Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey

This is a revival/follow-up to the 1980s Cosmos series created and hosted by Carl Sagan. This series was hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist and curator of the Hayden Planetarium in NY, written by Sagan's widow Ann Druyan, who had collaborated with Sagan on the original series, and produced by the creator of Family Guy, Seth McFarlane. There are many similarities and many differences between that series and this one. Like the original series, this one covers many different topics in science, focusing on Astronomy, but covering chemistry, physics, biology, and more. Each episode deals with a different topic, and usually tells the story of one or more scientists that contributed to the field being discussed. The series did not focus on just the "big" names like Newton and Einstein but discussed other scientists and mathematicians like Halley, Hooke, Keppler, etc. In the original series, the stories of the historical figures were told using human actors, but in this series, many of the stories were told using animation and voice actors. I was not a fan of the animations when I first watched the show, but upon a subsequent viewing, they did not really bother me. And, of course, the CGI graphics are orders of magnitude better than what could be accomplished in the original series. For those who get the Blu-Ray, the A/V quality is fantastic. The visuals are fantastic (both the real and the CGI) and the sound is very good. The extras include an audio commentary on the first episode, with Druyan, producer Mitchell Cannold, producer/director Brannon Braga, producer Jason Clark and animation producer Kara Vallow, a 40-minute comic-con panel discussion, a 41-minute making-of documentary, a 35-minute portion of a dedication to Sagan at the Library of Congress, and interactive cosmic calendar. Like Sagan before him, Tyson is able to explain complicated topics in very simple terms without sounding like he is talking down to the audience. Of course, the audience for this series was much larger than that of the original series airing on Fox versus PBS. Even though the series aired at a time when science has been caught in the middle of the idiotic political divide the country has been marred in, for the most the show ignored all that and just presented the scientific fact and ignored science deniers. The one exception is the episode on climate change, which distilled the problem and the cause to to very simplistic terms without hyperbole, and included a clip of an interview from back in the 1960s in which an old guy who is certainly not a part of a "woke" mob and proving that scientists knew that the amount of greenhouse gasses being pumped into the atmosphere back then was a problem. And there were clips from the original Cosmos series in which Sagan described the concerns and what the possible consequences could be (and then showed how many of those consequences have started coming to pass). One thing I wish the show would have done a bit better is explain the scale of the cosmic calendar (e.g., that 1 month corresponded to approximately 1.2 billion years, 1 day corresponded to approximately 40 million years, and 1 second corresponded to approximately 440 years) so that when Tyson said that something took place at midnight on December 31st, people did not actually think he meant something happened midnight on some random December 31st, but instead meant about 3600 - 4000 years ago. Probably the best moment of the series is when they did a CGI zoom out starting on Earth through the solar system to the galaxy level to the famous "pale blue dot" narrative by Carl Sagan. Overall, the series is wonderful and definitely in my must-watch category.

I will openly admit, Neil Degrasse Tyson is no Carl Sagan. The original Cosmos was one of the single greatest series every produced for television and a large part of that was due to Carl Sagan. He was just an exceptional speaker and his excitement for astronomy was infectious. That opening 15 minutes of the first episode was simply breathtaking. Here are 2 of my favorite statements made during that opening: “The Cosmos is all that is or was or ever will be. Our contemplations of the Cosmos stir us -- there is a tingling in the spine, a catch in the voice, a faint sensation, as if a distant memory, of falling from a great height. We know we are approaching the greatest of mysteries.” "in a ship of the imagination, unfettered by ordinary limits of speed and size, drawn by the music of cosmic harmonies. It can take us anywhere in space and time. Perfect as a snowflake, organic as a dandelion seed, it will carry us to worlds of dreams and worlds of facts. Come with me. . . ." It wasn't the background or some amazing CGI that made that opening so powerful, it was Carl Sagan's passion and his ability to convey that passion though his incredible speaking ability. I am a HUGE fan of Neil Degrasse Tyson, but he just doesn't convey that same sense of passion that Sagan did. He has a much more monotone method of speaking so you really didn't get that same level of passion or excitement that the original series gave you. That being said, this updated version of Cosmos was still brilliant and Neil Degrasse Tyson did a great job with the series. We have learned so much more since the original Cosmos aired so there was a legitimate need for this updated version. This series was just hugely entertaining, incredibly interesting, and the updated graphics/CGI were absolutely mind bending. These kinds of programs get kids interested in astronomy and this updated version of Cosmos was just a massive success all the way around. The people behind this series, many of which were behind the original series, should be very proud of their accomplishment. Just an outstanding job all the way around. The bottom line - I immediately purchased this as soon as it was made available and have watched it multiple times since then. I am a space junkie and an amateur backyard astronomer and I can never get enough quality space documentaries. This really is a brilliant series all the way around and I can't possibly give it a higher recommendation. I know Sagan would have been 100% satisfied with this updated version and that is really the best compliment I can give this series. In all honesty, this series should be part of every public schools science curriculum. Yes, its that good! 5 Stars.

Una de mis series favoritas Tristemente no tiene el audio en español y tampoco está más en Disney+

un must! da avere e riguardare più volte. un degno seguito della serie originale. non ho idea di come sia in italiano ma la versione orignale è narrata benissimo.

L’avevo già visto su Netflix stupendo!!! L’ho comprato per riguardarlo con le mie nipotine di 7 e 9 anni

The images are fab and the story is told very well. Reveals some great info you may not have heard before.

This series make it to the top of the best science documentaries. Very well explained, covers everything from atoms to the creation of the universe, with everything in between, including life. Very entertaining. There's a mixture of absolutely awesome graphics that are worthy of Hollywood films and other crude animation that resemble old documentaires, almost as if there were two graphics teams working on different episodes. I didn't mind that though, the subject matter was always very interesting. The documentary takes a few manipulative socio-political-drama side roads though, for example it tries to link extinction events with human activity to hyper-press the panic button on climate change, and takes a somewhat political stance on species evolution, leaving the impression they might not have much esteem for the audience's intelligence. That's not needed, even if they address contemporary social issues, those side roads really reduce its appeal as a scientific documentary, I would have much preferred a much more balanced, neutral approach to those elements without the dramas and leave the socio-political stuff to other shows. Luckily, there are plenty of good and balanced scientific episodes.