What to Watch Wednesday: Documentary tracks Pablo Escobar’s deadly wild hippos
Republican National Convention - The Republican National Convention continues through Thursday with coverage starting at different times on different networks. Some of the speeches will be delivered remotely from the Washington, DC area instead of in the host city of Charlotte, but the convention is not expected to be as “virtual” as last week’s Democratic Convention. Also, expect many national reporters and network anchors to stay in D.C. or New York. The New York Times has reported that the president is expected to speak all four nights of the convention during the 10 p.m. hour. You can watch starting at 8 p.m. on CNN, MSNBC and PBS / UNC-TV; at 8:20 p.m. on CSPAN; and at 10 p.m. on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox News. There’s also local coverage on Spectrum News. For details on how to stream the convention on TV, a computer or mobile device, visit 2020gopconvention.com.
The Hunt for Escobar’s Hippos (8 p.m., Smithsonian) - A fascinating new documentary that explains how notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar moved four hippos from Africa 6,000 miles away to his $63 million estate and exotic (and illegal) zoo in Colombia, South America in the 1980s. After Escobar’s death, the animals were left to fend for themselves, and the hippos — which are extremely dangerous — broke out and, with no natural predators in South America to keep their numbers in check, began breeding at twice their typical rate. More than 60 hippos roam the Colombian wilds today, wreaking havoc in villages and threatening the ecosystem. Despite their threat, it’s illegal to kill them to cull the herds, so one Colombian veterinarian has been tasked with the dangerous job of capturing and sterilizing them. The documentary filmmakers follow this veterinarian — Dr. Gina Serna, whose own father was killed by Escobar — and her team of wildlife experts tasked by the government to control the booming hippo population before someone gets killed.
Terrence McNally: Every Act of Life (8 p.m., PBS / UNC-TV) - Playwright Terrence McNally is remembered in this documentary and talkback live online special featuring actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson playwright Matthew Lopez and others.
Some programming descriptions are provided by networks.
