Mumbai: National Geographic is set to premiere one of its most emotional and heartfelt specials yet with CHRIS HEMSWORTH: A ROAD TRIP TO REMEMBER, airing on Friday, 28th November at 7 PM. The deeply personal documentary follows global superstar Chris Hemsworth as he embarks on an intimate motorcycle road trip across Australia with his father, Craig Hemsworth, who was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
The one-hour special explores the scientific power of social connection, reminiscence therapy, and shared experiences as tools to stimulate mental activity, evoke memories, and support emotional well-being—offering hope in the fight against memory loss and cognitive decline.
Today, over 57 million people worldwide live with dementia, with 10 million new cases diagnosed each year. Motivated by these staggering figures—and his own father’s diagnosis—Chris Hemsworth returns to screen with one of his most personal missions yet.
Moving beyond the self-exploration seen in his hit series LIMITLESS, Hemsworth uses this new special to shine a light on the emotional and scientific pathways that can help individuals and families navigate dementia.
Produced by Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Darren Aronofsky’s Protozoa, Jane Root’s Nutopia, and Hemsworth and Ben Grayson’s Wild State, the documentary blends breathtaking landscapes, intimate conversations, and science-backed insights.
The film captures Chris and Craig’s “road trip back in time,” journeying from suburban Melbourne to the dramatic wilds of Australia’s Northern Territory. Along the way, they revisit people, places, and memories from their shared past.
Through moments of humor, vulnerability, and heartfelt connection, the documentary celebrates the father-son bond—proving that love, companionship, and community can be powerful medicine.
Their adventure is guided by Dr. Suraj Samtani, dementia specialist and clinical psychologist at the University of New South Wales Centre for Healthy Brain Aging. Working closely with the Hemsworth family for over a year, Dr. Samtani offers scientific grounding to the emotional journey.
Drawing from a global study of more than 40,000 participants across 14 countries, the special highlights:
- Reminiscence Therapy: using memories, objects, and familiar places to trigger cognition
- Social Connection: frequent meaningful interactions that significantly reduce dementia risk
- Social Bridging: staying active within the community to slow cognitive decline
These findings form the backbone of the documentary’s most powerful moments.
“My Dad and I had always spoken about taking a trip back to the Northern Territory, where our family had lived years ago, but we had never been able to set aside the time to actually do it,” said Chris Hemsworth. “More recently the idea of taking that road trip reemerged with more pressing importance. The result was a more profound, more moving, and more surprising journey than I ever anticipated.”
Earlier this year, National Geographic released LIMITLESS: LIVE BETTER NOW, featuring Hemsworth tackling life-optimizing challenges. In the viral “Brain Power” episode, Hemsworth performed “Thinking Out Loud” on stage with Ed Sheeran before 70,000 fans—a clip now boasting nearly 35 million views across social platforms.
Season one of LIMITLESS became National Geographic’s second most-watched streaming series ever, with nearly half its audience coming from international markets.
