Bill Nye the Science Guy

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Bill Nye the Science Guy
Bill Nye the Science Guy title screen.jpg
Created byBill Nye
James McKenna
Erren Gottlieb
Presented byBill Nye
StarringMichaela Leslie-Rule
Chais Dean
Suzanne Mikawa
Ivyann Schwan
Jaffar Smith
Narrated byPat Cashman
Theme music composerMike Greene
Opening theme"Bill Nye the Science Guy"
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes100
Production
Executive producersElizabeth Brock
Erren Gottlieb
James McKenna
ProducerSimon Griffith
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesKCTS Seattle
Rabbit Ears Productions
Buena Vista TV Productions
McKenna/Gottlieb Producers, Inc.
DistributorBuena Vista Television
Release
Original networkSyndicated (1993–1994)
PBS (1995–1998)
Audio formatDolby Surround
Original releaseSeptember 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 produced by KCTS Seattle and McKenna/Gottlieb Producers. It was substantially financed by the National Science Foundation. After the producers entered a distribution agreement with Buena Vista Television,[1] the show aired in syndication from September 10, 1993, to December 21, 1994, and on PBS from January 5, 1995 to June 20, 1998, with reruns airing until September 3, 1999.[2] The show, hosted by Bill Nye, 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.[3] Studies also found that people that viewed Bill Nye regularly were better able to generate explanations and extensions of scientific ideas than non-viewers.[4]

Format[]

Nye portrays a hyper-kinetic tall and slender scientist wearing a blue lab coat and a bow-tie.[5] 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 theme, which leads into an opening credit sequence, and featuring Nye in a computer animated scientific 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 theme, followed by Nye walking onto the set, which is called "Nye Laboratories", filled with scientific visuals including many "of science" contraptions announced dramatically, relevant to the theme of the episode. Science-related TV and movie parodies configure the facts of the episode's theme, along with parodies of TV commercials. The show has featured many guest appearances.[note 1] Each episode featured Nye visiting many places relating to the episode's theme, showing interviews of people talking about their work and other contributions. At the end of each episode, Nye thanks the viewers for watching, before explaining in a clever description of a theme's activity. The closing credits rolled over bloopers from the episode.

Segments[]

  • Way Cool Scientist: An expert discusses the fact of the episode's theme.
  • Consider the Following: Nye discussed a certain aspect of the episode's theme.
  • Nifty Home Experiment: A viewer shows you how to do a simple home experiment.
  • Try This: A viewer shows you how to try a simple demonstration.
  • Hey! Look at This: An expert gives a closer look.
  • Check it Out: A viewer affects their environmental issues.
  • Clever Science Trick: A viewer shows you how to do a simple science trick.
  • The Jackie Smazz Show: Pat Cashman portrays Jackie Smazz, as he performs an act.
  • Great Moments in Science: Cashman narrates a dateline.
  • Pet Rock Theater: Animated pet rocks perform an act.
  • Better Eating Through Kitchen Chemistry: Bill Nye portrays Vivian Cupcake demonstrating scientific recipes.
  • Richie, Eat Your Crust: Nye and the Family Crust perform an act, as Richie eats his crust.
  • Did You Know That...: An interesting factoid was presented.
  • Luna Van Dyke, Private Eye: Private eye Luna Van Dyke focused on a story.
  • Soundtrack of Science: A scientific roundup of the lyrics to a song parody.

History[]

Origins and creation[]

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?"[6] 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.[7] The group pitched the show as Watch Mr. Wizard meets Pee-wee's Playhouse.[8] 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.[9] Because of this, Bill Nye the Science Guy became the first program to run concurrently on both public and commercial stations.[9]

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.[1] 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.

The show has been likened to the next-generation version of Watch Mr. Wizard.[11][12] 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.

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 (which Nye worked for until 1986, Boeing was also based in Seattle until 2001 when it relocated its corporate headquarters to Chicago, Illinois), and Intel.

Despite Disney's association and ownership with the show, it has never aired on any network owned by Walt Disney Television in the US (such as Disney Channel and the American Broadcasting Company, known as simply ABC, which Disney did not acquire until 1996, three years after the show premiered.)

Theme song[]

The Bill Nye the Science Guy theme song was written by math teacher turned songwriter Mike Greene.[13] It was inspired by Danny Elfman and Oingo Boingo, when composing the theme, and used his voice for singing the "Bill Nye the Science Guy" refrain. It consisted of Pat Cashman saying the show's title in a distorted male voice, and the word "Bill" is repeated throughout as a percussive shout. An electric guitar was used during the theme song, followed by Bill saying "Science rules!", "Inertia is a property of matter", and "T-minus seven seconds".

"I used my voice for the first demo to send to the producers, Jim and Erren," he said. "After they approved it, I hired singers because I wanted to make it better. I hired a guy to sing it who sounded pretty cool. He had like a rock‑and‑roll kind of voice, so it sounded pretty slick. Then as another option, I hired a girl to sing it to give it a bit more R&B kind of sound. Then I sent those versions to Jim and Erren, and they said, 'Why have you got them on it? We want your voice. It’s funnier.' I thought, 'My voice is funnier??? Good thing I’m not touchy about my singing!' So we kept my voice on there."[13]

Set to a house beat, Greene enlisted rappers to repeat the word "Bill!" as a percussive shout. "I can’t name them, because it was against their contract to do outside things without permission from their record company," Greene noted. "It was kinda funny, because they were in my studio one day to record a song. I was working on the Nye theme as they walked in and I told them, 'Hey, do me a favor and go in the booth and chant ‘Bill, Bill, Bill’ over and over again.' They had no idea what it was for, but they're cool, so they did. It sounded great, so that's the version we kept. The show didn't air until a year later, so it wasn't until then that they understood what this was really for."[13]

Noggin shorts[]

Nye in one of Noggin's original shorts

In September 1999, Bill Nye signed a multi-year deal to develop and star in original programs for Noggin,[14] a cable channel co-owned by Nickelodeon and the Children's Television Workshop. In addition to producing the new content, Noggin acquired all 100 episodes of Bill Nye the Science Guy; this made it the first-ever program acquisition by the channel.[15] Noggin and Nye chose not to develop new episodes of the show, and instead created original shorts featuring Nye, in character and costume from Bill Nye the Science Guy. In the shorts, Nye's "Science Guy" persona worked as the "head sparkologist" of Noggin,[16] and he tried to find out what topics sparked viewers' imaginations. Bill Nye told Multichannel News that he was interested in creating multiple original shows for Noggin, including a math-based series and one "showing kids how to exercise good judgment."[15]

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.[4] 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."[17]

Episodes[]

Series overview[]

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast airedNetwork
120September 10, 1993 (1993-09-10)February 11, 1994 (1994-02-11)Syndication
220February 18, 1994 (1994-02-18)January 7, 1995 (1995-01-07)
320January 14, 1995 (1995-01-14)October 27, 1995 (1995-10-27)PBS
420November 3, 1995 (1995-11-03)September 12, 1997 (1997-09-12)
520September 19, 1997 (1997-09-19)June 20, 1998 (1998-06-20)

Season 1 (1993–94)[]

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleOriginal syndication air dateOriginal PBS air date
11"Flight"September 10, 1993 (1993-09-10)October 10, 1994[18]
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: Nyevana – "Smells Like Air Pressure" - Parody of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana
22"Earth's Crust"September 17, 1993 (1993-09-17)October 11, 1994
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: Magmadonna – "Crust" - Parody of "Vogue" by Madonna
33"Dinosaurs"September 24, 1993 (1993-09-24)October 12, 1994
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: J.C. – "Mr. Dino" - Parody of "Mr. Wendal" by Arrested Development
44"Skin"October 1, 1993 (1993-10-01)October 13, 1994
55"Buoyancy"October 8, 1993 (1993-10-08)October 14, 1994
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: Sure Floats-a lot – "Bill's Got Boat" - Parody of "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-Lot
66"Gravity"October 15, 1993 (1993-10-15)October 17, 1994
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: Attraction Action – "G-R-A-V-I-T-Y" - Parody of "Twilight Zone" by 2 Unlimited
77"Digestion"October 22, 1993 (1993-10-22)October 18, 1994
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: Dy Gestion – "Can't Eat This" - Parody of "Can't Truss It" by Public Enemy
88"Phases of Matter"October 29, 1993 (1993-10-29)October 19, 1994
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: Phaze Change – "Solid Liquid Gas" - Parody of "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" by Digable Planets
99"Biodiversity"November 5, 1993 (1993-11-05)October 20, 1994
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: Bio Di Versity – "We're all Connected" - Parody of "Connected" by Stereo MC's
1010"Simple Machines"November 12, 1993 (1993-11-12)October 21, 1994
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: The Pulley Ramp Five – "ABC's of Machinery" - Parody of "ABC" by The Jackson 5
1111"The Moon"November 19, 1993 (1993-11-19)October 24, 1994
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: The Lunatics – "Moon Cycle" - Parody of "Bicycle Race" by Queen
1212"Sound"November 26, 1993 (1993-11-26)October 25, 1994
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: Gloria Wavelength and the Vibrations – "Sound is a VIBE" - Parody of "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor
1313"Garbage"December 3, 1993 (1993-12-03)October 26, 1994
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: 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
1414"Structure"December 10, 1993 (1993-12-10)October 27, 1994
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: Stress N' Tension – "Let's Talk About Stress" - Parody of "Let's Talk About Sex" by Salt-N-Pepa
1515"Seasons"December 17, 1993 (1993-12-17)October 28, 1994
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: A Tilted Development – "Rhyme and Season"; artist name is a parody of Arrested Development
1616"Light and Color"December 24, 1993 (1993-12-24)October 31, 1994
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: The Bent Wavelengths – "Light and Colour" - Parody of "Sweating Bullets" by Megadeth
1717"Cells"January 21, 1994 (1994-01-21)November 1, 1994
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: Mighty Chondria – "Cellular Haze" - Parody of "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix
1818"Electricity"January 28, 1994 (1994-01-28)November 2, 1994
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: Billy Ray Cyrcuits – "AC/DC Charge" - Parody of "Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus
1919"Outer Space"February 4, 1994 (1994-02-04)November 3, 1994
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: Elvi Centuri – "Celestial Hotel" - Parody of "Heartbreak Hotel" by Elvis Presley
2020"Eyeball"February 11, 1994 (1994-02-11)November 4, 1994
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song:The Eye Doctors – "Two Eyes" - Parody of "Two Princes" by The Spin Doctors

Season 2 (1994–95)[]

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleOriginal syndication air dateOriginal PBS air date
11"Magnetism"February 18, 1994 (1994-02-18)November 7, 1994
Soundtrack of Science song: N.S. Kool J. – "Opposites Attract" - Parody of "Jump" by Kriss Kross; artist name is a parody of LL Cool J
22"Wind"February 25, 1994 (1994-02-25)November 8, 1994
Soundtrack of Science song: Wind Dee – "Wind Is In Your Hair" - Parody of "Groove Is in the Heart" by Deee-Lite
33"Blood and Circulation"March 4, 1994 (1994-03-04)November 9, 1994
Soundtrack of Science song: AB+ – "Blood Stream" - Parody of "Love Shack" by The B-52's
44"Chemical Reactions"March 11, 1994 (1994-03-11)November 10, 1994
Soundtrack of Science song: Chemical Reactions – "Don't Try This at Home" - Parody of "State of Attraction" by Paula Abdul
55"Static Electricity"March 18, 1994 (1994-03-18)November 11, 1994
Soundtrack of Science song: The Sticky Socks – "Static Electricity" - Parody of "Turning Japanese" by The Vapors
66"Food Web"March 25, 1994 (1994-03-25)November 14, 1994
Soundtrack of Science song: Food Webby Web – "(It's The) Food Web" - Parody of "Who Am I (What's My Name)?" by Snoop Doggy Dogg
77"Light Optics"September 10, 1994 (1994-09-10)December 5, 1994
Soundtrack of Science song: Queen Lighteefa – "B.E.N.T." - Parody of "U.N.I.T.Y." by Queen Latifah
88"Bones and Muscles"September 17, 1994 (1994-09-17)December 6, 1994
Soundtrack of Science song: Steppenbone – "Bones In My Body" - Parody of "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf
99"Oceanography"September 24, 1994 (1994-09-24)December 7, 1994
Soundtrack of Science song: Gulfstream Girls – "Deep Ocean Currents" - Parody of "California Girls" by The Beach Boys
1010"Heat"October 1, 1994 (1994-10-01)December 8, 1994
Soundtrack of Science song: LeHot – "LeHeat" - Parody of "Le Freak" by Chic
1111"Insects"October 8, 1994 (1994-10-08)December 9, 1994
Soundtrack of Science song: UB Buggy – "Jah Mon, Insects Rule" - Style Parody of UB40
1212"Balance"October 15, 1994 (1994-10-15)December 12, 1994
Soundtrack of Science song: Torquer – "Balance This" - Parody of "Get Off This" by Cracker
1313"The Sun"October 22, 1994 (1994-10-22)December 13, 1994
Soundtrack of Science song: Deep Yellow – "My Favorite Star" - Parody of "Highway Star" by Deep Purple
1414"Brain"October 29, 1994 (1994-10-29)December 14, 1994
Soundtrack of Science song: En Lobe – "Whatta Brain" - Parody of "Whatta Man" by En Vogue with Salt-N-Pepa
1515"Forests"November 5, 1994 (1994-11-05)December 15, 1994
Soundtrack of Science song: John Cougar Loggincamp – "Second Growth" - Style Parody of John Mellencamp
1616"Communication"November 12, 1994 (1994-11-12)December 16, 1994
Soundtrack of Science song: Mary Chapin Communicator – "How Can We Communicate?" - Parody of "He Thinks He'll Keep Her" by Mary Chapin Carpenter
1717"Momentum"November 19, 1994 (1994-11-19)December 19, 1994
Soundtrack of Science song: Momentisey – "The Faster You Push Me" - Parody of "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get" by Morrissey
1818"Reptiles"November 26, 1994 (1994-11-26)December 20, 1994
Soundtrack of Science song: 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
1919"Atmosphere"December 2, 1994 (1994-12-02)December 21, 1994
Soundtrack of Science song: Warm -n- Wetta – "Fresh Aire"; artist name is a parody of Salt-N-Pepa
2020"Respiration"January 7, 1994 (1994-01-07)TBA
Soundtrack of Science song: Ali Veoli – "What A Pair" - Style Parody of Tatyana Ali

Season 3 (1995)[]

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleOriginal air date
411"The Planets"January 14, 1995 (1995-01-14)
No music video
422"Pressure"January 21, 1995 (1995-01-21)
PSI Garden – "Pressure" Parody of "Spoonman" by Soundgarden
433"Plants"January 28, 1995 (1995-01-28)
Rhoda Dendron – "Cross Pollination" Parody of "Human Behaviour" by Björk
444"Rocks and Soil"February 3, 1995 (1995-02-03)
Sedimentary Fools – "Rocks Rock Harder" Parody of "Basket Case" by Green Day
455"Energy"February 10, 1995 (1995-02-10)
The ERG's – "N-R-G" Parody of "Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys
466"Evolution"February 17, 1995 (1995-02-17)
Evolver – "Survival" Style parody of Seether by Veruca Salt
477"Water Cycle"March 24, 1995 (1995-03-24)
J.A.C. – "Water Cycle Jump" Parody of "Jump" by Kris Kross
488"Friction"March 31, 1995 (1995-03-31)
Grace Slip – "Friction Happ7ens"; artist name is a parody of Grace Slick
499"Germs"April 7, 1995 (1995-04-07)
Dose of Soap – "Just Wash Your Hands" Parody of "Don't Turn Around" by Ace of Base
5010"Climates"April 14, 1995 (1995-04-14)
Climate Report – "Whether the Weather" Parody of "Lucas with the Lid Off" by Lucas Secon
5111"Waves"April 21, 1995 (1995-04-21)
Big Amplitude – "Baby I Love Your Wave" Parody of "Baby, I Love Your Way" by Big Mountain (originally by Peter Frampton)
5212"Ocean Life"April 28, 1995 (1995-04-28)
James Baleen – "Power To The Plankton" Style Parody of James Brown
5313"Mammals"September 8, 1995 (1995-09-08)
Fake Fur – "Jennifer's A Mammal" Parody of "Institutionalized" by Suicidal Tendencies
5414"Spinning Things"September 15, 1995 (1995-09-15)
House of Spin – "Spin Around" Parody of "Jump Around" by House of Pain
5515"Fish"September 22, 1995 (1995-09-22)
Salmon Dave – "I'm a Sole Man" Parody of "Soul Man" by Sam & Dave
5616"Human Transportation"September 29, 1995 (1995-09-29)
Carpoolio – "Move Groove" Parody of "Fantastic Voyage" by Coolio
5717"Wetlands"October 6, 1995 (1995-10-06)
Maria and the Mudflats – "Where the Land is Wet"
5818"Birds"October 13, 1995 (1995-10-13)
LL Bloo J. – "Talkin' Bout Birds"; artist name is a parody of LL Cool J
5919"Populations"October 20, 1995 (1995-10-20)
Shirell Crow – "All We Need To Do" Parody of "All I Wanna Do" by Sheryl Crow
6020"Animal Locomotion"October 27, 1995 (1995-10-27)
Bjorn Turun – "Loco Motion" Parody of "Everything Zen" by Bush

Season 4 (1995–97)[]

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleOriginal air date
611"Rivers and Streams"November 3, 1995 (1995-11-03)
Talking Headwaters – "Take Me to the River" Parody of "Take Me to the River" by Talking Heads
622"Nutrition"November 10, 1995 (1995-11-10)
Knute Trishan – "Good Food" Style Parody of Nine Inch Nails/Trent Reznor
633"Marine Mammals"November 17, 1995 (1995-11-17)
Marina Cesealia – "Breathe Like Me" Parody of "I Know" by Dionne Farris
644"Earthquakes"November 24, 1995 (1995-11-24)
Mistah Richter – "Earthquake Rumble" Parody of "Insane in the Brain" by Cypress Hill
655"NTV Top 11 Countdown"December 1, 1995 (1995-12-01)
Mudhoney – "Bill Nye The Science Guy Theme"
666"Spiders"January 5, 1996 (1996-01-05)
Foo Spighters – "This is A Spiders Life" Parody of "This Is a Call" by Foo Fighters
677"Pollution Solutions"January 12, 1996 (1996-01-12)
No music video
688"Probability"January 19, 1996 (1996-01-19)
Steven Odd – "50 Fifty" Parody of "Loser" by Beck
699"Pseudoscience"January 26, 1996 (1996-01-26)
Dare L. Pseudo – "Pure Proof" Parody of "100% Pure Love" by Crystal Waters
7010"Flowers"February 2, 1996 (1996-02-02)
Daisy Birdsenbees – "So Many Flowers"
7111"Archaeology"February 9, 1996 (1996-02-09)
Mob Barley – "Diggin'" Parody of "Jamming" by Bob Marley
7212"Deserts"February 16, 1996 (1996-02-16)
Deserette – "Always Dry" Parody of "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morissette
7313"Amphibians"February 23, 1996 (1996-02-23)
P-Swamp All Stars with DJ Hoppy – "The Amphidelic Mothership Metamorphisis" Style Parody of George Clinton the P-Funk All Stars
7414"Volcanoes"January 31, 1997 (1997-01-31)
Volcanique – "Lavaflows" Parody of "Waterfalls" by TLC
7515"Invertebrates"February 7, 1997 (1997-02-07)
S. Khar Go – "Crawl Away" Parody of "Runaway" by Janet Jackson
7616"Heart"February 14, 1997 (1997-02-14)
Vinny Vein and the Pumpers – "Gimme Back My Heart"
7717"Inventions"February 21, 1997 (1997-02-21)
En Vent and the Process – "It's An 'ing Thing"
7818"Computers"April 25, 1997 (1997-04-25)
La Binary – "One Zero 001" Parody of "Be My Lover" by La Bouche
7919"Fossils"September 5, 1997 (1997-09-05)
Etchton Stone – "Fossil Man" Parody of "Rocket Man" by Elton John
8020"Time"September 12, 1997 (1997-09-12)
The Tim E. Zone Experience – "Time Time Time Time Time..." Parody of "Time Has Come Today" by The Chambers Brothers

Season 5 (1997–98)[]

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleOriginal air date
811"Forensics"September 19, 1997 (1997-09-19)
Krime Seen – "We Will Find You" Parody of "We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions" by Queen
822"Space exploration"September 26, 1997 (1997-09-26)
The Space Princess of Galactic Grooviness – "Planets All" Parody of "Set U Free" by Planet Soul
833"Genes"October 17, 1997 (1997-10-17)
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
844"Architecture"October 24, 1997 (1997-10-24)
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
855"Farming"October 31, 1997 (1997-10-31)
Chris Ballew – "Farm Food" Parody of "Peaches" by The Presidents of the United States of America, of which Ballew himself is a member
866"Life Cycles"November 14, 1997 (1997-11-14)
Roberta Fungi – "Everything Has A Life Cycle" Parody of "Killing Me Softly" by Roberta Flack
877"Do-It-Yourself Science"November 21, 1997 (1997-11-21)
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
888"Atoms"November 28, 1997 (1997-11-28)
Third Nye Blind – "Atoms in My Life" Parody of "Semi Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind
899"Ocean Exploration"December 5, 1997 (1997-12-05)
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.
9010"Lakes and Ponds"February 21, 1998 (1998-02-21)
The Froggy Boyz – "Fond of Lakes and Ponds" Parody of "Tha Crossroads" by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
9111"Smell"February 28, 1998 (1998-02-28)
Turbinator Two – "Come On Use Your Brain (Smell This)" Parody of "C'mon N' Ride It (The Train)" by Quad City DJ's
9212"Caves"April 25, 1998 (1998-04-25)
Batilda & Guano – "Cave Thing" Parody of "Shake Your Groove Thing" by Peaches & Herb
9313"Fluids"May 2, 1998 (1998-05-02)
Weflo – "Drip it" Parody of "Whip It" by Devo
9414"Erosion"May 9, 1998 (1998-05-09)
Earth, Wind & Ice – "Causing the Erosion" Style Parody of No Doubt; artist name is a Parody of Earth, Wind & Fire
9515"Comets and Meteors"May 16, 1998 (1998-05-16)
Halley Comet – "Got Me Looking" Parody of "Shadowboxer" by Fiona Apple
9616"Storms"May 23, 1998 (1998-05-23)
Mighty Mighty Thundertones – "Stormin" Style Parody of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
9717"Measurement"May 30, 1998 (1998-05-30)
The Meter Men – "Every Measurement You Make" Parody of "Every Breath You Take" by The Police
9818"Patterns"June 6, 1998 (1998-06-06)
Downward Spiral – "Patterns of Joy" Parody of "Breathe" by The Prodigy; artist name reference to Nine Inch Nails.
9919"Music"June 13, 1998 (1998-06-13)

"There's Science In Music"

Melodic Style Similar To That Of "The Time Warp" by Richard O'Brien
10020"Motion"June 20, 1998 (1998-06-20)
Slow Moe – "All in Motion" Parody of "Hot for Teacher" by Van Halen

Awards[]

During its run, Bill Nye the Science Guy was nominated for 23 Emmy Awards, winning nineteen.[3]

Daytime Emmy Awards

  • 1996Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series – Erren Gottlieb, Bill Nye, James McKenna, Scott Schaefer, Adam Gross and Seth Gross
  • 1996Outstanding Sound Editing – Michael McAuliffe, Sony Felberg, Vince Werner, Dave Howe, Ella Brackett, Thomas McGurk and Jim Wilson
  • 1997Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series – Kit Boss, Erren Gottlieb, Michael Gross, James McKenna, Bill Nye, Ian G. Saunders, Scott Schaefer, William Sleeth and Darrell Suto
  • 1997Outstanding Directing in a Children's Series – Darrell Suto, Michael Gross, Erren Gottlieb and James McKenna
  • 1997Outstanding Single Camera Editing – Darrell Suto, Michael Gross, Felicity Oram and John Reul
  • 1997Outstanding Sound Editing – Thomas McGurk, Michael McAuliffe, Sony Felberg, Vince Werner, and Dave Howe
  • 1998Outstanding 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)
  • 1998Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series – Bill Nye
  • 1998Outstanding Single Camera Editing – Darrell Suto, Michael Gross, Felicity Oram and John Reul
  • 1998Outstanding Sound Editing – Dave Howe, Thomas McGurk and Michael McAuliffe
  • 1998Outstanding Sound Mixing – Dave Howe, Thomas McGurk, Michael McAuliffe, Bob O'Hern, Resti Bagcal and Marion Smith
  • 1999Outstanding Children's Series – Erren Gottlieb, James McKenna, Elizabeth Brock, Jamie Hammond, Hamilton McCulloch and Bill Nye
  • 1999Outstanding Directing in a Children's Series – Michael Gross and Darrell Suto
  • 1999Outstanding Single Camera Editing – Felicity Oram, John Reul, Michael Gross and Darrell Suto
  • 1999Outstanding Sound Editing – Dave Howe, Thomas McGurk and Michael McAuliffe
  • 2000Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series – Bill Nye, Michael Gross, Darrell Suto, Ian G. Saunders, Michael Palleschi, Lynn Brunelle and Mike Greene
  • 2000Outstanding Children's Series – James McKenna, Erren Gottlieb, Elizabeth Brock, Jamie Hammond and Bill Nye
  • 2000Outstanding Sound Editing – Dave Howe, Michael McAuliffe and Thomas McGurk
  • 2000Outstanding 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.[19] In the United Kingdom, it was distributed on VHS by ViewTech, Bristol. In 1994 and 1995, Walt Disney Home Video released five volumes of Bill Nye the Science Guy, such as "The Human Body: The Inside Scoop", "Powerful Forces: All Pumped Up", "Dinosaurs: Those Big Boneheads", "Reptiles & Insects: Leapin' Lizards", and "Outer Space: Way Out There". All five volumes were released on VHS, containing two episodes. 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."[20] A 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[21] and the other containing 17 episodes.[22]

Despite Disney’s involvement in the series, the series hasn’t been available on Disney+ due to a dispute with Nye over revenue sharing.[23]

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.[24]

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ 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, John Keister, Candace Cameron, Alfonso Ribeiro, Sinbad, Edgar Martínez, Nate McMillan, Mudhoney, Drew Barrymore, and Taran Noah Smith.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Maddus, Gene (August 25, 2017). "Bill Nye Claims Disney Withheld $28 Million in 'Science Guy' Profits". Variety. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  2. ^ . September 3, 1999 https://web.archive.org/web/20010209092909/http://www.ket.org/visions/sep99/vl990903.html. Archived from the original on February 9, 2001. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Bill Nye, the Science Guy, September 10, 1993, retrieved April 12, 2016
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Bell, Phillip (2009). Learning Science in Informal Environments: People, Places, and Pursuits. National Academies Press. p. 253.
  5. ^ Boss, Kit (December 18, 1994). "The Bill Nye Effect". The Seattle Times.
  6. ^ "Almost Live!: What Seattle Sketch Comedy Gave to Us". Splitsider. September 27, 2011. Archived from the original on May 6, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  7. ^ "HISTORICAL BACKGROUND FOR KCTS". Seattle Television History. University of Washington. Archived from the original on April 24, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  8. ^ "Bill Nye Is Still the Nuttiest Professor". Seattle Metropolitan. September 3, 2013. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b Chotkowski LaFollette, Marcel (2012). Science on American Television: A History. University of Chicago Press.
  10. ^ "Bill Nye, The Science Guy | Archive of American Television". Emmytvlegends.org. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  11. ^ Heppner, Frank (2007). Teaching the Large College Class: A Guidebook for Instructors with Multitudes. John Wiley & Sons. p. 11. ISBN 9780470180846.
  12. ^ Kundanis, Rose M. (2003). Children, Teens, Families, and Mass Media: The Millennial Generation. Taylor & Francis. p. 37. ISBN 9780805845631.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Who Wrote The Bill Nye Theme Music?". ScienceBob.com. June 6, 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  14. ^ "Nye tries sparkling stint on new cable channel". Associated Press. September 24, 1999.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b Moss, Linda (September 27, 1999). "Noggin Corrals Nye, The Science Guy". Multichannel News.
  16. ^ "Bill Nye, The Science Guy". CBS News. January 7, 2000.
  17. ^ Rockman; et al. "A Study of Bill Nye the Science Guy Outreach and Image Executive Summary". Seattle Television History, University of Washington. Archived from the original on June 11, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  18. ^ Bedford, Karen Everhart (May 9, 1994). "Bill Nye the Science Guy to run on PBS simultaneously with commercial syndication". Current. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  19. ^ "Disney Educational Productions". dep.disney.go.com. Disney.go.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
  20. ^ Adams, Becket (May 5, 2017). "Netflix: We didn't edit that Bill Nye episode". Washington Examiner. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  21. ^ "Bill Nye the Science Guy, Vol. 1 on iTunes". iTunes. September 10, 1993. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  22. ^ "Bill Nye the Science Guy, Vol. 2 on iTunes". iTunes. September 10, 1993. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  23. ^ "Bill Nye the Science Guy and Disney Feud over Streaming Revenue". February 26, 2021.
  24. ^ "Software can help kids weather summer doldrums". Deseret News. April 21, 1997. Retrieved September 4, 2019.

External links[]

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