Go Button Media is delighted to announce that BossaNova Media has greenlit a second six-hour season of its history series Mysteries of the Ancient Dead at the Realscreen Summit.

An original production for the UK-based content creation, funding and distribution company, Mysteries of the Ancient Dead 2 will also see Canadian partner Super Channel return as commissioning broadcaster.

What happens after death is one of the big questions and has plagued humankind since the dawn of time. It has inspired strange ceremonies, incited bizarre practices, and launched complex religious beliefs. Utilizing the latest science and technology, Mysteries of the Ancient Dead returns to reveal an intriguing range of new burial practices, funerary remains and relics from age-old death rituals, while investigating ancient civilisations’ attitudes towards death and the complex, challenging and surprising relationships that existed between the living and dead.

Travelling the globe, and featuring three different stories in each episode, topics covered in the new season include the hanging burials of the Igorot tribe in Sagada in the Philippines, where coffins have been mounted in awe-inspiring vertical graveyards for thousands of years; the ancient Kurgan burial mounds for the rider-nomads of the Russian steppe; cave child burials in Makpan, Indonesia – which involved strange post mortem rituals – and the Nubian mini pyramids in Sudan, which surprisingly allowed common people to be buried like pharaohs.

Paul Heaney, CEO of BossaNova Media says: “BossaNova’s first commission was Mysteries of the Ancient Dead back in 2022 as we could see that Go Button understood how to make it look top class, execute on time and on budget. Second time around we’re looking forward to more of the same! The team at Go Button are a polished operation that we trust.’

Daniel Oron, co-founder and executive producer at Go Button Media comments: “With its compelling combination of science, mystery and ancient history, Mysteries of the Ancient Dead proved an extremely popular series and sold to many broadcasters, including ZDF in Germany and A+E Networks in the UK. We thoroughly enjoy collaborating with Paul and the BossaNova team and, with science and history such established sweet spots for Go Button, we are thrilled to get this greenlight for a second season. BossaNova has fast gained a reputation for creating premium Originals with wide-ranging appeal, so we are excited to produce additional content for its growing slate and proud to call them a partner.”

“Mysteries of the Ancient Dead has been a strong addition to our factual slate, and we had no hesitation in bringing another season of this compelling series to our viewers as part of our ongoing partnership with Go Button Media,” says Kim Ball, Chief Content Officer, Super Channel. “Go Button consistently delivers high-quality, intriguing content and this new season is sure to be no exception.”

Mysteries of the Ancient Dead 2 will deliver later in 2024, with international distribution (exc Canada) handled by Bossa Nova Media.