Not sure if we're talking about the same thing, cause I haven't seen that program.
But if it is what I think you are talking about; I've seen it once in 18 years of flying.
Over the Pacific, offshore Panama on a flight from MEX to UIO. Early morning, just getting light.
Big CB to our left, tops way up there, in the low forties I guess. A bolt of lightning came out of the top, and went up, not down. It came out as one bolt and then spread out into the stratosphere, sort of like the roots of a tree.
Awesome!