Cities of the Underworld

Istanbul is undoubtedly one of the most dynamic and exotic cities in the world. Once the capital city of three of the worlds most powerful empires--The Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman--its strategic location made it the perfect spot for empires to rise, fall...and rise again. Residents of Istanbul walk on top of remnants of these fallen civilizations...literally. Taxis drive over parts of Constantines Lost Great Palace; children play on cobblestone streets concealing a massive Byzantine dungeon; a high school sits on a 3rd century wall leading to the bowels of a 100,000 seat ancient Roman Hippodrome; and basements of old Ottoman homes lead to subterranean tunnels and secret cisterns. Join host Eric Geller as he leaves the buzz of the city streets behind and follows the pull of the past. Teamed with leading archeologists and experts, Eric peels back the layers of the past--to reveal a hidden history that hasnt seen the light of day for ages.

This program reviews Adolf Hilters and Albert Speers plans for a building boom that would turn Berlin into the capital city of the world. The plan included substantial below ground ...

Eric finds some knowledgeable guides to take him on a clandestine tour of the catacombs of Paris. Originally a limestone quarry, the vacant space produced its own utility and a rich history in war and in peace to hide things better kept unseen. But the catacombs also represent cracks in the foundation that threaten the stability of the city above the surface.

New York Citys underground harbors secrets and surprises befitting the most important city on earth. Eric shares these secrets in tours under Grand Central Terminal, the Empire State Building, the World Trade Center and New Yorks original aqueduct.

The bombardment of Naples during World War Two revealed a forgotten underground world of ancient buildings, caverns and tunnels. This was fortunate because the underground provided shelter from the bombing as well as a window into Naples past all the back to the Greek Empire.

Visit the city of Bucharest, Romania and learn about its most famous citizen, Vlad the Impaler, more commonly known as Dracula. Travel underground as secret prisons, caves and dungeons are revealed. Only through the bleak subterranean stretches can one come face-to-face with the truth about this infamous Romanian ruler.

100 years ago Portland, Oregon was a city full of vice, considered the most dangerous port in the world. It was a place where you could get drugs or booze or wake up trapped in a cell beneath the earth.

For billions of people across the globe, Jerusalem is considered ground zero for Armageddon. And while most of the worlds population considers it a holy land, its also one of the bloodiest cities the world has ever known. From a hidden occult city built by the Knights Templar to the hiding place for the Dead Sea Scrolls, the evidence of the apocalypse is buried all over the holy city. Host Don Wildman has special access to a sacred stone said to keep the world from ultimate chaos, and finds evidence of John the Baptists apocalyptic sermons... hes heading into a vast underground that ignited the violent visions of the end of the world.

Tokyo, Japan is a city straight out of the future, above ground... and below. Well go beneath the busy streets to see the latest technology that will save the city from the many natural disasters ready to strike. From there, we head back in time to World War II to see how Hiroshimas underground offered protection from the most powerful bombs... and get an inside look at the secret life of the Ninja. Don Wildman hosts.

Be careful where you walk--historys afoot! Prague is a city cloaked in mystery, with an underground to match. Medieval castles line the streets and hide dark dungeons deep below them. From quarries where Hitler may have stored his most powerful secret weapon to mines that doubled as Communist slave camps, Prague has surprising stories to tell. Join host Don Wildman as he reveals the technological marvels that allowed the construction of one city upon another-- literally.

Chicago was once a playground for mobsters and corrupt politicians. It wouldnt be the third largest city in the U.S. today if it werent for the shady dealings that went on just beneath its streets. From vice dens and top-secret railroad lines to sunken shipwrecks and the spark that created the A-Bomb, host Don Wildman unearths the true history of the Windy City.

Today, New York is the biggest city in the country... but its got some dark secrets in its past. It was founded by covert groups, overrun with gangs and mob bosses, and ruled by secret societies. This is the true foundation of the city that never sleeps, and host Don Wildman is headed deep beneath the skyscrapers, taxicabs and street vendors into a New York that few have ever seen before. From a hidden Freemason tunnel and secret world of the Sandhogs, to mobster hideaways and gang escape routes, were uncovering the secret societies that built New York--from the underground up.

Moscow is a city known for its ruthless leaders and abundant secrets. Today its a modern metropolis, but far below its crowded streets lie the reminders of its war-torn past, and pieces of Stalins terrifying legacy. This subterranean web is so vast, modern day Moscow is actually in danger of caving in. From tunnels used to hide from Stalins blood-thirsty henchmen, to secret metro systems and hidden bunkers, Don digs deep into Moscows past.

Deep within the former Soviet Union lies a classified, subterranean world of Cold War secrets. In Ukraine, which once had the worlds third largest nuclear arsenal, Don ducks behind the Iron Curtain to reveal a how the Soviets were really preparing for a Nuclear War. From nuclear submarine bases to underground apartment blocks, these sites are so top-secret, theyve never before been seen on American television.

The largest naval armada in U.S. history descended on the Japanese island of Okinawa in April of 1945. Instead of a swift victory for the Americans it became the bloodiest battle of the Pacific. Much of the battle wasnt on land it was underneath it--from the beehive of combat tunnels to the caves where thousands of civilians hid. Join host Don Wildman as he discovers what it was like to live through the Battle of Okinawa. Watch as he delves into the subterranean tunnels, caves, and bunkers, and then dives to explore the lost naval destroyer sunken deep in the waters off Okinawas coast.

Welcome to Las Vegas, Americas Sin City, where billions of dollars are lost and made every year on our national vices. In order to protect their cash, casinos have made security the highest priority. From underground vaults to secret surveillance nerve centers, well uncover how the latest technology beats the cheaters. But Vegas wasnt always this high-tech. Well show how a massive engineering feat transformed the city from a barren desert into a mobster metropolis where thieves ran the show from underground tunnels dating back to Prohibition. And just when it looked like all the thugs were behind bars and the city would fall off the map for good, Vegas became the come back kid. Its the only city in the world where you can be in Egypt one moment and Italy the next, thanks to a secret underground that allows the show to get bigger and better every time.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, Europe was plunged into chaos for centuries, with vicious carnage and rampant disease regularly raging through the streets. However, below the streets was another world designed to keep the people alive and the enemy guessing. Join host Don Wildman as he uncovers immense quarries of a secret society, Templar torture chambers and the tunnels of medieval "ghost knights."

The gladiators of ancient Rome were the ultimate fighting machines. They waged bloody battles to the death for the entertainment of the masses--and to earn their freedom. From the depths of the vicious and magnificent Flavian amphitheater, to the buried brothel where they lived their last days, these are the secret lives of Romes famed slave warriors. Peel back the layers to uncover the origin of these fierce fighters, as host Don Wildman heads into ancient crypts, subterranean chambers used for pagan worship, and to the school that taught the gladiators how survive... and how to kill.

While most people think of San Francisco as a haven for peace-loving hippies, this city by the Bay is actually one of the biggest military defense installations in America. Well take you beneath its picturesque hills and uncover the biggest ammunitions depot on the West Coast before plunging into a deadly arsenal that once stored nuclear missiles with more than six times the destructive power of the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima. From the secret Civil War fortification buried beneath Alcatraz to the human trafficking tunnels winding below Chinatown, San Franciscos underground is evidence of its sordid past.

Located on the coveted gateway between the East and West, Turkey has a history marked by ambitious conquerors and great empires vying for control of the trade routes. Left behind was a rich mythology of gods and men with tales of epic battles which soaked Turkeys soil in blood. Well uncover the truth behind these mysterious legends revealing how a nation at war turned underground for its only means of survival, a maniacal kings plot to overturn consecrated ground to build one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and even an ancient healing spa of the gods!

Don Wildman explores deep below ancient ruins as he searches for clues pointing to the true fate of the once-mighty Mayan empire.

Don uses brand-new mapping technology to expose the dark and deadly uncharted spaces beneath American cities. He explores the criminal underworld below Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; Chicago, Illinois; and Los Angeles, California.

Don explores newly discovered ruins and caves in Croatia as he uncovers the true story of a formidable queen who dared to defy the mighty Roman Empire.

Don explores the massive underground cities in the mountains of Turkey that may have been home to the first civilization on Earth.