Bill Nye the Science Guy
| Bill Nye the Science Guy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | Bill Nye James McKenna Erren Gottlieb |
| Presented by | Bill Nye |
| Starring | Chais Dean Suzanne Mikawa Ivyann Schwan Jaffar Smith |
| Narrated by | Pat Cashman |
| Theme music composer | Mike Greene |
| Opening theme | "Bill Nye the Science Guy" |
| Composer(s) | Mike Greene Tom McGurk Tiny Hat Orchestra Charlotte S. Landberg Jonathan S. Merrill |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 5 |
No. of episodes | 100 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Elizabeth Brock Erren Gottlieb James McKenna |
| Producer(s) | Simon Griffith |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | KCTS Seattle McKenna/Gottlieb Producers, Inc. Rabbit Ears Productions Walt Disney Television |
| Distributor | Buena Vista Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | Syndicated (1993-1998) PBS (1994-1999) |
| Picture format | 480i SDTV |
| Audio format | Dolby Surround |
| Original release | September 10, 1993 (1993-09-10) – June 20, 1998 (1998-06-20) |
Bill Nye the Science Guy is an American half-hour live action science program that originally was syndicated by Walt Disney Television to local stations from September 10, 1993 to June 20, 1998 and also aired on PBS from 1994 to 1999. It was hosted by Bill Nye.
The show aired for 100 half-hour episodes spanning five seasons. Known for its quirky humor and rapid-fire MTV-style pacing, the show won critical acclaim and was nominated for 23 Emmy Awards, winning nineteen.[1] Studies also found that people that viewed Bill Nye regularly were better able to generate explanations and extensions of scientific ideas than non-viewers.[2]
Contents
1 Origins and creation
2 Format
3 Production
3.1 Theme song
4 Impact
5 Episodes
5.1 Season 1 (1993–94)
5.2 Season 2 (1994–95)
5.3 Season 3 (1995)
5.4 Season 4 (1995–97)
5.5 Season 5 (1997–98)
6 Awards
7 Home media
8 Video game
9 Syndication
10 See also
11 References
12 External links
Origins and creation
Bill Nye The Science Guy, wearing his trademark blue lab coat and bowtie
While performing in a sketch comedy television show in Seattle called Almost Live! during the 1980s, Nye cultivated a science-explaining TV persona. One famous incident on the show led to his stage name. He corrected another host, John Keister, on his pronunciation of the word "gigawatt", and the nickname was born when Keister responded, "Who do you think you are—Bill Nye the Science Guy?"[3] In 1993, he developed a Bill Nye the Science Guy pilot for PBS member station KCTS-TV in Seattle. Nye collaborated with James McKenna, Erren Gottlieb and Elizabeth Brock to plan and create the show for KCTS.[4] The group pitched the show as Mr. Wizard meets Pee-wee's Playhouse.[5] He successfully obtained underwriting from the National Science Foundation and the US Department of Energy. Nye's program became part of a package of syndicated series that local stations could schedule to fulfill Children's Television Act requirements.[6] Because of this, Bill Nye the Science Guy became the first program to run concurrently on both public and commercial stations.[6]
Format
Nye plays a hyper-kinetic tall and slender scientist wearing a blue lab coat and a bow-tie.[7] He combines the serious science of everyday things with fast-paced action and humor. Each half-hour show begins with a cold open, where Nye introduces the episode's topic, which leads into an opening credit sequence, and featuring Nye in a computer animated scientifically world, along with his head spinning, radio frequencies, and plastic toy dinosaurs flying. In later seasons, the theme song was cut short by a static screen. After the opening credits, announcer Pat Cashman would say "Brought to you by...", in which a product name was related to the episode's topic, followed by Nye walking onto the set, called "Nye Laboratories", which is filled with scientific visuals including many "of science" contraptions announced dramatically, relevant to the topic of the episode. Parodies of movies and television shows configure the facts of the episode's topic. Guest appearances included Christopher Walken, Samuel L. Jackson, Harrison Schmitt, Jenna von Oÿ, Robin Leach, John Ratzenberger, Ross Shafer, Graham Kerr, Gene Siskel, Roger Ebert, Bob Ross, Willard Scott, Richard Karn, Soundgarden, Kenny G, Pat Sajak, Vanna White, Cirque Du Soleil, Suzanne Somers, The Flying Karamazov Brothers, Pat Cashman, John Keister, Candace Cameron, Alfonso Ribeiro, Sinbad, Edgar Martínez, Nate McMillan, Mudhoney, Drew Barrymore, and Taran Noah Smith. Each episode also featured Nye in diverse places, where he interviews people to talk about their work and other contributions, that was focusing on the episode's topic. "Vivian Cupcake" was a recurring skit on Bill Nye the Science Guy. In these skits, Nye portrayed Vivian Cupcake, where she demonstrated scientific recipes, and "Richie, Eat Your Crust" was a recurring skit, featuring Nye and the Family Crust.
There are several individual segments that are featured in each episode, such as "Way Cool Scientist", which features an expert on the episode's topic, "Consider the Following", where Nye discusses a certain aspect of the episode's topic, "Nifty Home Experiment", where the audience is shown how to do a simple home experiment relating to the episode's topic, "Try This", where the audience is shown how to try a simple demonstration relating to the episode's topic, "Hey! Look at This", where the expert shows us how to give us a closer look by relating to the episode's topic, "Check it Out", where the audience is shown how to affect their environmental issues by relating to the episode's topic, "Clever Science Trick", where the audience is shown how to do a simple science trick relating to the episode's topic, and "Did you know that...", where an interesting factoid related to the episode's topic was presented. "Luna Van Dyke, Private Eye" was one of the recurring segments on the show. The segments featured private eye Luna Van Dyke focusing on a story, that was related to the episode's topic.
Most half-hour episodes contain a mock song parody and music video in the "Soundtrack of Science" by "Not That Bad Records". "Not that bad" is a catchphrase that Nye will often say in those episodes, substituting a scientific roundup of the episode for the lyrics to a popular song. This is usually the last segment of each episode. Each half-hour show ends with Nye saying, "Well, that's our show. Thanks for watching. If you'll excuse me, I've got some..." before explaining his departure in a clever description of an activity on topic, followed by him saying "See ya!" afterwards. After that, a female announcer says "Produced in association with the National Science Foundation". The credits rolled over bloopers from the episode.
In a study that evaluated the pacing of 87 popular children's programs, Bill Nye the Science Guy was found to be the fastest-paced show on television, with a pacing score of 56.90.[8]
Production
The show was created in 1992 by Bill Nye, James McKenna and Erren Gottlieb, produced by McKenna/Gottlieb Producers, Inc, in partnership with KCTS in Seattle. The following year, the production companies entered a distribution agreement with Buena Vista Television, a subsidiary of Disney.[9] As part of the agreement, the profits of the show were split between Disney and the production team, with Disney owning full distribution rights across broadcasting, home video, and digital streaming. McKenna and Gottlieb all met while McKenna was a producer on Almost Live!, a Seattle-based comedy show.[10]
The announcer for the program was Pat Cashman, whom Nye knew from his time on Almost Live!.
Before his show launched, Nye had previously worked alongside Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future: The Animated Series, where he played Doc Brown's assistant and demonstrated several experiments.[11]
The show has been likened to the next-generation version of Watch Mr. Wizard.[12][13] The show ran about the same time as and covered similar topics to Beakman's World, in fact sharing one crew member, editor/writer/director Michael Gross.[14]
The show was primarily funded by the National Science Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the annual financial support from the viewers/stations of the PBS network. Other funding sponsors included Ore Ida, The Boeing Company, and Intel.
Despite Disney's association and ownership with the show, it has never aired on ABC or any network owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group.
Theme song
The Bill Nye the Science Guy theme song was written by former math teacher Mike Greene. The theme song is set to a house beat, with Pat Cashman saying the show's title in a distorted male voice, which came across a bass-rhythm line, and the number is punctuated by repeating the word "Bill" as a percussive shout. The sound and speed fluctuations of the voice were accomplished through a vocoder, and electronic pitch fluctuation.
Impact
In conjunction with the production of Bill Nye the Science Guy, KCTS-TV conducted several research studies that evaluated how effective the program was as an educational tool. In one study, it was found that viewers of the program made more observations and sophisticated classifications than non-viewers.[2] In surveys of elementary students who watched the program, most children concluded that Nye made “kids like science more.” When surveyed whether Nye was a scientist or actor and comedian, most students asserted he was a scientist, though many said both. Students also described Nye almost equally as both “funny” and “smart,” and believed he was a "source of good information."[15]
Episodes
100 half-hour episodes were produced.
Season 1 (1993–94)
- Season 1 of Bill Nye the Science Guy consisted of 20 episodes.
| Series No. | No. | Title | "Soundtrack of Science" Parody song | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Flight (Series Premiere) | Nyevana – "Smells Like Air Pressure" Parody of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana | September 10, 1993 |
| 2 | 2 | Earth's Crust | Magmadonna – "Crust" Parody of "Vogue" by Madonna | September 17, 1993 |
| 3 | 3 | Dinosaurs | J.C. – "Mr. Dino" Parody of "Mr. Wendal" by Arrested Development | September 24, 1993 |
| 4 | 4 | Skin | No music video | October 1, 1993 |
| 5 | 5 | Buoyancy | Sure Floats-a lot – "Bill's Got Boat" Parody of "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-Lot | October 8, 1993 |
| 6 | 6 | Gravity | Attraction Action – "G-R-A-V-I-T-Y" Parody of "Twilight Zone" by 2 Unlimited | October 15, 1993 |
| 7 | 7 | Digestion | Dy Gestion – "Can't Eat This" Parody of "Can't Truss It" by Public Enemy | October 22, 1993 |
| 8 | 8 | Phases of Matter | Phaze Change – "Solid Liquid Gas" Parody of "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" by Digable Planets | October 29, 1993 |
| 9 | 9 | Biodiversity | Bio Di Versity – "We're all Connected" Parody of "Connected" by Stereo MC's | November 5, 1993 |
| 10 | 10 | Simple Machines | The Pulley Ramp Five – "ABC's of Machinery" Parody of "ABC" by The Jackson 5 | November 12, 1993 |
| 11 | 11 | The Moon | The Lunatics – "Moon Cycle" Parody of "Bicycle Race" by Queen | November 19, 1993 |
| 12 | 12 | Sound | Gloria Wavelength and the Vibrations – "Sound is a VIBE" Parody of "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor | November 26, 1993 |
| 13 | 13 | Garbage | Trash E. Trash – "R.E.C.Y.C.L.E." Parody of "Respect" by Aretha Franklin; artist name is a parody of Doug E. Fresh | December 3, 1993 |
| 14 | 14 | Structure | Stress N' Tension – "Let's Talk About Stress" Parody of "Let's Talk About Sex" by Salt-n-Pepa | December 10, 1993 |
| 15 | 15 | Seasons | A Tilted Development – "Rhyme and Season"; artist name is a parody of Arrested Development (Note: Former Almost Live! host Ross Shafer guest stars in this episode on The Tilted Planet Game segment.) | December 17, 1993 |
| 16 | 16 | Light and Color | The Bent Wavelengths – "Light and Colour" Parody of "Sweating Bullets" by Megadeth | December 24, 1993 |
| 17 | 17 | Cells | Mighty Chondria – "Cellular Haze" Parody of "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix | January 21, 1994 |
| 18 | 18 | Electricity | Billy Ray Cyrcuits – "AC/DC Charge" Parody of "Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus | January 28, 1994 |
| 19 | 19 | Outer Space | Elvi Centuri – "Celestial Hotel" Parody of "Heartbreak Hotel" by Elvis Presley | February 4, 1994 |
| 20 | 20 | Eyeball | The Eye Doctors – "Two Eyes" Parody of "Two Princes" by The Spin Doctors | February 11, 1994 |
Season 2 (1994–95)
- Season 2 of Bill Nye the Science Guy consisted of 20 episodes.
| Series No. | No. | Title | "Soundtrack of Science" Parody song | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 1 | Magnetism | N.S. Kool J. – "Opposites Attract" Parody of "Jump" by Kriss Kross; artist name is a parody of LL Cool J | February 18, 1994 |
| 22 | 2 | Wind | Wind Dee – "Wind Is In Your Hair" Parody of "Groove Is in the Heart" by Deee-Lite | February 25, 1994 |
| 23 | 3 | Blood and Circulation | AB+ – "Blood Stream" Parody of "Love Shack" by The B-52's | March 4, 1994 |
| 24 | 4 | Chemical Reactions | Chemical Reactions – "Don't Try This at Home" Parody of "State of Attraction" by Paula Abdul | March 11, 1994 |
| 25 | 5 | Static Electricity | The Sticky Socks – "Static Electricity" Parody of "Turning Japanese" by The Vapors | March 18, 1994 |
| 26 | 6 | Food Web | Food Webby Web – "(It's The) Food Web" Parody of "Who Am I (What's My Name)?" by Snoop Dogg | March 25, 1994 |
| 27 | 7 | Light Optics | Queen Lighteefa – "B.E.N.T." Parody of "U.N.I.T.Y." by Queen Latifah | September 10, 1994 |
| 28 | 8 | Bones and Muscles | Steppenbone – "Bones In My Body" Parody of "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf | September 17, 1994 |
| 29 | 9 | Oceanography | Gulfstream Girls – "Deep Ocean Currents" Parody of "California Girls" by The Beach Boys | September 24, 1994 |
| 30 | 10 | Heat | LeHot – "LeHeat" Parody of "Le Freak" by Chic | October 1, 1994 |
| 31 | 11 | Insects | UB Buggy – "Jah Mon, Insects Rule" Style Parody of UB40 | October 8, 1994 |
| 32 | 12 | Balance | Torquer – "Balance This" Parody of "Get Off This" by Cracker | October 15, 1994 |
| 33 | 13 | The Sun | Deep Yellow – "My Favorite Star" Parody of "Highway Star" by Deep Purple | October 22, 1994 |
| 34 | 14 | Brain | En Lobe – "Whatta Brain" Parody of "Whatta Man" by En Vogue with Salt-n-Pepa | October 29, 1994 |
| 35 | 15 | Forests | John Cougar Loggincamp – "Second Growth" Style Parody of John Mellencamp | November 5, 1994 |
| 36 | 16 | Communication | Mary Chapin Communicator – "How Can We Communicate?" Parody of "He Thinks He'll Keep Her" by Mary Chapin Carpenter | November 12, 1994 |
| 37 | 17 | Momentum | Momentisey – "The Faster You Push Me" Parody of "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get" by Morrissey | November 19, 1994 |
| 38 | 18 | Reptiles | No music video – the commercial-free PBS version of the episode, however, had a brief spoof entitled "Cold Blooded". Parody of "Hot Blooded" by Foreigner | November 26, 1994 |
| 39 | 19 | Atmosphere | Warm -n- Wetta – "Fresh Aire"; artist name is a parody of Salt N Pepa | December 2, 1994 |
| 40 | 20 | Respiration | Ali Veoli – "What A Pair" Style Parody of Tatyana Ali | January 7, 1995 |
Season 3 (1995)
- Season 3 of Bill Nye the Science Guy consisted of 20 episodes.
| Series No. | No. | Title | "Soundtrack of Science" Parody song | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | 1 | The Planets | No music video | January 14, 1995 |
| 42 | 2 | Pressure | PSI Garden – "Pressure" Parody of "Spoonman" by Soundgarden | January 21, 1995 |
| 43 | 3 | Plants | Rhoda Dendron – "Cross Pollination" Parody of "Human Behaviour" by Björk | January 28, 1995 |
| 44 | 4 | Rocks and Soil | Sedimentary Fools – "Rocks Rock Harder" Parody of "Basket Case" by Green Day | February 3, 1995 |
| 45 | 5 | Energy | The ERG's – "N-R-G" Parody of "Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys | February 10, 1995 |
| 46 | 6 | Evolution | Evolver – "Survival" Style parody of Seether by Veruca Salt | February 17, 1995 |
| 47 | 7 | Water Cycle | J.A.C. – "Water Cycle Jump" Parody of "Jump" by Kris Kross | March 24, 1995 (filmed in 1993) |
| 48 | 8 | Friction | Grace Slip – "Friction Happens"; artist name is a parody of Grace Slick | March 31, 1995 |
| 49 | 9 | Germs | Dose of Soap – "Just Wash Your Hands" Parody of "Don't Turn Around" by Ace of Base | April 7, 1995 |
| 50 | 10 | Climates | Climate Report – "Whether the Weather" Parody of "Lucas with the Lid Off" by Lucas Secon | April 14, 1995 |
| 51 | 11 | Waves | Big Amplitude – "Baby I Love Your Wave" Parody of "Baby, I Love Your Way" by Big Mountain (originally by Peter Frampton) | April 21, 1995 |
| 52 | 12 | Ocean Life | James Baleen – "Power To The Plankton" Style Parody of James Brown | April 28, 1995 |
| 53 | 13 | Mammals | Fake Fur – "Jennifer's A Mammal" Parody of "Institutionalized" by Suicidal Tendencies | September 8, 1995 |
| 54 | 14 | Spinning Things | House of Spin – "Spin Around" Parody of "Jump Around" by House of Pain | September 15, 1995 |
| 55 | 15 | Fish | Salmon Dave – "I'm a Sole Man" Parody of "Soul Man" by Sam & Dave | September 22, 1995 |
| 56 | 16 | Human Transportation | Carpoolio – "Move Groove" Parody of "Fantastic Voyage" by Coolio | September 29, 1995 |
| 57 | 17 | Wetlands | Maria and the Mudflats – "Where the Land is Wet" | October 6, 1995 |
| 58 | 18 | Birds | LL Bloo J. – "Talkin' Bout Birds"; artist name is a parody of LL Cool J | October 13, 1995 |
| 59 | 19 | Populations | Shirell Crow – "All We Need To Do" Parody of "All I Wanna Do" by Sheryl Crow | October 20, 1995 |
| 60 | 20 | Animal Locomotion | Bjorn Turun – "Loco Motion" Parody of "Everything Zen" by Bush | October 27, 1995 |
Season 4 (1995–97)
- Season 4 of Bill Nye the Science Guy consisted of 20 episodes.
| Series No. | No. | Title | "Soundtrack of Science" Parody song | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61 | 1 | Rivers and Streams | Talking Headwaters – "Take Me to the River" Parody of "Take Me to the River" by Talking Heads | November 3, 1995 |
| 62 | 2 | Nutrition | Knute Trishan – "Good Food" Style Parody of Nine Inch Nails/Trent Reznor | November 10, 1995 |
| 63 | 3 | Marine Mammals | Marina Cesealia – "Breathe Like Me" Parody of "I Know" by Dionne Farris | November 17, 1995 |
| 64 | 4 | Earthquakes | Mistah Richter – "Earthquake Rumble" Style Parody of the Dave Matthews Band | November 24, 1995 |
| 65 | 5 | NTV Top 11 Countdown | Mudhoney – "Bill Nye The Science Guy Theme" | December 1, 1995 |
| 66 | 6 | Spiders | Foo Spighters – "This is A Spiders Life" Parody of "This Is a Call" by Foo Fighters | January 5, 1996 |
| 67 | 7 | Pollution Solutions | No music video | January 12, 1996 |
| 68 | 8 | Probability | Steven Odd – "50 Fifty" Parody of "Loser" by Beck | January 19, 1996 |
| 69 | 9 | Pseudoscience | Dare L. Pseudo – "Pure Proof" Parody of "100% Pure Love" by Crystal Waters | January 26, 1996 |
| 70 | 10 | Flowers | Daisy Birdsenbees – "So Many Flowers" | February 2, 1996 |
| 71 | 11 | Archaeology | Mob Barley – "Diggin'" Parody of "Jamming" by Bob Marley | February 9, 1996 |
| 72 | 12 | Deserts | Deserette – "Always Dry" Parody of "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morissette | February 16, 1996 |
| 73 | 13 | Amphibians | P-Swamp All Stars with DJ Hoppy – "The Amphidelic Mothership Metamorphisis" Style Parody of George Clinton the P-Funk All Stars | February 23, 1996 |
| 74 | 14 | Volcanoes | Volcanique – "Lavaflows" Parody of "Waterfalls" by TLC | January 31, 1997 |
| 75 | 15 | Invertebrates | S. Khar Go – "Crawl Away" Parody of "Runaway" by Janet Jackson | February 7, 1997 |
| 76 | 16 | Heart | Vinny Vein and the Pumpers – "Gimme Back My Heart" | February 14, 1997 |
| 77 | 17 | Inventions | En Vent and the Process – "It's An 'ing Thing" | February 21, 1997 |
| 78 | 18 | Computers | La Binary – "One Zero 001" Parody of "Be My Lover" by La Bouche | April 25, 1997 |
| 79 | 19 | Fossils | Etchton Stone – "Fossil Man" Parody of "Rocket Man" by Elton John | September 5, 1997 |
| 80 | 20 | Time | The Tim E. Zone Experience – "Time Time Time Time Time..." Parody of "Time Has Come Today" by The Chambers Brothers | September 12, 1997 |
Season 5 (1997–98)
- Season 5 of Bill Nye the Science Guy consisted of 20 episodes.
| Series No. | No. | Title | "Soundtrack of Science" Parody song | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 81 | 1 | Forensics | Krime Seen – "We Will Find You" Parody of "We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions" by Queen | September 19, 1997 |
| 82 | 2 | Space Exploration | The Space Princess of Galactic Grooviness – "Planets All" Parody of "Set U Free" by Planet Soul | September 26, 1997 |
| 83 | 3 | Genes | Alice in Genes – "It's Called Genetics" Parody of "Killing in the Name" by Rage Against the Machine'; artist name is a parody of Alice In Chains | October 17, 1997 |
| 84 | 4 | Architecture | The Artist Formerly Known as Archie T. – "Makin' Plans" Parody of "All Mixed Up" by 311; artist name is a parody of The Artist Formerly Known As Prince | October 24, 1997 |
| 85 | 5 | Farming | Chris Ballew – "Farm Food" Parody of "Peaches" by The Presidents of the United States of America, of which Ballew himself is a member | October 31, 1997 |
| 86 | 6 | Life Cycles | Roberta Fungi – "Everything Has A Life Cycle" Parody of "Killing Me Softly" by Roberta Flack | November 14, 1997 |
| 87 | 7 | Do-It-Yourself Science | Nye & The Family Crust – "Do It Yourself Science" Parody of "Hell" by Squirrel Nut Zippers; artist name is a parody of Sly and the Family Stone | November 21, 1997 |
| 88 | 8 | Atoms | Third Nye Blind – "Atoms in My Life" Parody of "Semi Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind | November 28, 1997 |
| 89 | 9 | Ocean Exploration | The Posies – "Voyage of the Aquanauts" A parody of their 1993 song "Flavor of the Month". The Posies are an alternative rock group from Bellingham, Washington. | December 5, 1997 |
| 90 | 10 | Lakes and Ponds | The Froggy Boyz – "Fond of Lakes and Ponds" Parody of "Tha Crossroads" by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony | February 21, 1998 |
| 91 | 11 | Smell | Turbinator Two – "Come On Use Your Brain (Smell This)" Parody of "C'mon N' Ride It (The Train)" by Quad City DJ's | February 28, 1998 |
| 92 | 12 | Caves | Batilda & Guano – "Cave Thing" Parody of "Shake Your Groove Thing" by Peaches & Herb | April 25, 1998 |
| 93 | 13 | Fluids | Weflo – "Drip it" Parody of "Whip It" by Devo | May 2, 1998 |
| 94 | 14 | Erosion | Earth, Wind & Ice – "Causing the Erosion" Style Parody of No Doubt; artist name is a parody of Earth, Wind & Fire | May 9, 1998 |
| 95 | 15 | Comets and Meteors | Halley Comet – "Got Me Looking" Parody of "Shadowboxer" by Fiona Apple | May 16, 1998 |
| 96 | 16 | Storms | Mighty Mighty Thundertones – "Stormin" Style Parody of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones | May 23, 1998 |
| 97 | 17 | Measurement | The Meter Men – "Every Measurement You Make" Parody of "Every Breath You Take" by The Police | May 30, 1998 |
| 98 | 18 | Patterns | Downward Spiral – "Patterns of Joy" Parody of "Breathe" by The Prodigy; artist name reference to Nine Inch Nails. | June 6, 1998 |
| 99 | 19 | Music | "There's Science In Music" Melodic Style Similar To That Of "The Time Warp" by Richard O'Brien | June 13, 1998 |
| 100 | 20 | Motion (series finale) | Slow Moe – "All in Motion" Parody of "Hot for Teacher" by Van Halen | June 20, 1998 |
Awards
During its run, Bill Nye the Science Guy was nominated for 23 Emmy Awards, winning nineteen.[1]
Daytime Emmy Awards
1996 – Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series – Erren Gottlieb, Bill Nye, James McKenna, Scott Schaefer, Adam Gross and Seth Gross
1996 – Outstanding Sound Editing – Michael McAuliffe, Sony Felberg, Vince Werner, Dave Howe, Ella Brackett, Thomas McGurk and Jim Wilson
1997 – Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series – Kit Boss, Erren Gottlieb, Michael Gross, James McKenna, Bill Nye, Ian G. Saunders, Scott Schaefer and Darrell Suto
1997 – Outstanding Directing in a Children's Series – Darrell Suto, Michael Gross, Erren Gottlieb and James McKenna
1997 – Outstanding Single Camera Editing – Darrell Suto, Michael Gross, Felicity Oram and John Reul
1997 – Outstanding Sound Editing – Thomas McGurk, Michael McAuliffe, Sony Felberg, Vince Werner, and Dave Howe
1998 – Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series – Erren Gottlieb, James McKenna, Bill Nye, Michael Gross, Darrell Suto, Scott Schaefer, Kit Boss, Lynn Brunelle, Michael Palleschi, Ian G. Saunders and Simon Griffith (Tied with Sesame Street)
1998 – Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series – Bill Nye
1998 – Outstanding Single Camera Editing – Darrell Suto, Michael Gross, Felicity Oram and John Reul
1998 – Outstanding Sound Editing – Dave Howe, Thomas McGurk and Michael McAuliffe
1998 – Outstanding Sound Mixing – Dave Howe, Thomas McGurk, Michael McAuliffe, Bob O'Hern, Resti Bagcal and Marion Smith
1999 – Outstanding Children's Series – Erren Gottlieb, James McKenna, Elizabeth Brock, Jamie Hammond, Hamilton McCulloch and Bill Nye
1999 – Outstanding Directing in a Children's Series – Michael Gross and Darrell Suto
1999 – Outstanding Single Camera Editing – Felicity Oram, John Reul, Michael Gross and Darrell Suto
1999 – Outstanding Sound Editing – Dave Howe, Thomas McGurk and Michael McAuliffe
2000 – Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series – Bill Nye, Michael Gross, Darrell Suto, Ian G. Saunders, Michael Palleschi, Lynn Brunelle and Mike Greene
2000 – Outstanding Children's Series – James McKenna, Erren Gottlieb, Elizabeth Brock, Jamie Hammond and Bill Nye
2000 – Outstanding Sound Editing – Dave Howe, Michael McAuliffe and Thomas McGurk
2000 – Outstanding Sound Mixing – Dave Howe, Michael McAuliffe, Thomas McGurk, Myron Partman and Resti Bagcal (Tied with Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show and Bear in the Big Blue House)
Home media
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released the series in its entirety on DVD, as part of the series' 20th anniversary.[16] In the United Kingdom, it was distributed on VHS by ViewTech, Bristol.
As of May 17, 2015, a 31 episode collection is available for streaming on various platforms through Netflix.[17] As of May 2017, the 1996 episode "Probability" is edited from its original airing, with a segment removed featuring a cast member saying there are only two genders. Netflix denied allegations they edited it (their new series Bill Nye Saves the World features Nye stating gender is on a spectrum) saying "It was delivered to us that way by Buena Vista TV."[18]
The same set of 31 episodes is also available for purchase on the iTunes Store, though they have been split into two separate volumes; one containing 14 episodes[19] and the other containing 17 episodes.[20]
Video game
A computer game based on the series, titled Bill Nye the Science Guy: Stop the Rock!, was released in 1996 for Windows and Macintosh by Pacific Interactive.[21]
In the game, a large meteoroid called "Impending Dumé" threatens to make a catastrophic collision with the Earth. A team of scientists develop a laser satellite-controlling computer system called MAAX (Meteoroid and Asteroid Exploder) to destroy the meteoroid; however, MAAX develops a personality of its own and refuses to save the planet unless Earth's scientists can solve seven science riddles. Nye Labs decides to take on MAAX's challenge, and the player, depicted as the newest member of the Nye Labs team, is asked to solve these riddles using Nye Labs' equipment before Impending Dumé hits (represented through an in-game timer). The game featured a fully explorable Nye Labs, as well as video cut scenes featuring Nye and other Nye Labs scientists. However, the characters and cast members from the TV series, sans Nye and a few others, do not appear in this game, instead being replaced by game-exclusive Nye Labs team members and new actors.
Syndication
Reruns of Bill Nye the Science Guy aired on Noggin (now Nick Jr.) from 2000 to 2002. Since 2016, reruns of the program have been aired on MeTV on Sunday mornings.[22]
See also
- Bill Nye Saves the World
- Stuff Happens
- The Eyes of Nye
- Carl Sagan
Universe of Energy – an attraction at Walt Disney World's Epcot starring Bill Nye.- Bill Nye–Ken Ham debate
References
^ ab Bill Nye, the Science Guy, September 10, 1993, retrieved April 12, 2016.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ ab Bell, Phillip (2009). Learning Science in Informal Environments: People, Places, and Pursuits. National Academies Press. p. 253.|access-date=requires|url=(help)
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^ ab Chotkowski LaFollette, Marcel (2012). Science on American Television: A History. University of Chicago Press.|access-date=requires|url=(help)
^ Boss, Kit (December 18, 1994). "The Bill Nye Effect". The Seattle Times.
^ Nolan, Susan; Heinzen, Thomas (2010). Essentials of Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences. Macmillan.|access-date=requires|url=(help)
^ Maddus, Gene (August 25, 2017). "Bill Nye Claims Disney Withheld $28 Million in 'Science Guy' Profits". Variety. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
^ "Bill Nye, The Science Guy | Archive of American Television". Emmytvlegends.org. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
^ "Back to the Future (TV Series)". IMDB. September 21, 1991. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
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^ "Michael Gross (III)". IMDb.
^ Rockman; et al. "A Study of Bill Nye the Science Guy Outreach and Image Executive Summary". Seattle Television History, University of Washington. Retrieved 2017-05-09.
^ "Disney Educational Productions". dep.disney.go.com. Disney.go.com. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
^ Jaworski, Michelle (May 18, 2015). "Science rules! 'Bill Nye the Science Guy' comes to Netflix". The Daily Dot. Daily Dot Media. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
^ Adams, Becket (5 May 2017). "Netflix: We didn't edit that Bill Nye episode". Washington Examiner. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
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^ "Bill Nye the Science Guy, Vol. 2 on iTunes". iTunes. September 10, 1993. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
^ "VideoGame/Bill Nye the Science Guy: Stop the Rock! - Television Tropes & Idioms". Tvtropes.org. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
^ Staff, MeTV (September 1, 2016). "9 things you might not know about Bill Nye the Science Guy". Me-TV Network. MeTV National Limited Partnership. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
External links
Bill Nye the Science Guyat Wikipedia's sister projects
Media from Wikimedia Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
Texts from Wikisource
Data from Wikidata
- Bill Nye, The Science Lab Official Site
Bill Nye, the Science Guy on IMDb
Bill Nye the Science Guy at TV.com
- Episode Review "The Sun", Deep Yellow's "My Favorite Star".
Video (02:47) - Epic Rap Battles of History: Sir Isaac Newton vs Bill Nye.
Bill Nye the Science Guy at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television results.
Human Timeline (Interactive) – Smithsonian, National Museum of Natural History (August 2016).
