Seth MacFarlane ponders Carl Sagan’s ‘Cosmos’ for FOX

If you needed more proof that FOX’s dedication to Seth MacFarlane is absolute, the network has enlisted the one-man animated juggernaut to pay homage to Carl Sagan with “Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey.”

 

In an amusing and unlikely pairing, MacFarlane will team with Sagan’s original “Cosmos” creators — writer/producer Ann Druyan and astrophysicist Steven Soter — on a 13-part docu-series that’s being described as a “successor” to the PBS landmark series.

 

“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,” states MacFarlane. “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.”

 

Neil deGrasse Tyson will host “Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey,” which will premiere on FOX in 2013. In what we believe to be a first-time partnership, episodes will air first on FOX and will then be rebroadcast same-night on National Geographic Channel.

 

“This is a golden opportunity to introduce ‘Cosmos’ to a new generation,” states Kevin Reilly, President of Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. “While admittedly on the periphery of our brand, we believe this can have the same massive cultural impact that the original series delivered, and we’re going to use all of our resources — on-air and company-wide — to help bring that to fruition.”

 

Carl Sagan’s original “Cosmos” was broadcast in 1980 and is described as “the most globally successful American public television series of all time.” FOX’s release estimates that 700 million viewers worldwide saw “Cosmos,” which attempted to help audiences understand the laws of nature and space and time. 

 

“Carl believed that science belongs to all of us,” states Druyan, Sagan’s widow. “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.”

 

MacFarlane’s current FOX empire includes “Family Guy,” “American Dad” and “The Cleveland Show,” all airing on Sunday nights. At FOX’s upfront presentation in May, MacFarlane announced plans to reboot “The Flintstones,” also for 2013.