National Geographic Channel To Air Carl Sagan's Groundbreaking Original Series "COSMOS: A PERSONAL VOYAGE" In Advance Of The Highly Anticipated Premiere Of New Voyage To The Stars, COSMOS: A SPACETIME ODYSSEY

WASHINGTON, March 4, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nearly 34 years after it originally aired on television, the National Geographic Channel will rebroadcast all 13 episodes of Carl Sagan's ground-breaking series "COSMOS: A PERSONAL VOYAGE" as a two-day event this weekend, Saturday, March 8, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, March 9, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. The two-day marathon will conclude in time for the global world premiere of the new series COSMOS: A SPACETIME ODYSSEY on Sunday, March 9, from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET/PT across multiple U.S. Fox networks, including Fox Broadcasting Company (FOX), National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO, FX, FXX, FXM, FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Life.

After the cross-network premiere event, COSMOS: A SPACETIME ODYSSEY will continue its epic 13-episode run, airing Sundays from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET/PT on FOX and Mondays — with all-new bonus footage and behind-the-scenes content — on the National Geographic Channel from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET/PT.

The original series "COSMOS: A PERSONAL VOYAGE" first premiered in September 1980 on PBS, and for 10 years was the most watched series ever on public television in America. Based on his book of the same name, and written for television by Sagan, Ann Druyan and Steven Soter, the series was a stunning and iconic exploration of the universe as revealed by science that took viewers through a galaxy of topics to help explain the universe and humanity's place in it. Called "a watershed moment for science programming" by Dave Itzkoff of The New York Times, Sagan brought science into the mainstream by explaining complex theories in a way that everyone could comprehend and appreciate. Among the areas explored are the life cycle of stars, genetics, laws of planetary motion, the journey to Mars, the search for intelligent life beyond Earth and the big bang theory.

More than three decades after the debut of "COSMOS: A PERSONAL VOYAGE," Seth MacFarlane has teamed with Sagan's original creative collaborators Druyan and 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 reinvent 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.

The original series special encores include:

Saturday, March 8
12 p.m. - The Shore of the Cosmic Ocean  
1 p.m. - One Voice in the Cosmic Fugue 
2 p.m. - Harmony of the Worlds
3 p.m. - Heaven and Hell
4 p.m. - Blues for a Red Planet
5 p.m. - Travellers' Tales

Sunday, March 9
12 p.m. - The Backbone of Night
1 p.m. - Journeys in Space and Time
2 p.m. - The Lives of the Stars
3 p.m. - The Edge of Forever
4 p.m. - The Persistence of Memory
5 p.m. - Encyclopaedia Galactica
6 p.m. - Who Speaks for Earth?

COSMOS: A SPACETIME ODYSSEY is produced by Cosmos Studios, the Ithaca, N.Y.-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") executive-produce the series. Jason Clark ("Ted," "42") co-executive produces. "Like" COSMOS: A SPACETIME ODYSSEY on Facebook at facebook.com/COSMOSonTV. Follow the series on Twitter @COSMOSonTV and join the discussion at #cosmos.

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, N.Y., 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. Druyan remains its CEO and Mitchell Cannold, an executive producer of the new series, serves as president. 

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.

SOURCE National Geographic Channel