Neil deGrasse Tyson will host a 13-episode sequel to Carl Sagan's Cosmos in 2013.

[Proxy]

After recently signing on to reboot one classic TV show, Hanna-Barbera's The Flintstones, Seth MacFarlane is taking on another iconic TV series, Carl Sagan's Cosmos: A Personal Voyage. Fox has greenlighted Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey, a 13-part docu-series from Family Guy creator MacFarlane and late Sagan's original collaborators – his widow, writer/producer Ann Druyan and astrophysicist Steven Soter. Envisioned as a successor to the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning original 13-part program, which was hosted by Sagan, the new Cosmos series will be hosted by renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.


Underscoring MacFarlane's commercial appeal, Cosmos will air on Fox in primetime, something pretty unprecedented these days for a science do entary series on commercial American television. (The original series aired on PBS.) Fox will air Cosmos: A Personal Voyage in 2013, which is also when the network will launch MacFarlane's Flintstones reboot. National Geographic Channel, which will co-produce Cosmos, will air a same-night encore of the episodes following their broadcast on Fox. The project is being done outside of MacFarlane's overall deal with 20th Century fox TV. “Never more than at this moment in the modern era have we needed a profound reminder of the colossally important and exciting role that science, space exploration and the human quest for knowledge must continue to play in our development as a species,” MacFarlane said. “We should be vigorously exploring the solar system by now, and who better to inspire us to get there than Ann Druyan, Steven Soter, Neil deGrasse Tyson and, of course, Carl Sagan.”


A self-professed geek, MacFarlane hit it off with Druyan after the two met at a function some time ago. When she shared with him the idea for a new Cosmos series, MacFarlane immediately sparked to it and set up a meeting with Peter Rice, entertainment chairman of Fox where MacFarlane has 3 series on the air, Family Guy, The Cleveland Show and American Dad. That happened about a year ago, and after lengthy negotiations, Fox just closed all deals for the project to go forward. In September 2010, MacFarlane and Druyan appeared together on HBO's Real Time With Bill Maher where they shared their concern about the growing anti-science sentiment in American society, something Druyan attributed to "the failure of public education," which has "compartmentalized science to 20-40 boring minutes a week, maybe taught by a gym teacher." That is a far cry from the way her late husband approached science. “Carl believed that science belongs to all of us,” Druyan said now in reference to the Fox series. “He wanted to convey the thrill of its cosmic perspective to the widest possible audience. I wish I could tell Carl what Seth’s leadership on this new Cosmos has made possible. Besides, I know how much they would have liked each other.”


According to the producers, the new series will tell "the story of how human beings began to comprehend the laws of nature and find our place in space and time. It will take viewers to other worlds and travel across the universe for a vision of the cosmos on the grandest scale. The most profound scientific concepts will be presented with stunning clarity, uniting skepticism and wonder, and weaving rigorous science with the emotional and spiritual into a transcendent experience."
Carl Sagan’s original series Cosmos, which was first broadcast in 1980, remains the most successful American public television series of all time and has been seen by an estimated 700 million viewers around the world. One of the signature features of the 1980s series were the groundbreaking for its time visual effects, which allowed Sagan to walk through space. The new series is expected to employ the latest special effects, though it is unclear if it will incorporate another signature element of the original, the catchy music by Vangelis. Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey will be produced by Druyan's Cosmos Studios. Ann Druyan, Seth MacFarlane and Cosmos Studios president Mitc Cannold will executive produce along with Allan Butler of National Geographic Channel.



http://www.deadline.com/inters ial...r-2013-launch/

[Halberto]

I like the idea of having a sequel, but MacFarlane?

[Proxy]

I like the idea of having a sequel, but MacFarlane?

Yeah that's what I thought too... from what I've read he's got substantial cred at Fox (obviously with Family Guy, American Dad, etc)... and he's supposedly a science nerd, so in combo with Tyson, I think we'll have a winner on our hands.

All the christian conservatives on this board will have no excuse now.

[MannyIsGod]

I think its awesome he's pushing this with the cred he's developed with his cartoon comedies. That's just flat out fantastic. Talk about using your clout productively. Lets hope the show does well.

[Proxy]

I think its awesome he's pushing this with the cred he's developed with his cartoon comedies. That's just flat out fantastic. Talk about using your clout productively. Lets hope the show does well.

I agree. People like him gain tons of power at that level of popularity... it's good to see someone putting it to good use, and helping educate on a global scale.

[Agloco]

Great combo imo. I'll definitely be watching.

[DarkReign]

I think MacFarlane is a great fit. He isnt going to write and direct it, he's just making it happen and providing a vision.

Hate to say it, but a little tip of the hat to Fox as well. Cant believe Cosmos is going to air on network television.

God, I hope this influences people in a positive way regarding science, its role, vis a vis religion.

[baseline bum]

Man, I'm embarrassed to have never seen Sagan's Cosmos before. One thing I'd really love to see exposed to more people is the 3 course series of physics lectures delivered by Walter Lewin: almost every lecture has at least 1 really interesting experiment in it. PBS had a physics series way back in the day called The Mechanical Universe, but they dumbed it down too much and spent too much time on history. They did have some cool demonstrations though.

[DMX7]

Cosmos used to run all the time on the science channel in HD. Great series.

[FromWayDowntown]

The original episodes of Cosmos is available on hulu.com, though you do have to have a hulu plus membership to see most of them. (http://www.hulu.com/cosmos).