambassadors for Discovery Communications.
“Steve was very much the face of our channel. People even today in focus groups bring up the impact of ‘The Crocodile Hunter.'”
Nowadays, having such defining characters is becoming tougher and tougher for cable networks. Which means that bringing back the Irwins is part of the network’s refocusing on animals, according to Andrews. While the network’s called Animal Planet, in recent years the focus has draft away from that, even adopting the tagline, “Surprisingly Human.”
Crocodile Hunter aired from 1996 to 2007
Also, currently, the network’s most popular series is ‘Dr. Jeff: Rocky Mountain Vet’ with a new series focusing on animals at the Bronx Zoo also doing well.
Steve and Terri’s popular wildlife documentary introduced a new form of wildlife documentary and gained popularity around the world.
Steve’s colorful personality, his passion for animals and his “Australianisms” — like the expression “Crikey!” — made him a favorite.
‘The Crocodile Hunter’ aired on Animal Planet from 1996 through 2007 and also featured the couple’s two children. Irwin’s colorful personality, seeming fearlessness in wrestling dangerous animals and his “Australianisms” — like the expression “Crikey!” — made him a favorite.
Continuing the legacy
The entire Irwin family has kept up Steve’s work through the family’s conservation organization, Wildlife Warriors Worldwide, following Steve’s death on Sept. 4, 2006.
The popular conservationist passed at the age of 44 following the attack of a stingray off the coast of Australia while filming a documentary.
As for the children, they haven’t just continued Steve’s legacy on the conservationist side, but also when it comes to documentaries.
Bindi has hosted the Discovery Kids series ‘Bindi, the Jungle Girl’ for which she received a Daytime Emmy Award in 2009. She also and co-created a series of books called ‘Bindi Wildlife Adventures’.
Most recently she notably won ‘Dancing With The Stars’ season 9.
“Dad was amazing because he left this legacy that people will never forget,” Bindi told PEOPLE in May.
“He didn’t just say to love the cute and cuddly animals — he tried to get people to understand and respect the animals like crocodiles and snakes and really break down those barriers.”
“For us, we really want to carry on in dad’s footsteps and make sure that everything he worked so hard for continues on in the future,” she added.
As for Robert, he has co-hosted Discovery Kids series, ‘Wild But True,’ and has made several appearances on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.’
Just like his father, he has a great enthusiasm for animals and wildlife preservation.
“It’s just in my blood,” Robert told the host. “I actually grew up at Australia Zoo, so I think I’m the luckiest kid on planet Earth.”
Life without Steve
Steve’s widow, Terri Irwin, has opened up about she’s tried to channel some of the competitiveness that she and Steve had a couple. She decided to try to complete milestones on a 10-year business plan they wrote together shortly before he died ten years ago.
Now they’re working on projects he hadn’t dreamed of, like making accommodations for camping at their zoo, she said.
“I have friends who have lost husbands and have gone off and tried different things,” she said.
“Nothing wrong with that. For us, conservation work isn’t just what we do. It’s who we are. It’s really defined us that this is what we’ve dedicated our lives to.”
Terri also opened up about coping with life after Steve’s death.
“Grief is never something you get over. You don’t wake up one morning and say, ‘I’ve conquered that, now I’m moving on.’ It’s something that walks beside you every day,” she said.
“And if you can learn how to manage it and honor the person that you miss, you can take something that is incredibly sad and have some form of positivity. That’s kind of what we decided to do with Steve.”
Source: Bustle