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Cosmos (new show from Seth MacFarlane) Premieres 3/9/14 on FOX

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Cosmos (new show from Seth MacFarlane) Premieres 3/9/14 on FOX

Old 03-24-14, 10:47 PM
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Re: Cosmos (new show from Seth MacFarlane) Premieres 3/9/14 on FOX

Yeah, I'm pretty underwhelmed, too. This episode was better than the the first two but still lackluster. And enough with the shots at religion - we get that science and religion are mortal enemies and anyone who believes in something so archaic on any level is a moron. And is it just me or is Tyson mugging for the camera a little bit more each episode?
Old 03-24-14, 11:02 PM
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Re: Cosmos (new show from Seth MacFarlane) Premieres 3/9/14 on FOX

On the one hand the focus on history bothers me, on the other I understand the need to frame the science with a narrative of some sort. How many episodes are there going to be?
Old 03-25-14, 12:04 AM
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Re: Cosmos (new show from Seth MacFarlane) Premieres 3/9/14 on FOX

Originally Posted by nausicaa
on the one hand the focus on history bothers me, on the other i understand the need to frame the science with a narrative of some sort. How many episodes are there going to be?
13
Old 03-25-14, 11:06 AM
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Re: Cosmos (new show from Seth MacFarlane) Premieres 3/9/14 on FOX

I watched this my daughters yesterday. I thought it was good. I know the quality is not as good as the old series, but we are more uneducated now. They can't go too deep. My kids really like it.

And I don't see this as an attack to religion. We are catholic, go to mass every Sunday, etc. and don't feel attacked by the episodes.
Old 03-25-14, 01:38 PM
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Re: Cosmos (new show from Seth MacFarlane) Premieres 3/9/14 on FOX

I don't feel offended by anything in the show but there are little jabs here and there that they could have just avoided. My biggest problem with the show is Tyson himself. I love watching him interviewed but with this scripted material, he is really dull and lifeless. I'm hoping the show will get better but right now, I'm underwhelmed.
Old 03-25-14, 02:28 PM
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Re: Cosmos (new show from Seth MacFarlane) Premieres 3/9/14 on FOX

In the next episode they should replace Neil Degrasse Tyson with Mike Tyson.

"You know why it's called Cosmos? Cos Mos' people don't know nothin' about it."

Tyson could wear a boxing glove with "SCIENCE" printed on it and they could have an various historical clergymen appear in period clothing.
Tyson: "I'ma knock you out wit my science glove!"
Pope Gregory XV: "Aaahhh noooo!"
POW!

It practically writes itself.
Old 04-08-14, 03:01 AM
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Re: Cosmos (new show from Seth MacFarlane) Premieres 3/9/14 on FOX

Originally Posted by Nausicaa
On the one hand the focus on history bothers me, on the other I understand the need to frame the science with a narrative of some sort. How many episodes are there going to be?
I'm about to bail on this. If I wanted crappy animation history lessons, I'd go do Sunday School, or watch some direct to dvd show. I actually want to learn about the Cosmos and the science. I don't much give a damn about the scientists. Mention their name and if I give a shit, I'll look them up later. But just go over space, time, physics, etc.
Old 04-08-14, 12:38 PM
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Re: Cosmos (new show from Seth MacFarlane) Premieres 3/9/14 on FOX

I like the science history aspect. There are plenty of straight science facts shows you can watch if that's what you want. I think it does more than put the episodes into a narrative framework, though. It puts all of us living today into a much larger context. Part of what makes humans excel at science is our ability to pass knowledge from one generation to the next, and I think these historical anecdotes show how none of our amazing discoveries would be possible without (among other things) the work of people long dead.
Old 04-08-14, 12:50 PM
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Re: Cosmos (new show from Seth MacFarlane) Premieres 3/9/14 on FOX

This new series should have been called "Science For Dummies". I dropped it after three episodes. I haven't seen the original COSMOS in a long time, but I can't remember it being this basic/simple. I'll just stick to Neil's podcasts for interesting science.

I was hoping this would be the 'Planet Earth' of astronomy, but it's been a huge disappointment.
Old 04-08-14, 01:00 PM
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Re: Cosmos (new show from Seth MacFarlane) Premieres 3/9/14 on FOX

Originally Posted by kvrdave
I'm about to bail on this. If I wanted crappy animation history lessons, I'd go do Sunday School, or watch some direct to dvd show. I actually want to learn about the Cosmos and the science. I don't much give a damn about the scientists. Mention their name and if I give a shit, I'll look them up later. But just go over space, time, physics, etc.
so much this, I tuned in last week halfway through and sat through 10 minutes of crappy animation before I finally gave up.
Old 04-08-14, 01:01 PM
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Re: Cosmos (new show from Seth MacFarlane) Premieres 3/9/14 on FOX

^
Was essentially my issue too.
Tyson is too throaty when he is trying to be dramatic but it comes across
as goofy to me.
I'll keep watching but I'm not feeling it.

Originally Posted by whotony
This is what I felt.
I was bored actually and didn't see much of anything new or that we don't already know.

I saw some little bubble hopping on a long tube like thing, but didn't hear it mentioned what that was.
Also the funny looking orange creature that was in all the commercials.
I was waiting for something on the that.

The show was much too kindergarten for me.

Tyson didn't work for me. He over dramatized too much.
Old 04-08-14, 01:57 PM
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Re: Cosmos (new show from Seth MacFarlane) Premieres 3/9/14 on FOX

Originally Posted by ben12
Part of what makes humans excel at science is our ability to pass knowledge from one generation to the next, and I think these historical anecdotes show how none of our amazing discoveries would be possible without (among other things) the work of people long dead.
And now we have Google. I used to define how smart a person is based on a combination of their innate IQ (ability to process information) and their knowledge. Now with Google and the internet at our fingertips, we all have way more access to information than in days past. It's difficult to place it into context while living it, but I think it must be like living during the period when the internal combustion engine was invented -- just a flat out game changer.

I tend to just sit back and watch the show, but kvrdave has some valid points about the balance between history and current information. However, there are many people watching and many different things people want to get out of it. I cut them some slack on covering a wide base. Besides, I just saw that electrons don't exactly orbit in nice orderly fashion. That's the first time I've seen that. It was akin to the first time I saw my own heart activity on an echocardiogram.

I'm in 'til the end even if it turns out to be a B show instead of an A show.
Old 04-08-14, 02:47 PM
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Re: Cosmos (new show from Seth MacFarlane) Premieres 3/9/14 on FOX

It's been disappointing and I wonder about the editorial focus. I think this series was less aimed at adults and more intended for school-age children. The heavy reliance on animation and hammering home a few basic points over and over again, makes me feel I am back in elementary school.
Old 04-08-14, 03:43 PM
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Re: Cosmos (new show from Seth MacFarlane) Premieres 3/9/14 on FOX

Originally Posted by PhantomStranger
It's been disappointing and I wonder about the editorial focus. I think this series was less aimed at adults and more intended for school-age children. The heavy reliance on animation and hammering home a few basic points over and over again, makes me feel I am back in elementary school.
Maybe they figure that the current adults who are YEC are unlikely to change, and they think it's more important to go after kids before they are taught that Noah had dinosaurs on the ark.
Old 04-08-14, 03:56 PM
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Re: Cosmos (new show from Seth MacFarlane) Premieres 3/9/14 on FOX

Originally Posted by PhantomStranger
The heavy reliance on animation and hammering home a few basic points over and over again, makes me feel I am back in elementary school.
I think they just know their audience. Have you spoken to "adults" in the past ten years? Intellectual capacity is shrinking and attention spans are shortening.
Old 04-08-14, 03:57 PM
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Re: Cosmos (new show from Seth MacFarlane) Premieres 3/9/14 on FOX

Originally Posted by kvrdave
I'm about to bail on this. If I wanted crappy animation history lessons, I'd go do Sunday School, or watch some direct to dvd show. I actually want to learn about the Cosmos and the science. I don't much give a damn about the scientists. Mention their name and if I give a shit, I'll look them up later. But just go over space, time, physics, etc.
Yeah that's why I asked how many episodes there are. I haven't seen the most recent episode yet, but I'm hoping the history stuff starts to fade out and they focus more on science going forward.
Old 04-08-14, 10:43 PM
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Re: Cosmos (new show from Seth MacFarlane) Premieres 3/9/14 on FOX

I'm really liking the show so far. Knowing how science was stifled in the name of national security and control was interesting to me.
Old 04-09-14, 08:44 AM
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Re: Cosmos (new show from Seth MacFarlane) Premieres 3/9/14 on FOX

Originally Posted by Troy Stiffler
I think they just know their audience. Have you spoken to "adults" in the past ten years? Intellectual capacity is shrinking and attention spans are shortening.
Yep, this.

For us smart people this is "science for dummies" indeed, this show is not for us, but I applaud what they are trying to do here.

I watch this show every week with my wife and two daughters (7 and 14).
Old 04-09-14, 12:23 PM
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Re: Cosmos (new show from Seth MacFarlane) Premieres 3/9/14 on FOX

I wrote my last comment before I saw the most recent episode. I really enjoyed it, but the topic was incredibly interesting. The format of the show is pretty clear at this point, so I guess we'll always be getting history lessons, but this one definitely had more science in it than the others IMO.

I wish they would stop talking about their "ship of imagination" and how it can travel through space and time... three times every episode.
Old 04-09-14, 07:45 PM
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Re: Cosmos (new show from Seth MacFarlane) Premieres 3/9/14 on FOX

In addition to that ship, Neil deGrasse Tyson also has claws that will cut through anything and bones that can't be broken.
Old 04-10-14, 08:56 AM
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Re: Cosmos (new show from Seth MacFarlane) Premieres 3/9/14 on FOX

Originally Posted by Raul3
Yep, this.

For us smart people this is "science for dummies" indeed, this show is not for us, but I applaud what they are trying to do here.

I watch this show every week with my wife and two daughters (7 and 14).
I have a PhD in Biology. I've watched tons of nature and science documentaries, so I wasn't really expecting much from this one. But I've been very impressed. I didn't really come in with many expectations beyond "here's another science doc that's going to tell me a bunch of stuff I already know in a way I've already seen." That's not what I got at all, though. I find the presentation and incorporation of history and the treatment of these historical figures as actual people to be refreshing and novel.

Most of the stuff I've seen people complain about this series lacking you can already get from other programs.

Last edited by ben12; 04-15-14 at 12:24 PM.
Old 04-10-14, 05:40 PM
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Re: Cosmos (new show from Seth MacFarlane) Premieres 3/9/14 on FOX

Originally Posted by ben12
I didn't really come in with many expectations beyond "here's another science doc that's going to tell me a bunch of stuff I already know in a way I've already seen." That's not what I got at all, though. I find the presentation and incorporation of history treatment of these historical figures as actual people to be refreshing and novel.

Most of the stuff I've seen people complain about this series lacking you can already get from other programs.
Same here. I like the historical framing of it. I think it complements the original nicely.
Old 04-15-14, 03:01 PM
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Re: Cosmos (new show from Seth MacFarlane) Premieres 3/9/14 on FOX

I thought this was funny. Basically a big poke at those demanding equal time to giving the Biblical side of science:

<iframe src="http://www.funnyordie.com/embed/fa1a1c8fb7" width="640" height="400" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen></iframe>
Creationist Cosmos from Funny Or Die <iframe src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?app_id=138711277798&href=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.funnyordie.com%2Fvideos%2Ffa1a1c8fb7%2Fcreationis t-cosmos&send=false&layout=button_count&width=150&show_faces=false&action=like&height=21" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border:none; overflow:hidden; width:90px; height:21px; vertical-align:middle;" allowTransparency="true"></iframe>
Old 05-18-14, 09:43 PM
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Re: Cosmos (new show from Seth MacFarlane) Premieres 3/9/14 on FOX

Got a bit more sci-fi like in this week's episode with the speculative stuff.
Old 05-22-14, 11:21 PM
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Re: Cosmos (new show from Seth MacFarlane) Premieres 3/9/14 on FOX

kind of just not finding the time to watch this, well binge watch this when it gets released on home video though. Interestingly there's a pretty good planetarium show called 'Dark Universe' that he narrates that I saw earlier in the week over at the National Air and Space Museum.

Star Light, Star Brighter: The Einstein Planetarium Gets an Upgrade

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