National Geographic Channel’s Emmy®-Nominated StarTalk hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson Returns for Second Season Beginning Sunday, Oct. 25, at 11/10c
“The Smartest Man on TV”— Rolling Stone
President Bill Clinton to Be First Guest of the Late-Night Talk
Show’s New Season
WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The second season of National Geographic Channel’s Emmy®-nominated
series StarTalk hosted by Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson (natgeotv.com/StarTalk,
#StarTalkTV) will premiere Sunday, Oct. 25, at 11/10c. President
Bill Clinton will be the first guest of the new season, and additional
guests include Susan Sarandon, Seth MacFarlane, David Byrne, Larry
Wilmore, Bas Lansdorp, Penn and Teller, David Crosby, Brian Cox and Gina
McCarthy. For more information, visit our press room at foxflash.com
and follow @NGC_PR on Twitter.
“I couldn’t think of a more appropriate guest to kick off our second
season,” said Tyson. “President Bill Clinton is a public figure whose
impact and influence span politics, pop culture and science — with an
occasional dose of humor. That’s exactly the mission statement of StarTalk,
and I look forward to sharing our conversation with viewers.”
In the season premiere, President Clinton opens up on a variety of
topics, including the importance of a shared appreciation for science,
using the cosmos to solve problems in the Oval Office, artificial
intelligence and even the demotion of Pluto.
“It’s okay if you can’t break down and draw the chemistry signs; it’s
okay if you can’t do the math equations,” said President Clinton. “You
need to … be able to have a feeling for what science, and the technology
that supports it, can do to open horizons. Not just in medicine, but the
horizons of the mind.”
Based on Tyson’s prominent podcast of the same name, the weekly hourlong
series infuses pop culture with science, while bringing together
comedians and celebrities to delve into a wide range of topics. Each
week, in a private interview, Tyson explores all the ways that science
and technology have influenced the life and livelihood of his guests,
whatever their background.
The guest interview frames the conversation between Tyson, his comedian
co-host, and various influencers in media, science and pop culture, held
before a studio audience in the Cullman Hall of the Universe at the
American Museum of Natural History’s (AMNH’s) Rose Center for Earth and
Space in New York City — where Tyson serves as the Frederick P. Rose
Director of the Hayden Planetarium. Throughout the season, Tyson calls
on his friend Bill Nye the Science Guy to weigh in on the week’s theme
while influencers across pop culture and science join via live video
call to share their perspective.
Premiere episodes include:
Bill Clinton
Premieres Sun.,
Oct. 25, 11/10c
In the season premiere, Neil deGrasse Tyson
sits down with former President Bill Clinton, who was a strong advocate
of science education and advancement during his two presidential terms.
President Clinton opens up about his deep appreciation for science as he
delves into topics including the importance of science in politics, the
cosmic perspective, the Human Genome Project and Einstein. At the
Cullman Hall of the Universe, Tyson continues the conversation with his
comedian co-host Chuck Nice and genomics expert Juan Enriquez.
Meanwhile, Bill Nye gives his take on advancing scientific progress in
America, author Richard Muller joins via video call to talk about the
influence of science on politics and Tyson answers fan questions about
artificial intelligence.
Larry Wilmore
Premieres
Sun., Nov. 1, 11/10c
Emmy® award-winning producer, actor,
comedian and writer Larry Wilmore joins Tyson in the hot seat as the two
delve into the intersection of science and comedy. At the Cullman Hall
of the Universe, Tyson is joined by his co-hosts: comedian Chuck Nice
and Scott Weems, author of “Ha! The Science of When We Laugh and Why.”
The three discuss the physiology of laughter, the mathematics of
crafting jokes and the link between humor and creativity. Adding to the
discussion, author Andy Weir patches into the studio to discuss the
comedy in his book “The Martian” and Bill Nye presents an improv
performance to demonstrate that science can, in fact, be funny.
Seth MacFarlane
Premieres
Sun., Nov. 8, 11:30e/10:30c/11p*
*Special East Coast and
Central times; Pacific Coast will air at regularly scheduled time
Neil
deGrasse Tyson joins Seth MacFarlane, creator of “Family Guy” and
fellow executive producer of “Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey”, to discuss
the role science plays in his work and personal life. In a private
interview, the two take on myriad topics, including social issues in
cartoons, the science of “Family Guy” and the science fiction parodies
that abound in the series. Tyson is joined in the Cullman Hall of the
Universe by comedian co-host Chuck Nice and astrophysicist and AMNH
research associate Charles Liu, and later Bill Nye gives his take on
cartoons and animation.
Premieres continue through Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016.
StarTalk is produced by Curved Light Productions and National
Geographic Studios for National Geographic Channels. For Curved Light
Productions, executive producers are Neil deGrasse Tyson and Helen
Matsos. For National Geographic Studios, executive producer is Brian
Lovett, co-executive producer is Drew Pulley and president is Brooke
Runnette. For National Geographic Channels, executive producer is
Michael Kovnat, vice president of production is Char Serwa and president
of original programming and production is Tim Pastore.
National Geographic Channels
Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington,
D.C., the National Geographic Channels US 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 nearly 90 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 natgeotv.com,
find us on Facebook at facebook.com/NatGeoTVUS
or follow @NatGeoChannel on Twitter
and Instagram.
StarTalk Radio
StarTalk Radio, hosted by Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, is a
groundbreaking, weekly one-hour radio talk show and podcast, where
science, pop culture and comedy collide. With a unique combination of
comedy and celebrity star power, including frequent guest host Bill Nye,
the show aims to bring the universe down to Earth. Now in its sixth
season, StarTalk is available on SiriusXM Insight Channel 121, iTunes
(where it recently ranked as the No. 1 podcast and made the “Best of
2014” list), Stitcher (where it won the Stitcher Award for Best Science
and Medicine podcast), SoundCloud and TuneIn. The podcast has more than
3 million downloads per month. For more information and to listen, visit www.startalkradio.net.
The American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History, founded in 1869, is one of the
world’s preeminent scientific, educational and cultural institutions.
The museum encompasses 45 permanent exhibition halls, including the Rose
Center for Earth and Space and the Hayden Planetarium, where Dr. Neil
deGrasse Tyson serves as the Frederick P. Rose Director. The museum’s
five active research divisions and three cross-disciplinary centers
support 200 scientists, whose work draws on a world-class permanent
collection of more than 33 million specimens and artifacts, as well as
specialized collections for frozen tissue and genomic and astrophysical
data. Through its Richard Gilder Graduate School, it is the only
American museum authorized to grant Ph.D. degrees. Approximately 5
million visitors from around the world came to the museum last year, and
its exhibitions and Space Shows can be seen in venues on five continents.
Contacts
National Geographic Channel
Julie Frazier, 212-378-1975
jfrazier@natgeotv.com
