This spooky season, Discovery Channel is unleashing a torrent of intense new series, proving that horror films aren’t the only source of chills and thrills this fall. Discovery Channel actively creates the highest quality non-fiction content, informing and entertaining its consumers about the wonders of our world.

In fact, this October, three new series—“Destinations of the Damned with Zak Bagans,” “Lost Monster Files,” and “Contraband: Seized at the Airport”—debut on Discovery Channel. Additionally, viewers can enjoy all-new seasons of returning favorites “Expedition Unknown” and “Homestead Rescue.”

Three New Series debut on Discovery Channel in October

These new series on the Discovery Channel are compelling because they delve into real events, real people, and their very real consequences. Knowing something truly happened is often far more chilling than any fictional horror. True crime, historical accounts of atrocities, and even natural disaster documentaries leave a lasting impact precisely because of their authenticity.

• Wednesday, October 2

Explore the world’s darkest corners in “Destinations of the Damned with Zak Bagans,” premiering Wednesday, October 2nd at 11 pm ET/PT on Discovery Channel. Zak Bagans and his crew investigate locations steeped in macabre history and unexplained phenomena, uncovering the horrors that lie within.

• Wednesday, October 9

“Expedition Unknown” New Season Debuts on Discovery Channel – 9 pm ET/PT
In the two-part season premiere, Josh Gates travels to the ancient city of Petra, Jordan to learn how a mysterious desert civilization created one of the Seven Wonders of the World. With unprecedented permission to dig in front of the iconic Treasury building, he hunts for clues about the enigmatic Nabatean kingdom and helps rewrite history books with the discovery of an ancient tomb.

“Lost Monster Files” New Series Debuts on Discovery Channel – 10 pm ET/PT
For the first time in over 50 years, the recently uncovered case files of renowned cryptozoologist Ivan Sanderson – including the evidence and artifacts from his most compelling hunts for cryptids, or legendary and unknown species – will be reexamined in this all-new series. The team of experts who gained exclusive access to Sanderson’s detailed research will use it to reinvestigate his most prominent unfinished cases and focus on present-day sightings such as the Abominable Snowman and Chupacabra to determine if modern science and technology can bring them closer to answers for these mysterious creatures.

• Monday, October 21

“Contraband: Seized at the Airport” New Series Debuts on Discovery Channel – 9pm ET/PT
The new series will follow Dept of Homeland Security officers at five different airports across the country, from San Francisco, Detroit, Newark, Atlanta, and Honolulu, as they search for contraband both leaving and coming into the US. From uncovering well-established drug trafficking routes between the US and UK on passenger flights to tens of thousands of dollars worth of counterfeit US stamps concealed in cargo planes, to a preacher who brings back coconut from a trip and accidentally tells an officer he has cocaine, this series will give viewers a taste of the wildest things that happen at airports. You’ll never fly the same again!

New episodes of “Homestead Rescue” and “Expedition Unknown”

• Sunday, October 27

“Homestead Rescue” New Season Debuts on Discovery Channel – 8 pm ET/PT
Marty, Matt, and Misty Raney use decades of building, farming, and hunting expertise to help people who strive to live off the grid. But now, with a record number of novice homesteaders overwhelmed in the wildest places in America, the Raneys must bring their most inventive solutions yet to help them thrive.

• Wednesday, October 9

“Expedition Unknown” New Season Debuts on Discovery Channel – 9 pm ET/PT
In the two-part season premiere, Josh Gates travels to the ancient city of Petra, Jordan to learn how a mysterious desert civilization created one of the Seven Wonders of the World. With unprecedented permission to dig in front of the iconic Treasury building, he hunts for clues about the enigmatic Nabatean kingdom and helps rewrite history books with the discovery of an ancient tomb.

From science and technology to exploration, adventure, and history, Discovery offers viewers in-depth, behind-the-scenes access to the people, places, and organizations that shape our world.

Fiction often ties up loose ends and provides closure, while non-fiction can leave you with unanswered questions, especially in cases of unsolved crimes or historical mysteries. This lack of resolution can be deeply unsettling. That’s why the Discovery Channel is offering a slate of thrilling new shows this fall, demonstrating that you don’t need horror movies to get your spooky fix this season.