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]
| Bill Nye the Science Guy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | Bill Nye James McKenna Erren Gottlieb |
| Presented by | Bill Nye |
| Starring | Michaela Leslie-Rule Chais Dean Suzanne Mikawa Ivyann Schwan Jaffar Smith |
| Narrated by | Pat Cashman |
| Theme music composer | Mike Greene |
| Opening theme | "Bill Nye the Science Guy" |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 100 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Elizabeth Brock Erren Gottlieb James McKenna |
| Producer | Simon Griffith |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | KCTS Seattle McKenna/Gottlieb Producers, Inc. Rabbit Ears Productions Walt Disney Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | Syndicated (1993–1994) PBS (1995–1998) |
| Release | September 10, 1993 – June 20, 1998 |
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
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]
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 20 | September 10, 1993 | February 11, 1994 | |
| 2 | 20 | February 18, 1994 | January 7, 1995 | |
| 3 | 20 | January 14, 1995 | October 27, 1995 | |
| 4 | 20 | November 3, 1995 | September 12, 1997 | |
| 5 | 20 | September 19, 1997 | June 20, 1998 | |
Episodes
100 half-hour episodes were produced.
Season 1 (1993–94)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original syndication air date | Original PBS air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Flight" | September 10, 1993 | October 10, 1994[18] | |
|
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: Nyevana – "Smells Like Air Pressure" - Parody of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana | |||||
| 2 | 2 | "Earth's Crust" | September 17, 1993 | October 11, 1994 | |
| 3 | 3 | "Dinosaurs" | September 24, 1993 | October 12, 1994 | |
|
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: J.C. – "Mr. Dino" - Parody of "Mr. Wendal" by Arrested Development | |||||
| 4 | 4 | "Skin" | October 1, 1993 | October 13, 1994 | |
| 5 | 5 | "Buoyancy" | October 8, 1993 | 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 | |||||
| 6 | 6 | "Gravity" | October 15, 1993 | October 17, 1994 | |
|
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: Attraction Action – "G-R-A-V-I-T-Y" - Parody of "Twilight Zone" by 2 Unlimited | |||||
| 7 | 7 | "Digestion" | October 22, 1993 | October 18, 1994 | |
|
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: Dy Gestion – "Can't Eat This" - Parody of "Can't Truss It" by Public Enemy | |||||
| 8 | 8 | "Phases of Matter" | October 29, 1993 | October 19, 1994 | |
|
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: Phaze Change – "Solid Liquid Gas" - Parody of "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" by Digable Planets | |||||
| 9 | 9 | "Biodiversity" | November 5, 1993 | October 20, 1994 | |
|
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: Bio Di Versity – "We're all Connected" - Parody of "Connected" by Stereo MC's | |||||
| 10 | 10 | "Simple Machines" | November 12, 1993 | October 21, 1994 | |
|
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: The Pulley Ramp Five – "ABC's of Machinery" - Parody of "ABC" by The Jackson 5 | |||||
| 11 | 11 | "The Moon" | November 19, 1993 | October 24, 1994 | |
|
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: The Lunatics – "Moon Cycle" - Parody of "Bicycle Race" by Queen | |||||
| 12 | 12 | "Sound" | November 26, 1993 | 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 | |||||
| 13 | 13 | "Garbage" | December 3, 1993 | 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 | |||||
| 14 | 14 | "Structure" | December 10, 1993 | 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 | |||||
| 15 | 15 | "Seasons" | December 17, 1993 | October 28, 1994 | |
|
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: A Tilted Development – "Rhyme and Season"; artist name is a parody of Arrested Development | |||||
| 16 | 16 | "Light and Color" | December 24, 1993 | October 31, 1994 | |
|
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: The Bent Wavelengths – "Light and Colour" - Parody of "Sweating Bullets" by Megadeth | |||||
| 17 | 17 | "Cells" | January 21, 1994 | November 1, 1994 | |
|
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: Mighty Chondria – "Cellular Haze" - Parody of "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix | |||||
| 18 | 18 | "Electricity" | January 28, 1994 | November 2, 1994 | |
|
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: Billy Ray Cyrcuits – "AC/DC Charge" - Parody of "Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus | |||||
| 19 | 19 | "Outer Space" | February 4, 1994 | November 3, 1994 | |
|
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: Elvi Centuri – "Celestial Hotel" - Parody of "Heartbreak Hotel" by Elvis Presley | |||||
| 20 | 20 | "Eyeball" | February 11, 1994 | 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 | Title | Original syndication air date | Original PBS air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Magnetism" | February 18, 1994 | 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 | |||||
| 2 | 2 | "Wind" | February 25, 1994 | November 8, 1994 | |
|
Soundtrack of Science song: Wind Dee – "Wind Is In Your Hair" - Parody of "Groove Is in the Heart" by Deee-Lite | |||||
| 3 | 3 | "Blood and Circulation" | March 4, 1994 | November 9, 1994 | |
|
Soundtrack of Science song: AB+ – "Blood Stream" - Parody of "Love Shack" by The B-52's | |||||
| 4 | 4 | "Chemical Reactions" | March 11, 1994 | November 10, 1994 | |
|
Soundtrack of Science song: Chemical Reactions – "Don't Try This at Home" - Parody of "State of Attraction" by Paula Abdul | |||||
| 5 | 5 | "Static Electricity" | March 18, 1994 | November 11, 1994 | |
|
Soundtrack of Science song: The Sticky Socks – "Static Electricity" - Parody of "Turning Japanese" by The Vapors | |||||
| 6 | 6 | "Food Web" | March 25, 1994 | 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 | |||||
| 7 | 7 | "Light Optics" | September 10, 1994 | December 5, 1994 | |
|
Soundtrack of Science song: Queen Lighteefa – "B.E.N.T." - Parody of "U.N.I.T.Y." by Queen Latifah | |||||
| 8 | 8 | "Bones and Muscles" | September 17, 1994 | December 6, 1994 | |
|
Soundtrack of Science song: Steppenbone – "Bones In My Body" - Parody of "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf | |||||
| 9 | 9 | "Oceanography" | September 24, 1994 | December 7, 1994 | |
|
Soundtrack of Science song: Gulfstream Girls – "Deep Ocean Currents" - Parody of "California Girls" by The Beach Boys | |||||
| 10 | 10 | "Heat" | October 1, 1994 | December 8, 1994 | |
| 11 | 11 | "Insects" | October 8, 1994 | December 9, 1994 | |
|
Soundtrack of Science song: UB Buggy – "Jah Mon, Insects Rule" - Style Parody of UB40 | |||||
| 12 | 12 | "Balance" | October 15, 1994 | December 12, 1994 | |
|
Soundtrack of Science song: Torquer – "Balance This" - Parody of "Get Off This" by Cracker | |||||
| 13 | 13 | "The Sun" | October 22, 1994 | December 13, 1994 | |
|
Soundtrack of Science song: Deep Yellow – "My Favorite Star" - Parody of "Highway Star" by Deep Purple | |||||
| 14 | 14 | "Brain" | October 29, 1994 | December 14, 1994 | |
|
Soundtrack of Science song: En Lobe – "Whatta Brain" - Parody of "Whatta Man" by En Vogue with Salt-N-Pepa | |||||
| 15 | 15 | "Forests" | November 5, 1994 | December 15, 1994 | |
|
Soundtrack of Science song: John Cougar Loggincamp – "Second Growth" - Style Parody of John Mellencamp | |||||
| 16 | 16 | "Communication" | November 12, 1994 | 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 | |||||
| 17 | 17 | "Momentum" | November 19, 1994 | 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 | |||||
| 18 | 18 | "Reptiles" | November 26, 1994 | 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 | |||||
| 19 | 19 | "Atmosphere" | December 2, 1994 | December 21, 1994 | |
|
Soundtrack of Science song: Warm -n- Wetta – "Fresh Aire"; artist name is a parody of Salt-N-Pepa | |||||
| 20 | 20 | "Respiration" | January 7, 1994 | ||
|
Soundtrack of Science song: Ali Veoli – "What A Pair" - Style Parody of Tatyana Ali | |||||
Season 3 (1995)
3
- Season 3 of Bill Nye the Science Guy consisted of 20 episodes.
| Series No. | No. | Title | "Soundtrack of Science" Parody song | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EpisodeNumber = 41 | EpisodeNumber2 = 1 | The Planets | No music video | OriginalAirDate = January 14, 1995 |
| EpisodeNumber = 42 | EpisodeNumber2 = 2 | Title = Pressure]] | PSI Garden – "Pressure"
Parody of "[ [Spoonman] ]" by [ [Soundgarden] ] |
OriginalAirDate = January 21, 1995 |
| EpisodeNumber = 43 | EpisodeNumber2 = 3 | Title = Plants | Rhoda Dendron – "Cross Pollination"
Parody of "[ [Human Behaviour] ]" by [ [Björk] ] |
OriginalAirDate = January 28, 1995 |
| EpisodeNumber = 44 | EpisodeNumber2 = 4 | Rocks and [ [Soil]] | Sedimentary Fools – "Rocks Rock Harder"
Parody of "[ [Basket Case (song)|Basket Case] ]" by [ [Green Day] ] |
OriginalAirDate = February 3, 1995 |
| EpisodeNumber = 45 | EpisodeNumber2 = 5 | Title = Energy]] | The ERG's – "N-R-G"
Parody of "[ [Sabotage] ]" by the [ [Beastie Boys] ] |
OriginalAirDate = February 10, 1995 |
| EpisodeNumber = 46 | EpisodeNumber2 = 6 | Title = Evolution]] | Evolver – "Survival"
Style parody of [ [Seether (song)|Seether] ] by [ [Veruca Salt]] |
OriginalAirDate = February 17, 1995 |
| EpisodeNumber = 47 | EpisodeNumber2 = 7 | Water Cycle]] | J.A.C. – "Water Cycle Jump"
Parody of "[ [Jump (Kris Kross song)|Jump] ]" by [ [Kris Kross] ] |
OriginalAirDate = March 24, 1995 |
| EpisodeNumber = 48 | EpisodeNumber2 = 8 | Title = Friction]] | Happens"; artist name is a parody of [ [Grace Slick]] | OriginalAirDate = March 31, 1995 |
| EpisodeNumber = 49 | EpisodeNumber2 = 9 | Germs | Dose of Soap – "Just Wash Your Hands"
Parody of "[ [Don't Turn Around] ]" by [ [Ace of Base] ] |
OriginalAirDate = April 7, 1995 |
| EpisodeNumber = 50 | EpisodeNumber2 = 10 | Title = Climates | Climate Report – "Whether the Weather"
Parody of "[ [Lucas with the Lid Off] ]" by [ [Lucas Secon] ] |
OriginalAirDate = April 14, 1995 |
| EpisodeNumber = 51 | EpisodeNumber2 = 11 | Title = Waves | Big Amplitude – "Baby I Love Your Wave"
Parody of "[ [Baby, I Love Your Way] ]" by [ [Big Mountain (band)|Big Mountain]] (originally by [ [Peter Frampton]]) |
OriginalAirDate = April 21, 1995 |
| EpisodeNumber = 52 | EpisodeNumber2 = 12 | Ocean Life]] | James Baleen – "Power To The [ [Plankton] ]"
Style Parody of [ [James Brown] ] |
OriginalAirDate = April 28, 1995 |
| EpisodeNumber = 53 | EpisodeNumber2 = 13 | Title = Mammals | Fake Fur – "Jennifer's A Mammal"
Parody of "[ [Institutionalized (song)|Institutionalized] ]" by [ [Suicidal Tendencies] ] |
September 8}} |
| EpisodeNumber = 54 | EpisodeNumber2 = 14 | Spinning]] [ [Object (philosophy)|Things]] | House of Spin – "Spin Around"
Parody of "[ [Jump Around] ]" by [ [House of Pain] ] |
September 15}} |
| EpisodeNumber = 55 | EpisodeNumber2 = 15 | Title = Fish]] | Salmon Dave – "I'm a Sole Man"
Parody of "[ [Soul Man (song)|Soul Man] ]" by [ [Sam & Dave] ] |
September 22}} |
| EpisodeNumber = 56 | EpisodeNumber2 = 16 | Human Transportation]] | Carpoolio – "Move Groove"
Parody of "[ [Fantastic Voyage (Coolio song)|Fantastic Voyage] ]" by [ [Coolio] ] |
September 29}} |
| EpisodeNumber = 57 | EpisodeNumber2 = 17 | Title = Wetlands | Maria and the Mudflats – "Where the [ [Land]] is Wet" | OriginalAirDate = October 6, 1995 |
| EpisodeNumber = 58 | EpisodeNumber2 = 18 | Title = Birds | LL Bloo J. – "Talkin' Bout Birds"; artist name is a parody of [ [LL Cool J]] | OriginalAirDate = October 13, 1995 |
| EpisodeNumber = 59 | EpisodeNumber2 = 19 | Title = Populations | Shirell Crow – "All We Need To Do"
Parody of "[ [All I Wanna Do (Sheryl Crow song)|All I Wanna Do] ]" by [ [Sheryl Crow] ] |
OriginalAirDate = October 20, 1995 |
| EpisodeNumber = 60 | EpisodeNumber2 = 20 | Animal Locomotion]] | Bjorn Turun – "Loco Motion"
Parody of "[ [Everything Zen] ]" by [ [Bush (band)|Bush] ] |
OriginalAirDate = 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EpisodeNumber = 61 | EpisodeNumber2 = 1 | Title = Rivers and [ [Streams | Talking Headwaters – "Take Me to the River"
Parody of "[ [Take Me to the River] ]" by [ [Talking Heads] ] |
11| 3, 1995 |
| EpisodeNumber = 62 | EpisodeNumber2 = 2 | Title = Nutrition]] | Knute Trishan – "Good Food"
Style Parody of [ [Nine Inch Nails]]/[[Trent Reznor] ] |
11| 10, 1995 |
| EpisodeNumber = 63 | EpisodeNumber2 = 3 | Marine Mammals | Marina Cesealia – "Breathe Like Me"
Parody of "[ [I Know (Dionne Farris song)|I Know] ]" by [ [Dionne Farris] ] |
11| 17, 1995 |
| EpisodeNumber = 64 | EpisodeNumber2 = 4 | Title = Earthquakes | Mistah Richter – "Earthquake Rumble"
Parody of "[ [Insane in the Brain] ]" by [ [Cypress Hill] ] |
11| 24, 1995 |
| EpisodeNumber = 65 | EpisodeNumber2 = 5 | NTV]] Top 11 [ [Countdown]] | Title = Mudhoney]] – "Bill Nye The Science Guy Theme" | 12|1, 1995 |
| EpisodeNumber = 66 | EpisodeNumber2 = 6 | Title = Spiders | Foo Spighters – "This is A Spiders Life"
Parody of "[ [This Is a Call] ]" by [ [Foo Fighters] ] |
1|5, 1996 |
| EpisodeNumber = 67 | EpisodeNumber2 = 7 | Title = Pollution]] Solutions | No music video | 1|12, 1996 |
| EpisodeNumber = 68 | EpisodeNumber2 = 8 | Title = Probability]] | Steven Odd – "50 Fifty"
Parody of "[ [Loser (Beck song)|Loser] ]" by [ [Beck] ] |
1|19, 1996 |
| EpisodeNumber = 69 | EpisodeNumber2 = 9 | Title = Pseudoscience]] | Dare L. Pseudo – "Pure Proof"
Parody of "[ [100% Pure Love] ]" by [ [Crystal Waters] ] |
1|26, 1996 |
| EpisodeNumber = 70 | EpisodeNumber2 = 10 | Title = Flowers | Daisy Birdsenbees – "So Many [ [Flowers" | 2|2, 1996 |
| EpisodeNumber = 71 | EpisodeNumber2 = 11 | Title = Archaeology]] | Mob Barley – "Diggin'"
Parody of "[ [Jamming (song)|Jamming] ]" by [ [Bob Marley] ] |
2|9, 1996 |
| EpisodeNumber = 72 | EpisodeNumber2 = 12 | Title = Deserts | Deserette – "Always Dry"
Parody of "[ [You Oughta Know] ]" by [ [Alanis Morissette] ] |
2|16, 1996 |
| EpisodeNumber = 73 | EpisodeNumber2 = 13 | Title = Amphibians | P-Swamp All Stars with DJ Hoppy – "The Amphidelic Mothership Metamorphisis"
Style Parody of [ [George Clinton (funk musician)|George Clinton]] the P-Funk All Stars |
2|23, 1996 |
| EpisodeNumber = 74 | EpisodeNumber2 = 14 | Title = Volcano]]es | Volcanique – "Lavaflows"
Parody of "[ [Waterfalls (TLC song)|Waterfalls] ]" by [ [TLC (band)|TLC] ] |
1|31, 1997 |
| EpisodeNumber = 75 | EpisodeNumber2 = 15 | Title = Invertebrates | S. Khar Go – "Crawl Away"
Parody of "[ [Runaway (Janet Jackson song)|Runaway] ]" by [ [Janet Jackson] ] |
2|7, 1997 |
| EpisodeNumber = 76 | EpisodeNumber2 = 16 | Title = Heart]] | Vinny Vein and the Pumpers – "Gimme Back My Heart" | 2|14, 1997 |
| EpisodeNumber = 77 | EpisodeNumber2 = 17 | Title = Inventions | En Vent and the Process – "It's An 'ing Thing" | 2|21, 1997 |
| EpisodeNumber = 78 | EpisodeNumber2 = 18 | Title = Computers | La Binary – "One Zero 001"
Parody of "[ [Be My Lover (La Bouche song)|Be My Lover] ]" by [ [La Bouche] ] |
4|25, 1997 |
| EpisodeNumber = 79 | EpisodeNumber2 = 19 | Title = Fossils | Etchton Stone – "Fossil Man"
Parody of "[ [Rocket Man (song)|Rocket Man] ]" by [ [Elton John] ] |
September 5, 1997 |
| EpisodeNumber = 80 | EpisodeNumber2 = 20 | Title = 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EpisodeNumber = 81 | EpisodeNumber2 = 1 | Forensics | Krime Seen – "We Will Find You"
Parody of "[ [We Will Rock You]]/[[We Are the Champions] ]" by [ [Queen (band)|Queen] ] |
September 19, 1997 |
| EpisodeNumber = 82 | EpisodeNumber2 = 2 | Title = Space exploration]] | The Space Princess of Galactic Grooviness – "Planets All"
Parody of "[ [Set U Free (Planet Soul song)|Set U Free] ]" by [ [Planet Soul] ] |
September 26, 1997 |
| EpisodeNumber = 83 | EpisodeNumber2 = 3 | Title = 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]] |
10|17, 1997 |
| EpisodeNumber = 84 | EpisodeNumber2 = 4 | Title = Architecture]] | The Artist Formerly Known as Archie T. – "Makin' Plans"
Parody of "[ [All Mixed Up (311 song)|All Mixed Up] ]" by [ [311 (band)|311] ]; artist name is a parody of [ [The Artist Formerly Known As Prince]] |
10|24, 1997 |
| EpisodeNumber = 85 | EpisodeNumber2 = 5 | Title = Farming]] | Title = Chris Ballew]] – "Farm Food"
Parody of "[ [Peaches (The Presidents of the United States of America song)|Peaches] ]" by [ [The Presidents of the United States of America (band)|The Presidents of the United States of America]], of which Ballew himself is a member |
10|31, 1997 |
| EpisodeNumber = 86 | EpisodeNumber2 = 6 | Life Cycles | Roberta Fungi – "Everything Has A Life Cycle"
Parody of "[ [Killing Me Softly (Roberta Flack album)|Killing Me Softly] ]" by [ [Roberta Flack] ] |
11| 14, 1997 |
| EpisodeNumber = 87 | EpisodeNumber2 = 7 | Title = 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]] |
11| 21, 1997 |
| EpisodeNumber = 88 | EpisodeNumber2 = 8 | Title = Atoms | Third Nye Blind – "Atoms in My Life"
Parody of "[ [Semi Charmed Life] ]" by [ [Third Eye Blind] ] |
11| 28, 1997 |
| EpisodeNumber = 89 | EpisodeNumber2 = 9 | Ocean Exploration]] | Title = 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]]. |
12|5, 1997 |
| EpisodeNumber = 90 | EpisodeNumber2 = 10 | Title = Lakes and [ [Ponds | The Froggy Boyz – "Fond of Lakes and Ponds"
Parody of "[ [Tha Crossroads] ]" by [ [Bone Thugs-n-Harmony] ] |
2|21, 1998 |
| EpisodeNumber = 91 | EpisodeNumber2 = 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] ] |
2|28, 1998 |
| EpisodeNumber = 92 | EpisodeNumber2 = 12 | Title = Caves | Batilda & Guano – "Cave Thing"
Parody of "[ [Shake Your Groove Thing] ]" by [ [Peaches & Herb] ] |
4|25, 1998 |
| EpisodeNumber = 93 | EpisodeNumber2 = 13 | Title = Fluids | Weflo – "Drip it"
Parody of "[ [Whip It (Devo song)|Whip It] ]" by [ [Devo] ] |
5|2, 1998 |
| EpisodeNumber = 94 | EpisodeNumber2 = 14 | Title = Erosion]] | Earth, Wind & Ice – "Causing the Erosion"
Style Parody of [ [No Doubt] ]; artist name is a parody of [ [Earth, Wind & Fire]] |
5|9, 1998 |
| EpisodeNumber = 95 | EpisodeNumber2 = 15 | Meteors | Halley Comet – "Got Me Looking"
Parody of "[ [Shadowboxer (song)|Shadowboxer] ]" by [ [Fiona Apple] ] |
5|16, 1998 |
| EpisodeNumber = 96 | EpisodeNumber2 = 16 | Title = Storms | Mighty Mighty Thundertones – "Stormin"
Style Parody of [ [The Mighty Mighty Bosstones] ] |
5|23, 1998 |
| EpisodeNumber = 97 | EpisodeNumber2 = 17 | Title = Measurement]] | The Meter Men – "Every Measurement You Make"
Parody of "[ [Every Breath You Take] ]" by [ [The Police] ] |
5|30, 1998 |
| EpisodeNumber = 98 | EpisodeNumber2 = 18 | Title = Patterns | Downward Spiral – "Patterns of Joy"
Parody of "[ [Breathe (The Prodigy song)|Breathe] ]" by [ [The Prodigy] ]; artist name reference to [ [Nine Inch Nails]]. |
6|6, 1998 |
| EpisodeNumber = 99 | EpisodeNumber2 = 19 | Title = Music]] | "There's Science In Music"
Melodic Style Similar To That Of "[ [The Time Warp] ]" by [ [Richard O'Brien] ] |
6|13, 1998 |
| EpisodeNumber = 100 | EpisodeNumber2 = 20 | Motion]] | Slow Moe – "All in Motion"
Parody of "[ [Hot for Teacher] ]" by [ [Van Halen] ] |
6|20, 1998 |
Awards
During its run, Bill Nye the Science Guy was nominated for 23 Emmy Awards, winning nineteen.[3]
- 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, William Sleeth 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.[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
- 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
Notes
- ^ 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
- ^ a b Maddus, Gene (August 25, 2017). "Bill Nye Claims Disney Withheld $28 Million in 'Science Guy' Profits". Variety. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
- ^ . 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.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ a b Bill Nye, the Science Guy, September 10, 1993, retrieved April 12, 2016
- ^ a b Bell, Phillip (2009). Learning Science in Informal Environments: People, Places, and Pursuits. National Academies Press. p. 253.
- ^ Boss, Kit (December 18, 1994). "The Bill Nye Effect". The Seattle Times.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "HISTORICAL BACKGROUND FOR KCTS". Seattle Television History. University of Washington. Archived from the original on April 24, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
- ^ "Bill Nye Is Still the Nuttiest Professor". Seattle Metropolitan. September 3, 2013. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
- ^ a b Chotkowski LaFollette, Marcel (2012). Science on American Television: A History. University of Chicago Press.
- ^ "Bill Nye, The Science Guy | Archive of American Television". Emmytvlegends.org. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
- ^ Heppner, Frank (2007). Teaching the Large College Class: A Guidebook for Instructors with Multitudes. John Wiley & Sons. p. 11. ISBN 9780470180846.
- ^ Kundanis, Rose M. (2003). Children, Teens, Families, and Mass Media: The Millennial Generation. Taylor & Francis. p. 37. ISBN 9780805845631.
- ^ a b c "Who Wrote The Bill Nye Theme Music?". ScienceBob.com. June 6, 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
- ^ "Nye tries sparkling stint on new cable channel". Associated Press. September 24, 1999.
- ^ a b Moss, Linda (September 27, 1999). "Noggin Corrals Nye, The Science Guy". Multichannel News.
- ^ "Bill Nye, The Science Guy". CBS News. January 7, 2000.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Bedford, Karen Everhart (May 9, 1994). "Bill Nye the Science Guy to run on PBS simultaneously with commercial syndication". Current. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
- ^ "Disney Educational Productions". dep.disney.go.com. Disney.go.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
- ^ Adams, Becket (May 5, 2017). "Netflix: We didn't edit that Bill Nye episode". Washington Examiner. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
- ^ "Bill Nye the Science Guy, Vol. 1 on iTunes". iTunes. September 10, 1993. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
- ^ "Bill Nye the Science Guy, Vol. 2 on iTunes". iTunes. September 10, 1993. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
- ^ "Bill Nye the Science Guy and Disney Feud over Streaming Revenue". February 26, 2021.
- ^ "Software can help kids weather summer doldrums". Deseret News. April 21, 1997. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
External links
Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
Texts from Wikisource
Data from Wikidata
- Bill Nye, The Science Lab Official Site
- Bill Nye, the Science Guy at IMDb
- 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).