Cosmos 2.0

Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey hosted by Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson is a reboot of the 80s PBS show Cosmos: A Personal Journey, hosted by the late astronomer Dr. Carl Sagan.

I watched the first episode last night with eagerness. I really wanted to like it.

I wasn’t really a fan of the 80s show, but loved science and astronomy and learning new information. As a teenager in the 80s the first Cosmos was a little over my head, not because I’m stupid, but because I never paid attention in school.

The new show, produced by Seth MacFarlan, had a great intro, and a fantastic musical score, but a few minutes into the show, I had a hard time trying to figure out who was the audience. Was it written for kids? Was it written for believers in God or Atheists or was it written for budding scientists. It wasn’t clear to me.

The writers on the show didn’t do the host any favors. Dr. deGrasse Tyson isn’t an actor, so at times it seemed like he struggled to say some of the lines and have them come out with sincerity. Since he isn’t an actor, some acting lessons might do him some good. Acting and delivering scripted material is much different from giving a lecture.

I had questions about our cosmic address, he called our planet and our galaxy by their names, Earth and the Milky Way, but when he refereed to our solar system as simply “solar system”. If we don’t have a name for our solar system, maybe it’s time we come up with one.

The show was mostly CGI and digital effects sprinkled with some great photography and simulations.There were some parts where the production could have been more effective. I did like the tribute to Carl Sagan at the end of the show, but thanks to shoddy camera work, I didn’t see the title of the book that Dr. Sagan had signed for Dr. deGrasse Tyson.

Overall, it left me feeling Meh. Maybe the next episode will be better.