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This is not a joke. At least, we don't think so. Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane is going to produce a new version of the PBS classic science-fest Cosmos for Fox.
We know MacFarlane's a big geek (remember that endless William Shatner skit at this year's Oscars?) but still, this is a highly illogical match-up. The LA Times reports from the network upfronts that the voice of Ted (and Stewie) won't be hosting the show, however: That honor will go to astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, the director of the Hayden Planetarium and a frequent guest on The Daily Show.
Carl Sagan, the original host of Cosmos, became a pop-culture icon, nestled somewhere between Bill Nye the Science Guy and Leonard Nimoy (host of the cult classic In Search Of...). Sagan, who died in 1996, was as known for his turtleneck sweater and corduroy jacket and his Shatner-esque delivery as for his fondness for enumerating the "bill-ee-yons" of stars in the universe.
MacFarlane featured Sagan in a 2007 episode of Family Guy in which all scientific mention about evolution in Cosmos has been "edited for rednecks."
Cosmos first debuted on PBS in 1980, becoming the highest-rated show in the network's history. “Before there was Downton Abbey, the biggest thing to happen to PBS was Cosmos," said Fox President Kevin Reilly of the decision to revive a beloved public television relic.
With MacFarlane on board, we wonder what cosmic questions he'll pose: Is there life on other planets? Does it include super-intelligent toddlers and foul-mouthed bears? Is there soft-shoe in space? Are the 2013 Oscars still going on in an alternate universe?
