Now here’s a reality TV show I can get behind.
Reality TV has never really been my cup of tea, though I know some people go crazy about shows like The Bachelor and Survivor. To people who enjoy watching series like those… I typically say something like, “To each their own.”
Dating shows often feel as though they are a dime-a-dozen and full of drama, and the reality TV that’s more competitive always seems staged to me. But there’s one show I just found out about that’s seemingly really set itself apart. So much so that I just might change m ways and check it out.
The Great Moose Migration.
It’s a new concept that’s being presented as “Slow TV.” Basically, 30 different cameras are set up in Sweden’s remote High Coast region, and a 24/7 livestream captures the movement of millions of moose as they traverse through snow-covered forests and trek across icy waterways. In it’s basic form, it’s just a bunch of cameras out in the great outdoors bringing attention to the natural beauty of the world… and people are eating it up.
Johan Erlag, project manager at Swedish TV, says that there’s just something captivating about the great migration of moose that’s become an international sensation (just shy of 9 million people tuned in last year):
“The slow TV concept and the meditative feeling of the program is actually what people like. Because everyone is so stressed today with social media and the way we produce everything in our life. This is the total opposite of that.”
Yeah… I’d say watching moose do moose things is nowhere close to the hustle and bustle that most of us go through in our daily lives.
That’s where “Slow TV” comes in. As you might be able to gather from the name, the entertainment product helps people calm their brains and, thus, slow down their lives. Annette Hill, a professor at Jönköping University in Sweden, think that’s there’s something very beneficial about what The Great Moose Migration is offering:
“I think it’s a genre that’s going to stay with us and it has some roots in reality TV, of course, with following something as it’s happening in real time. But unlike reality television, it’s less staged, so it feels more authentic. And I think that it’s appealed to something natural and authentic taking place, which we can witness minute by minute in real time… it’s very powerful.”
The Swedish slow TV hit “The Great Moose Migration,” which began airing Tuesday, uses livestream remote cameras to capture dozens of moose as they swim across the Ångerman River in the annual spring migration toward summer grazing pastures. pic.twitter.com/XbkJGKtpKe
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 15, 2025
It’s about time someone created some wholesome, non-brain-frying reality TV. The Great Moose Migration puts Keeping Up With The Kardashians to shame… and I’d much rather be keeping up with the moose in Sweden anyways.
The real beauty of The Great Moose Migration is that it’s not all that exciting. Sure, there’s an occasional high point, like two moose (I so badly want to say meese but I know that’s not a word) having a standoff, or one valiant moose crossing the Ångerman River. But for the most part… there’s really not a lot happening.
There’s no music. There aren’t any cuts. And narration is nowhere to be found. The only real resemblance to a TV show that the Swedish program has is occasional cameos. Those don’t come in the form of Jon Hamm or Margo Martindale randomly appearing on the live stream. Instead, the cameos that are spontaneously included are just other native wildlife – like otter and reindeer.
Listen, I’m a proponent for anything that has a positive impact on the world. The Great Moose Migration might not be for you, and that’s okay. But do yourself a favor and at least check it out. It’s streaming live (for free) at svtplay.se now through the early portion of May. Make sure you take it all in so you don’t miss out on any Great Moose Migration conversation at the water cooler.
