Genre Talk show Original language(s) English No. of episodes 40 (list of episodes) | Country of origin United States No. of seasons 3 | |
Starring Neil deGrasse Tyson
Bill Nye | ||
StarTalk is an American talk show hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson that airs weekly on National Geographic. StarTalk is a spin-off of the podcast of the same name, in which Tyson discusses scientific topics through one-on-one interviews and panel discussions. Space.com called it the "first-ever science-themed late-night talk show." The series premiered on April 20, 2015.
Contents
On July 29, 2015, it was announced that StarTalk was renewed for a second season, starting October 25, 2015, with Bill Clinton as the first guest.
As of February 4, 2016, audio recordings of all twenty TV episodes have subsequently aired as podcast episodes.
Season 3 is scheduled to air on September 19, 2016 with actress Whoopi Goldberg as the first guest.
Format
The format of the show broadly follows the format of the podcast. This consists of a pre-taped discussion between Tyson and the guest of the week, which is shown in segments interspersed with the segments filmed in front of the live audience. Those segments consist of a discussion between Tyson, a specialist related to the guest's area of expertise, and a comedian (most commonly Chuck Nice or Eugene Mirman). Near the end of the episode, a short taped segment of Bill Nye, giving his view of the episode's topic, is aired.
Season 2 (2015)
Guests for season two began with Bill Clinton and also included Susan Sarandon, David Byrne, Larry Wilmore, Bas Lansdorp, and Penn & Teller.
Broadcast
In Australia, the series premiered on National Geographic Channel on April 27, 2015.
In popular culture
On August 27, 2015, 20th Century Fox released a viral video advertisement for the movie The Martian, taking the form of a special episode of StarTalk, with Tyson discussing the fictional Ares 3 mission from the film.