Review: Cosmos with Carl Sagan

Posted by Anura Samara, 22 May 2016

It’s funny how the world turns.

Carl Sagan’s cosmos first came on TV when I was a teenager and I avidly watched the entire series. Now my son has taken an interest in science and watch the entire series. I thought it would be a good father-son activity to sit down and start watching it together.

I have to admit that my memories have fared better than the show. The format seems to be stilted, jumping between the real word, Saga superimposed over imagined scenes from space or prehistory, and Saga guiding us on the journey from the bridge of his space ship. Each of these elements has been vastly improved on since 1980. In particular, Sagan’s speech seems to have been the model for Agent Smith from The Matrix, with a hint of self-satisfaction at his vast knowledge. It’s all a bit cheesy.

But of course the programme should be all about the content. Sagan wants to take us on a journey that links the outer edges of the cosmos with life on Earth, from the earliest known beginnings of the universe through to the development of life and down to the inner workings of biology. The scale of what he wants to achieve is breathtaking and, having only watched the first episode and dim memories of seeing the entire series the first time, I wonder if he can pull it off. But then clearly the awards the show has received and the size of its audiences over three decades means he must have. I just need to be able to work through the rest of the series.

Categories: Shows