‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Star Jay Ellis To Host Smithsonian Channel’s ‘How Did They Build That?’

Peter White
·2 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: Smithsonian Channel has landed itself a top gun.

Jay Ellis, who plays Lieutenant Reuben Fitch in the Tom Cruise hit Top Gun: Maverick, has signed on to host the second season of the Paramount Global-owned network’s unscripted series How Did They Build That?

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The ten-part series explores some of the most incredible feats of engineering from around the world. It will be fronted by Ellis, who also starred in HBO’s Insecure.

The move marks a step up for the docuseries, which did not have a host in its first season.

Season two will continue to cover architectural wonders from all over the world but will have an emphasis on American stories and deconstruct some of the United States’ most amazing structures, including Hearst Tower, Little Island, National Museum of African American History and Culture, Denver Art Museum, Evergreen Point 520 Floating Bridge

International stories include La Tete Carree (France) the Guggenheim (Spain) and The Gherkin (UK).

Ellis takes viewers around the globe to meet the architects who designed and built these buildings including Lord Norman Foster, David Adjaye, Daniel Libeskind, Patrik Schumacher, and Santiago Calatrava along with series experts Nehemiah Mabry, Ellie Cosgrave, Corina Kwami and Hayley Loren.

The series will premiere in the U.S. on July 10.

Produced by Curve Media, it is exec produced by Charlie Bunce for Curve and Dan Wolf and Smithsonian Channel/MTV Entertainment Group.

“I’m excited to host How Did They Build That? season two and bring the work of some of the world’s most innovative architects and engineers to the forefront,” said Ellis. “The series is captivating and eye-opening. Being able to hear first-hand accounts from the genius minds of these architects, and how they came up with and executed these remarkable designs is truly amazing and inspiring.”

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