That is what "Walking with Dinosaurs" did - there was a segment explaining the fossil evidence before every commercial break. There were many such segments, each covering different aspects of the fossil evidence, so each one was only shown once.
In this particular case, the colors weren't just ones that the liked, a lot of thought was put into them. They may not be correct but they are very informed guesses and were properly disclosed as just that.
I didn't see the show, Jeff; but if they did what you describe, then one can't ask for more.