Bill Nye the Science Guy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bill Nye the Science Guy |
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|---|---|
| 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 – June 20, 1998 |
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. Studies also found that people that viewed Bill Nye regularly were better able to generate explanations and extensions of scientific ideas than non-viewers.
Format
Nye plays a hyperkinetic tall and slender scientist wearing a blue lab coat and a bow-tie. 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, as Nye is seen floating through a montage of science images. 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, focusing on the episode's topic.
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 Detective" was one of the recurring segments on the show. The segments feature private detective Luna Van Dyke focusing on a story 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 sometimes rolled next to a series of outtakes from the episode. Other times, outtakes are shown at the time they actually happened.
Images for kids
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Nye in one of Noggin's original shorts
See also
In Spanish: Bill Nye the Science Guy para niños
