Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey

If there were ever a person to bring science and history to the forefront of American Television in an entertaining and educational matter, it would be Neil deGrasse Tyson.  Tyson is an astrophysicist, but also a staunch public figure when it comes to the further education of the public in which he has become a fixture.  Whereas most scientists could be met with yawns and rolled eyes, Tyson delivers information in a way that inspires instead of bores.  There wasn't a better personality to lead the new revival of Carl Sagan's televisual legacy.

Executive-Produced by Family Guy creator, Seth McFarlane, Cosmos offers glimpses into the past, present and future when dealing with the penultimate phrase, "The Cosmos".  This is in no way related to MacFarlane's comedic ambitions, but is in-fact related to his ambition to bring about a more educated and inspired generation due to the wonders of space exploration and science in general.  Without his backing, FOX would have most likely never run with the idea of reviving Cosmos.  Luckily, Tyson hopped on board and the show is now underway.

With a narrative that starts from all the way back to the "Big Bang", leading viewers on a "Cosmic Calendar" of epic proportions, audience memebers learn that, compared to everything else that has happened in the history of everything to ever exist, our lives are an incredibly minuscule amount of time comparatively.  While this realization feels particularly daunting at first, it serves as a basis to want to learn more and discover more of what is still unknown.

The major draw to this show is the wonderful cinematography and special effects that rival some other television shows and even films for that matter.  Viewers feel completely transported into what the world will look like hundreds of millions of years into the future, as well as what it would be like to be in the middle of the raging hurricane that is Jupiter's Eye.  There is no shortage of entertainment value, and for a show that is, all things considered, educational, that is quite a feat. 

Everything stated in the hour-long program is factual, and if not, theorized to a certain extent. This gives a grander point-of-view on what exactly is occurring in the universe around the human race.  Half the time one would think the content of this show is the work of a good sci-fi writer, seeing as the Earth could quite possibly be a droplet of water inside another universe. However, hopefully by the end of the program viewers come away thinking that no matter how small humans may be, there is no reason why they can't explore what else is out there.

Cosmos:  A Spacetime Odyssey airs every Sunday at 9pm on FOX.