McFarlane’s Cosmos: A Spacetime Journey Premieres March 10!

Seth McFarlane is carrying on the legacy of Carl Sagan (and how strange does that sound?) with Cosmos: A Spacetime Journey, the new science-is-cool show that premieres on Fox on March 9 (10/9C) and around the world on National Geographic Channels International on March 10.

For the series, McFarlane has teamed up with Sagan’s original creative collaborators – writer/executive producer Ann Druyan and co-writer/astronomer Steve Soter. Cosmos: A Spacetime Journey will be hosted by renowned astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse. For more details, check out the press release after the jump.

FOX BROADCASTING COMPANY AND NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL ANNOUNCE GLOBAL SERIES PREMIERE OF HIGHLY ANTICIPATED NEW SERIES “COSMOS: A SPACETIME ODYSSEY”

COSMOS Set To Premiere Sunday, March 9, on FOX and Monday, March 10, on the National Geographic Channel Series to Launch Globally on National Geographic Channels International Monday, March 10

Fox Broadcasting Company (FOX) and National Geographic Channel (NGC) announced today the global series premiere of COSMOS: A SPACETIME ODYSSEY, the thrilling new 13-part series from executive producer/writer Ann Druyan and executive producer Seth MacFarlane (FAMILY GUY, “Ted”). The highly anticipated series will premiere in the U.S. on Sunday, March 9 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX, and encore with all-new bonus footage and behind-the-scenes content on the National Geographic Channel (NGC) Monday, March 10 (10:00-11:00 PM ET/PT).

COSMOS: A SPACETIME ODYSSEY will also premiere globally around the world on the National Geographic Channels in 170 countries and 45 languages and Monday, March 10 on Nat Geo MUNDO in the U.S.

More than three decades after the debut of “Cosmos: A Personal Voyage,” Carl Sagan’s stunning and iconic exploration of the universe as revealed by science, MacFarlane has teamed with Sagan’s original creative collaborators – writer/executive producer Druyan and co-writer, astronomer Steven Soter – to conceive the 13-part series that will serve as a successor to the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning original series.

COSMOS: A SPACETIME ODYSSEY is hosted by renowned astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson. As with the legendary original series, the new COSMOS is the saga of how we discovered the laws of nature and found our coordinates in space and time. The series brings to life never-before-told stories of the heroic quest for knowledge, transporting viewers to new worlds and across the universe for a vision of the cosmos on the grandest – and the smallest – scale.

The series invents new modes of scientific storytelling to reveal the grandeur of the universe and re-invent celebrated elements of the original series, including the Cosmic Calendar and the Ship of the Imagination. The most profound scientific concepts are presented with stunning clarity, uniting skepticism and wonder, and weaving rigorous science with the emotional and spiritual into a transcendent experience.

COSMOS: A SPACETIME ODYSSEY is produced by Cosmos Studios, the Ithaca, NY-based company Ann Druyan co-founded in 2000, and Fuzzy Door Productions, MacFarlane’s company. Druyan and Steven Soter are the series’ writers. Druyan, MacFarlane, Cosmos Studios President Mitchell Cannold and Brannon Braga  (the “Star Trek” franchise, “24”) will executive-produce the series. “Like” COSMOS: A SPACETIME ODYSSEY on Facebook at facebook.com/COSMOSonTV. Follow the series on Twitter @COSMOSonTV and join the discussion at #cosmos.

About National Geographic Channels U.S.

Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channels U.S. are a joint venture between National Geographic and Fox Networks. The Channels contribute to the National Geographic Society’s commitment to exploration, conservation and education with smart, innovative programming and profits that directly support its mission. Launched in January 2001, National Geographic Channel (NGC) celebrated its fifth anniversary with the debut of NGC HD. In 2010, the wildlife and natural history cable channel Nat Geo WILD was launched, and in 2011, the Spanish-language network Nat Geo Mundo was unveiled. The Channels have carriage with all of the nation’s major cable, telco and satellite television providers, with NGC currently available in 85 million U.S. homes. Globally, National Geographic Channel is available in more than 440 million homes in 171 countries and 45 languages. For more information, visit www.natgeotv.com.

About National Geographic Channels International

National Geographic Channels International (NGCI) inspires viewers through its smart, innovative programming that questions what we know, how we view the world and what drives us forward.  A business enterprise owned by National Geographic Ventures and FOX Entertainment Group, NGCI contributes to the National Geographic Society’s commitment to exploration, conservation and education through its six channels: National Geographic Channel, National Geographic Channel HD, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Wild HD, Nat Geo People and Nat Geo Mundo.

Globally, National Geographic Channel (including NGC U.S., which is a joint venture of NGV and Fox Cable Networks Group) is available in more than 440 million homes in 171 countries and 45 languages. For more information, please visit www.natgeotv.com.

About Cosmos Studios

Carl Sagan, and those privileged enough to work with him, demonstrated there is a worldwide appetite for compelling entertainment that reflects our deepening understanding of cosmic evolution and our place in its great story. Ann Druyan, with support from entrepreneur Joe Firmage, founded Cosmos Studios in 2000 as a successor to Carl Sagan Productions, the company that produced “Cosmos: A Personal Voyage.” Cosmos Studios, based in Ithaca, NY, creates, produces and distributes eye, brain, heart and soul-nourishing science-based entertainment integrated across all media. Most of all, Cosmos Studios aims to touch global audiences with the soaring spiritual high that comes from grasping science’s central revelation – our oneness with the cosmos. In addition to distributing “Cosmos: A Personal Voyage” and producing COSMOS: A SPACETIME ODYSSEY, Cosmos Studios has produced three documentaries. Ms. Druyan remains its CEO and Mitchell Cannold, an executive producer of the new series, serves as President.

Photo by Patrick Eccleston/Courtesy of Fox Television