The Dinosaurs (2026) s01e01 Episode Script
Chapter 1 : Rise
Earth,
sixty-six million years ago.
During the great reign of the dinosaurs.
Majestic creatures.
Giants and monsters
that can often seem
more imagined than real.
Including…
…this Pachycephalosaurus.
He's an old alpha male,
eager to get back to his harem of females.
But something's caught their attention.
A rival male.
If the alpha doesn't get there,
he may lose them to the intruder.
There's just one problem.
There's a herd of giants in his way.
But holding on to his family
is all that matters.
He'll risk his life to reach them.
He may have survived the crossing,
but the battle has just begun.
The trespasser is younger,
stronger, and more aggressive.
And he won't surrender these females…
…without a fight.
Their four-inch-thick skulls
are designed for a brutal style of combat.
Neither side is backing down.
This time,
the alpha is hurt.
Dazed and fading fast,
his hold on his family is slipping away.
Sensing his weakness,
the intruder prepares
for a finishing blow.
But in the world of Tyrannosaurus rex…
…the only battle that counts
is for survival.
This is the age of the dinosaurs.
This is the story of the dinosaurs
as it has never been told before.
It takes place in a world lost to time.
Long before the infamous asteroid.
Millions and millions
of years in the past.
On a planet that looks nothing
like it does today.
Where extraordinary beasts clash…
…and struggle to survive.
And where Earth's violent forces…
…determine their fates.
The story begins 235 million years ago…
in an era known as the Triassic…
where a twist of evolution
will change the course of history.
The supercontinent of Pangaea.
A single immense landmass
that stretches from pole to pole.
Its vast desert interior
is more like the surface of Mars…
than planet Earth.
Temperatures here are brutally hot.
In some places,
it hasn't rained in thousands of years.
But there is something
far worse than the heat.
Sandstorms.
Few creatures can survive
in a world this extreme.
But not all of Pangaea
is a desert wasteland.
Along its fringes,
the warm, lush coastlines
are the perfect place
for life to thrive.
This is a time long before
the age of the dinosaurs.
It is the age of the ancient reptiles.
Like Tanystropheus…
a six-meter-long nightmare
that stalks the shallow sea.
And Rhynchosaurs,
one of the most successful reptiles
in all of Pangaea.
To each other…
…they're brutes and bullies.
But to this reptile,
they're just the terrified locals.
Luperosuchus,
the four-meter-long apex predator
of his time.
But he's not here for the Rhynchosaurs.
He's sniffed out an easier target.
A clutch of eggs.
Very special eggs.
Because growing inside them
are the very first of their kind.
A baby Marasuchus.
She weighs no more than a mouse.
But she makes up for it,
because she has a set of skills
that sets her apart
from the ancient reptiles.
Including the remarkable ability
to stand on two legs, not just four.
She also has advanced lungs
and lighter bones.
Adaptations that give
these little hatchlings
an invaluable gift.
They are born to run.
And in this day and age, they need to.
Their only hope
is to find a place to hide.
Easier said than done
when you've hatched into hell.
All her siblings are gone.
The survival of her bloodline
is now hanging by a thread.
But thanks to her,
it's still intact.
Which is vital
because her descendants
are the dinosaurs.
One year later,
Marasuchus is now fully grown.
But when you're the size of a pigeon
in a land of monsters,
you're still just prey.
Now, Marasuchus must make it
through another night.
It's critical,
because if this dinosaur-in-the-making
doesn't survive,
her family tree could be cut down
before it even takes root.
She's picked up a scent.
Something worthy of her bloodline.
A Rhynchosaur carcass.
But it's already been claimed…
…by her old nemesis,
Luperosuchus.
This is his kill.
And he does not intend to share.
But as night approaches…
temperatures start to drop.
The colder it gets,
the drowsier the giant reptile becomes.
Meanwhile, the warmer-blooded Marasuchus
has a feathery fuzz that keeps her cozy.
The perfect attire for a daring heist.
If she plays it right…
she may just get
her moonlit dinner for one.
A feast
fit for a dinosaur.
Marasuchus has great potential.
She's adaptable,
with traits that make her special.
But if the dinosaurs
are to challenge the ancient reptiles,
it will take more than skills.
It will take a powerful ally.
The Earth itself.
A million years later…
in the far north of Pangaea,
the darkest forces of nature
are awakening.
A series of volcanic eruptions
is creating a catastrophe.
One that will alter the fate
of the dinosaurs.
But the danger is not the lava.
It's a gas.
Carbon dioxide.
Filling the skies and warming the planet.
The rising temperatures
cause a massive surge
in ocean evaporation.
Huge storm clouds descend
on the continent of Pangaea.
But this will be no ordinary rainfall.
It sweeps across the globe…
carving vast rivers
into the once dry continent.
Known as the Carnian Pluvial Event…
this series of storms
will be the longest downpour in history,
lasting more than a million years.
When the rains finally do subside,
Pangaea emerges transformed.
A world reborn.
What were endless deserts are now forests.
New lands that will help set the course
for the rise of the dinosaurs.
But first, the reptile empire must falter.
The air in these woods is thick
with the smell of tree resin.
Nature is unforgiving here.
The once prosperous plant-eating reptiles
are on the decline.
Not only is this Rhynchosaur alone…
…she's starving.
In this new world of towering trees…
the low-lying plants
that once allowed her species to thrive…
have all but disappeared.
She won't survive
if she can't reach her food.
And she has
a more immediate problem than hunger.
A relative of the fearsome Luperosuchus.
For these reptilian carnivores,
this is a time of great opportunity.
Unlike the nimble Marasuchus, she's slow…
…weak,
vulnerable.
The Rhynchosaurs were once
among the most successful
of the plant-eating reptiles.
Now, their extinction
is just a matter of time.
As the kingdom of the ancient reptiles
begins to fracture…
…another kind of animal is on the rise.
The dinosaurs.
And in this changing world,
they must be adaptable.
They must evolve.
They must improve over time.
And transform in ways
that will help them survive.
Finally, 12 million years
after the demise of the Rhynchosaurs,
the dinosaurs can begin
to come out of the shadows.
As the end of the Triassic draws near,
vast forests still dominate the land,
now more vibrant than ever.
And the dinosaurs
are reaping the benefits.
Like Plateosaurus,
a dinosaur trailblazer.
This little one
and her siblings
are embarking on a mission
to explore their new world
with almost no regard
for the dangers it may hold.
They may not look
any bigger than little Marasuchus…
but when they grow up,
they grow up bigger.
Much bigger.
They are the first dinosaurs
to become gigantic.
Over seven meters long,
they've come a long way
since their tiny ancestors
ran for their lives.
And unlike the Rhynchosaurs,
these giants can easily reach
the higher vegetation.
They even have a trick
for reaching
the most tender shoots of all.
Excessive, maybe.
But worth it.
Because an adult Plateosaurus
must eat 25 kilos of plants each day.
And to wash down that much food
requires a lot of water.
It's an easy life.
But in the age of the early dinosaurs,
even a giant like Plateosaurus
must be careful…
…because there is another dinosaur
on the rise.
A newcomer with a taste for blood.
Procompsognathus.
A carnivore with razor-sharp teeth
and killer claws.
His descendants
will one day include Tyrannosaurus rex.
But for now, this angry predator…
…is only the size of a turkey.
While the matchup
between these two dinosaurs
may be a little lopsided…
…it won't stay that way.
Over time, a fierce rivalry will grow
between two great dinosaur clans.
The herbivores
and the carnivores.
But for the time being…
all dinosaurs are facing
a much greater threat than each other.
In the water and on land,
the ancient reptiles
remain top of the food chain.
The dinosaurs are growing
as a force in the world,
but their rise is slow.
The planet still belongs to the reptiles.
For the dinosaurs to truly challenge them,
it will take millions of years.
Shaped by Earth's dynamic forces,
they grow fiercer,
more powerful,
more advanced.
By the end of the Triassic,
the dinosaurs are ready
to flex their muscle.
But there are new creatures
also vying for domination.
And in the mountains of Pangaea,
some of them have taken to the air.
Pterosaurs.
Flying reptiles
with a wingspan of two meters.
And they are in total command
of the Triassic skies.
These jagged peaks
are their mating grounds.
And this male has spotted a female.
First, eject the competition.
Now, it's time for the courtship to begin.
During these rituals,
the Pterosaurs are focused
entirely on each other,
not their surroundings.
Which can be costly
because dinosaurs dwell in these canyons.
The largest member of the carnivore clan…
…Liliensternus.
Twice as long as a grizzly bear,
with claws that can tear through flesh.
And with her finely-tuned sense of smell,
she doesn't miss a thing.
Dozens of eyes are circling above.
Even with her camouflage,
one wrong move could blow her cover.
This moment marks a new chapter
in the rise of the dinosaurs.
At last, they are a force to be feared.
But the commotion of her attack
has attracted another predator.
The ancient reptiles have terrorized
the dinosaurs from the beginning.
But that ends now.
Liliensternus won't be skulking
back to the shadows.
She can hold her ground.
The trouble is,
here at the end of the Triassic,
the ground itself
is about to throw
the entire dinosaur story into chaos.
sixty-six million years ago.
During the great reign of the dinosaurs.
Majestic creatures.
Giants and monsters
that can often seem
more imagined than real.
Including…
…this Pachycephalosaurus.
He's an old alpha male,
eager to get back to his harem of females.
But something's caught their attention.
A rival male.
If the alpha doesn't get there,
he may lose them to the intruder.
There's just one problem.
There's a herd of giants in his way.
But holding on to his family
is all that matters.
He'll risk his life to reach them.
He may have survived the crossing,
but the battle has just begun.
The trespasser is younger,
stronger, and more aggressive.
And he won't surrender these females…
…without a fight.
Their four-inch-thick skulls
are designed for a brutal style of combat.
Neither side is backing down.
This time,
the alpha is hurt.
Dazed and fading fast,
his hold on his family is slipping away.
Sensing his weakness,
the intruder prepares
for a finishing blow.
But in the world of Tyrannosaurus rex…
…the only battle that counts
is for survival.
This is the age of the dinosaurs.
This is the story of the dinosaurs
as it has never been told before.
It takes place in a world lost to time.
Long before the infamous asteroid.
Millions and millions
of years in the past.
On a planet that looks nothing
like it does today.
Where extraordinary beasts clash…
…and struggle to survive.
And where Earth's violent forces…
…determine their fates.
The story begins 235 million years ago…
in an era known as the Triassic…
where a twist of evolution
will change the course of history.
The supercontinent of Pangaea.
A single immense landmass
that stretches from pole to pole.
Its vast desert interior
is more like the surface of Mars…
than planet Earth.
Temperatures here are brutally hot.
In some places,
it hasn't rained in thousands of years.
But there is something
far worse than the heat.
Sandstorms.
Few creatures can survive
in a world this extreme.
But not all of Pangaea
is a desert wasteland.
Along its fringes,
the warm, lush coastlines
are the perfect place
for life to thrive.
This is a time long before
the age of the dinosaurs.
It is the age of the ancient reptiles.
Like Tanystropheus…
a six-meter-long nightmare
that stalks the shallow sea.
And Rhynchosaurs,
one of the most successful reptiles
in all of Pangaea.
To each other…
…they're brutes and bullies.
But to this reptile,
they're just the terrified locals.
Luperosuchus,
the four-meter-long apex predator
of his time.
But he's not here for the Rhynchosaurs.
He's sniffed out an easier target.
A clutch of eggs.
Very special eggs.
Because growing inside them
are the very first of their kind.
A baby Marasuchus.
She weighs no more than a mouse.
But she makes up for it,
because she has a set of skills
that sets her apart
from the ancient reptiles.
Including the remarkable ability
to stand on two legs, not just four.
She also has advanced lungs
and lighter bones.
Adaptations that give
these little hatchlings
an invaluable gift.
They are born to run.
And in this day and age, they need to.
Their only hope
is to find a place to hide.
Easier said than done
when you've hatched into hell.
All her siblings are gone.
The survival of her bloodline
is now hanging by a thread.
But thanks to her,
it's still intact.
Which is vital
because her descendants
are the dinosaurs.
One year later,
Marasuchus is now fully grown.
But when you're the size of a pigeon
in a land of monsters,
you're still just prey.
Now, Marasuchus must make it
through another night.
It's critical,
because if this dinosaur-in-the-making
doesn't survive,
her family tree could be cut down
before it even takes root.
She's picked up a scent.
Something worthy of her bloodline.
A Rhynchosaur carcass.
But it's already been claimed…
…by her old nemesis,
Luperosuchus.
This is his kill.
And he does not intend to share.
But as night approaches…
temperatures start to drop.
The colder it gets,
the drowsier the giant reptile becomes.
Meanwhile, the warmer-blooded Marasuchus
has a feathery fuzz that keeps her cozy.
The perfect attire for a daring heist.
If she plays it right…
she may just get
her moonlit dinner for one.
A feast
fit for a dinosaur.
Marasuchus has great potential.
She's adaptable,
with traits that make her special.
But if the dinosaurs
are to challenge the ancient reptiles,
it will take more than skills.
It will take a powerful ally.
The Earth itself.
A million years later…
in the far north of Pangaea,
the darkest forces of nature
are awakening.
A series of volcanic eruptions
is creating a catastrophe.
One that will alter the fate
of the dinosaurs.
But the danger is not the lava.
It's a gas.
Carbon dioxide.
Filling the skies and warming the planet.
The rising temperatures
cause a massive surge
in ocean evaporation.
Huge storm clouds descend
on the continent of Pangaea.
But this will be no ordinary rainfall.
It sweeps across the globe…
carving vast rivers
into the once dry continent.
Known as the Carnian Pluvial Event…
this series of storms
will be the longest downpour in history,
lasting more than a million years.
When the rains finally do subside,
Pangaea emerges transformed.
A world reborn.
What were endless deserts are now forests.
New lands that will help set the course
for the rise of the dinosaurs.
But first, the reptile empire must falter.
The air in these woods is thick
with the smell of tree resin.
Nature is unforgiving here.
The once prosperous plant-eating reptiles
are on the decline.
Not only is this Rhynchosaur alone…
…she's starving.
In this new world of towering trees…
the low-lying plants
that once allowed her species to thrive…
have all but disappeared.
She won't survive
if she can't reach her food.
And she has
a more immediate problem than hunger.
A relative of the fearsome Luperosuchus.
For these reptilian carnivores,
this is a time of great opportunity.
Unlike the nimble Marasuchus, she's slow…
…weak,
vulnerable.
The Rhynchosaurs were once
among the most successful
of the plant-eating reptiles.
Now, their extinction
is just a matter of time.
As the kingdom of the ancient reptiles
begins to fracture…
…another kind of animal is on the rise.
The dinosaurs.
And in this changing world,
they must be adaptable.
They must evolve.
They must improve over time.
And transform in ways
that will help them survive.
Finally, 12 million years
after the demise of the Rhynchosaurs,
the dinosaurs can begin
to come out of the shadows.
As the end of the Triassic draws near,
vast forests still dominate the land,
now more vibrant than ever.
And the dinosaurs
are reaping the benefits.
Like Plateosaurus,
a dinosaur trailblazer.
This little one
and her siblings
are embarking on a mission
to explore their new world
with almost no regard
for the dangers it may hold.
They may not look
any bigger than little Marasuchus…
but when they grow up,
they grow up bigger.
Much bigger.
They are the first dinosaurs
to become gigantic.
Over seven meters long,
they've come a long way
since their tiny ancestors
ran for their lives.
And unlike the Rhynchosaurs,
these giants can easily reach
the higher vegetation.
They even have a trick
for reaching
the most tender shoots of all.
Excessive, maybe.
But worth it.
Because an adult Plateosaurus
must eat 25 kilos of plants each day.
And to wash down that much food
requires a lot of water.
It's an easy life.
But in the age of the early dinosaurs,
even a giant like Plateosaurus
must be careful…
…because there is another dinosaur
on the rise.
A newcomer with a taste for blood.
Procompsognathus.
A carnivore with razor-sharp teeth
and killer claws.
His descendants
will one day include Tyrannosaurus rex.
But for now, this angry predator…
…is only the size of a turkey.
While the matchup
between these two dinosaurs
may be a little lopsided…
…it won't stay that way.
Over time, a fierce rivalry will grow
between two great dinosaur clans.
The herbivores
and the carnivores.
But for the time being…
all dinosaurs are facing
a much greater threat than each other.
In the water and on land,
the ancient reptiles
remain top of the food chain.
The dinosaurs are growing
as a force in the world,
but their rise is slow.
The planet still belongs to the reptiles.
For the dinosaurs to truly challenge them,
it will take millions of years.
Shaped by Earth's dynamic forces,
they grow fiercer,
more powerful,
more advanced.
By the end of the Triassic,
the dinosaurs are ready
to flex their muscle.
But there are new creatures
also vying for domination.
And in the mountains of Pangaea,
some of them have taken to the air.
Pterosaurs.
Flying reptiles
with a wingspan of two meters.
And they are in total command
of the Triassic skies.
These jagged peaks
are their mating grounds.
And this male has spotted a female.
First, eject the competition.
Now, it's time for the courtship to begin.
During these rituals,
the Pterosaurs are focused
entirely on each other,
not their surroundings.
Which can be costly
because dinosaurs dwell in these canyons.
The largest member of the carnivore clan…
…Liliensternus.
Twice as long as a grizzly bear,
with claws that can tear through flesh.
And with her finely-tuned sense of smell,
she doesn't miss a thing.
Dozens of eyes are circling above.
Even with her camouflage,
one wrong move could blow her cover.
This moment marks a new chapter
in the rise of the dinosaurs.
At last, they are a force to be feared.
But the commotion of her attack
has attracted another predator.
The ancient reptiles have terrorized
the dinosaurs from the beginning.
But that ends now.
Liliensternus won't be skulking
back to the shadows.
She can hold her ground.
The trouble is,
here at the end of the Triassic,
the ground itself
is about to throw
the entire dinosaur story into chaos.