Bill Nye the Science Guy

Bill Nye the Science Guy
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"
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 (also known as Disney presents 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. 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.[1] Studies also found that people that viewed Bill Nye regularly were better able to generate explanations and extensions of scientific ideas than non-viewers.[2]

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?"[3] 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.[4] The group pitched the show as Watch Mr. Wizard meets Pee-wee's Playhouse.[5] 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.[6] Because of this, Bill Nye the Science Guy became the first program to run concurrently on both public and commercial stations.[6]

Format

Nye portrays a hyper-kinetic tall and slender scientist wearing a blue lab coat and a bow-tie.[7] 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, called "Nye Laboratories", which is filled with scientific visuals including many "of science" contraptions announced dramatically, relevant to the theme of the episode. Parodies of movies and television shows configure the facts of the episode's theme. 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, where he interviews people to talk about their work and other contributions, that was focusing on the episode's theme. "Better Eating Through Chemistry" was a recurring segment on Bill Nye the Science Guy. In these skits, Nye portrayed Vivian Cupcake, where she demonstrated scientific recipes, and "Richie, Eat Your Crust" was a recurring segment, featuring Nye and the Family Crust performing an act relating to the episode's theme, as Richie eats his crust.

There are several individual segments that are featured in each episode, such as "Way Cool Scientist", which featured an expert discussing the fact relating to the episode's theme, "Consider the Following", where Nye discussed a certain aspect of the episode's theme, "Nifty Home Experiment", where the audience is shown how to do a simple home experiment relating to the episode's theme, "Try This", where the audience is shown how to try a simple demonstration relating to the episode's theme, "Hey! Look at This", where the expert gives a closer look by relating to the episode's theme, "Check it Out", where the audience is shown how to affect their environmental issues by relating to the episode's theme, "Clever Science Trick", where the audience is shown how to do a simple science trick relating to the episode's theme, and "Did you know that...", where an interesting factoid related to the episode's theme was presented. "Luna Van Dyke, Private Eye" was one of the recurring segments on the show. The segments featured private eye Luna Van Dyke focusing on a story related to the episode's theme. Some 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 theme, followed by him saying "See ya!" afterwards. After that, a female announcer says "Produced in association with the National Science Foundation", and "Produced in association with Walt Disney Television" in the PBS version. The credits rolled over bloopers from the episode. Other times, bloopers are shown at the time, they actually happened.

In a study that evaluated the pacing of 87 popular children's programs, Bill Nye the Science Guy was found to be the fastest-paced show on television, with a pacing score of 56.90.[8]

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.[9] 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.[11]

The show has been likened to the next-generation version of Watch Mr. Wizard.[12][13] 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.[14]

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.

Theme song

The Bill Nye the Science Guy theme song was written by math teacher turned songwriter Mike Greene.[15] 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 a woman 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."[15]

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."[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.[2] 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."[16]

Series overview

Season		Episodes	Originally aired
Season		Episodes	First aired	Last aired
	1	20	September 10, 1993 (1993-09-10)	February 11, 1994 (1994-02-11)
	2	20	February 18, 1994 (1994-02-18)	January 7, 1995 (1995-01-07)
	3	20	January 14, 1995 (1995-01-14)	October 27, 1995 (1995-10-27)
	4	20	November 3, 1995 (1995-11-03)	September 12, 1997 (1997-09-12)
	5	20	September 19, 1997 (1997-09-19)	June 20, 1998 (1998-06-20)

Episodes

100 half-hour episodes were produced.

Season 1 (1993–94)

Season 1 of Bill Nye the Science Guy consisted of 20 episodes.

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Original air date
1	1	"Flight"	September 10, 1993 (syndication) October 10, 1994 (PBS)[17]
"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 (syndication) October 11, 1994 (PBS)
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: Magmadonna – "Crust" - Parody of "Vogue" by Madonna
3	3	"Dinosaurs"	September 24, 1993 (syndication) October 12, 1994 (PBS)
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: J.C. – "Mr. Dino" - Parody of "Mr. Wendal" by Arrested Development
4	4	"Skin"	October 1, 1993 (syndication) October 13, 1994 (PBS)
5	5	"Buoyancy"	October 8, 1993 (syndication) October 14, 1994 (PBS)
"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 (syndication) October 17, 1994 (PBS)
"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 (syndication) October 18, 1994 (PBS)
"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 (syndication) October 19, 1994 (PBS)
"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 (syndication) October 20, 1994 (PBS)
"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 (syndication) October 21, 1994 (PBS)
"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 (syndication) October 24, 1994 (PBS)
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: The Lunatics – "Moon Cycle" - Parody of "Bicycle Race" by Queen
12	12	"Sound"	November 26, 1993 (syndication) October 25, 1994 (PBS)
"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 (syndication) October 26, 1994 (PBS)
"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 (syndication) October 27, 1994 (PBS)
"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 (syndication) October 28, 1994 (PBS)
"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 (syndication) October 31, 1994 (PBS)
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: The Bent Wavelengths – "Light and Colour" - Parody of "Sweating Bullets" by Megadeth
17	17	"Cells"	January 21, 1994 (syndication) November 1, 1994 (PBS)
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: Mighty Chondria – "Cellular Haze" - Parody of "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix
18	18	"Electricity"	January 28, 1994 (syndication) November 2, 1994 (PBS)
"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 (syndication) November 3, 1994 (PBS)
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song: Elvi Centuri – "Celestial Hotel" - Parody of "Heartbreak Hotel" by Elvis Presley
20	20	"Eyeball"	February 11, 1994 (syndication) November 4, 1994 (PBS)
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song:The Eye Doctors – "Two Eyes" - Parody of "Two Princes" by The Spin Doctors

Season 2 (1994–95)

Season 2 of Bill Nye the Science Guy consisted of 20 episodes.

Series No.	No.	Title	"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song	Original Airdate
21	1	Magnetism	N.S. Kool J. – "Opposites Attract" Parody of "Jump" by Kriss Kross; artist name is a parody of LL Cool J	February 18, 1994 (syndication) November 7, 1994 (PBS)
22	2	Wind	Wind Dee – "Wind Is In Your Hair" Parody of "Groove Is in the Heart" by Deee-Lite	February 25, 1994 (syndication) November 8, 1994 (PBS)
23	3	Blood and Circulation	AB+ – "Blood Stream" Parody of "Love Shack" by The B-52's	March 4, 1994 (syndication) November 9, 1994 (PBS)
24	4	Chemical Reactions	Chemical Reactions – "Don't Try This at Home" Parody of "State of Attraction" by Paula Abdul	March 11, 1994 (syndication) November 10, 1994 (PBS)
25	5	Static Electricity	The Sticky Socks – "Static Electricity" Parody of "Turning Japanese" by The Vapors	March 18, 1994 (syndication) November 11, 1994 (PBS)
26	6	Food Web	Food Webby Web – "(It's The) Food Web" Parody of "Who Am I (What's My Name)?" by Snoop Dogg	March 25, 1994 (syndication) November 14, 1994 (PBS)
27	7	Light Optics	Queen Lighteefa – "B.E.N.T." Parody of "U.N.I.T.Y." by Queen Latifah	September 10, 1994 (syndication) December 5, 1994 (PBS)
28	8	Bones and Muscles	Steppenbone – "Bones In My Body" Parody of "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf	September 17, 1994 (syndication) December 6, 1994 (PBS)
29	9	Oceanography	Gulfstream Girls – "Deep Ocean Currents" Parody of "California Girls" by The Beach Boys	September 24, 1994 (syndication) December 7, 1994 (PBS)
30	10	Heat	LeHot – "LeHeat" Parody of "Le Freak" by Chic	October 1, 1994 (syndication) December 8, 1994 (PBS)
31	11	Insects	UB Buggy – "Jah Mon, Insects Rule" Style Parody of UB40	October 8, 1994 (syndication) December 9, 1994 (PBS)
32	12	Balance	Torquer – "Balance This" Parody of "Get Off This" by Cracker	October 15, 1994 (syndication) December 12, 1994 (PBS)
33	13	The Sun	Deep Yellow – "My Favorite Star" Parody of "Highway Star" by Deep Purple	October 22, 1994 (syndication) December 13, 1994 (PBS)
34	14	Brain	En Lobe – "Whatta Brain" Parody of "Whatta Man" by En Vogue with Salt-n-Pepa	October 29, 1994 (syndication) December 14, 1994 (PBS)
35	15	Forests	John Cougar Loggincamp – "Second Growth" Style Parody of John Mellencamp	November 5, 1994 (syndication) December 15, 1994 (PBS)
36	16	Communication	Mary Chapin Communicator – "How Can We Communicate?" Parody of "He Thinks He'll Keep Her" by Mary Chapin Carpenter	November 12, 1994 (syndication) December 16, 1994 (PBS)
37	17	Momentum	Momentisey – "The Faster You Push Me" Parody of "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get" by Morrissey	November 19, 1994 (syndication) December 19, 1994 (PBS)
38	18	Reptiles	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	November 26, 1994 (syndication) December 20, 1994 (PBS)
39	19	Atmosphere	Warm -n- Wetta – "Fresh Aire"; artist name is a parody of Salt N Pepa	December 2, 1994 (syndication) December 21, 1994 (PBS)
40	20	Respiration	Ali Veoli – "What A Pair" Style Parody of Tatyana Ali	January 7, 1995

Season 3 (1995)

Season 3 of Bill Nye the Science Guy consisted of 20 episodes.

Series No.	No.	Title	"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song	Original Airdate
41	1	The Planets	No music video	January 14, 1995
42	2	Pressure	PSI Garden – "Pressure" Parody of "Spoonman" by Soundgarden	January 21, 1995
43	3	Plants	Rhoda Dendron – "Cross Pollination" Parody of "Human Behaviour" by Björk	January 28, 1995
44	4	Rocks and Soil	Sedimentary Fools – "Rocks Rock Harder" Parody of "Basket Case" by Green Day	February 3, 1995
45	5	Energy	The ERG's – "N-R-G" Parody of "Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys	February 10, 1995
46	6	Evolution	Evolver – "Survival" Style parody of Seether by Veruca Salt	February 17, 1995
47	7	Water Cycle	J.A.C. – "Water Cycle Jump" Parody of "Jump" by Kris Kross	March 24, 1995
48	8	Friction	Grace Slip – "Friction Happens"; artist name is a parody of Grace Slick	March 31, 1995
49	9	Germs	Dose of Soap – "Just Wash Your Hands" Parody of "Don't Turn Around" by Ace of Base	April 7, 1995
50	10	Climates	Climate Report – "Whether the Weather" Parody of "Lucas with the Lid Off" by Lucas Secon	April 14, 1995
51	11	Waves	Big Amplitude – "Baby I Love Your Wave" Parody of "Baby, I Love Your Way" by Big Mountain (originally by Peter Frampton)	April 21, 1995
52	12	Ocean Life	James Baleen – "Power To The Plankton" Style Parody of James Brown	April 28, 1995
53	13	Mammals	Fake Fur – "Jennifer's A Mammal" Parody of "Institutionalized" by Suicidal Tendencies	September 8, 1995
54	14	Spinning Things	House of Spin – "Spin Around" Parody of "Jump Around" by House of Pain	September 15, 1995
55	15	Fish	Salmon Dave – "I'm a Sole Man" Parody of "Soul Man" by Sam & Dave	September 22, 1995
56	16	Human Transportation	Carpoolio – "Move Groove" Parody of "Fantastic Voyage" by Coolio	September 29, 1995
57	17	Wetlands	Maria and the Mudflats – "Where the Land is Wet"	October 6, 1995
58	18	Birds	LL Bloo J. – "Talkin' Bout Birds"; artist name is a parody of LL Cool J	October 13, 1995
59	19	Populations	Shirell Crow – "All We Need To Do" Parody of "All I Wanna Do" by Sheryl Crow	October 20, 1995
60	20	Animal Locomotion	Bjorn Turun – "Loco Motion" Parody of "Everything Zen" by Bush	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
61	1	Rivers and Streams	Talking Headwaters – "Take Me to the River" Parody of "Take Me to the River" by Talking Heads	November 3, 1995
62	2	Nutrition	Knute Trishan – "Good Food" Style Parody of Nine Inch Nails/Trent Reznor	November 10, 1995
63	3	Marine Mammals	Marina Cesealia – "Breathe Like Me" Parody of "I Know" by Dionne Farris	November 17, 1995
64	4	Earthquakes	Mistah Richter – "Earthquake Rumble" Parody of "Insane in the Brain" by Cypress Hill	November 24, 1995
65	5	NTV Top 11 Countdown	Mudhoney – "Bill Nye The Science Guy Theme"	December 1, 1995
66	6	Spiders	Foo Spighters – "This is A Spiders Life" Parody of "This Is a Call" by Foo Fighters	January 5, 1996
67	7	Pollution Solutions	No music video	January 12, 1996
68	8	Probability	Steven Odd – "50 Fifty" Parody of "Loser" by Beck	January 19, 1996
69	9	Pseudoscience	Dare L. Pseudo – "Pure Proof" Parody of "100% Pure Love" by Crystal Waters	January 26, 1996
70	10	Flowers	Daisy Birdsenbees – "So Many Flowers"	February 2, 1996
71	11	Archaeology	Mob Barley – "Diggin'" Parody of "Jamming" by Bob Marley	February 9, 1996
72	12	Deserts	Deserette – "Always Dry" Parody of "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morissette	February 16, 1996
73	13	Amphibians	P-Swamp All Stars with DJ Hoppy – "The Amphidelic Mothership Metamorphisis" Style Parody of George Clinton the P-Funk All Stars	February 23, 1996
74	14	Volcanoes	Volcanique – "Lavaflows" Parody of "Waterfalls" by TLC	January 31, 1997
75	15	Invertebrates	S. Khar Go – "Crawl Away" Parody of "Runaway" by Janet Jackson	February 7, 1997
76	16	Heart	Vinny Vein and the Pumpers – "Gimme Back My Heart"	February 14, 1997
77	17	Inventions	En Vent and the Process – "It's An 'ing Thing"	February 21, 1997
78	18	Computers	La Binary – "One Zero 001" Parody of "Be My Lover" by La Bouche	April 25, 1997
79	19	Fossils	Etchton Stone – "Fossil Man" Parody of "Rocket Man" by Elton John	September 5, 1997
80	20	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
81	1	Forensics	Krime Seen – "We Will Find You" Parody of "We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions" by Queen	September 19, 1997
82	2	Space Exploration	The Space Princess of Galactic Grooviness – "Planets All" Parody of "Set U Free" by Planet Soul	September 26, 1997
83	3	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	October 17, 1997
84	4	Architecture	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	October 24, 1997
85	5	Farming	Chris Ballew – "Farm Food" Parody of "Peaches" by The Presidents of the United States of America, of which Ballew himself is a member	October 31, 1997
86	6	Life Cycles	Roberta Fungi – "Everything Has A Life Cycle" Parody of "Killing Me Softly" by Roberta Flack	November 14, 1997
87	7	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	November 21, 1997
88	8	Atoms	Third Nye Blind – "Atoms in My Life" Parody of "Semi Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind	November 28, 1997
89	9	Ocean Exploration	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.	December 5, 1997
90	10	Lakes and Ponds	The Froggy Boyz – "Fond of Lakes and Ponds" Parody of "Tha Crossroads" by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony	February 21, 1998
91	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	February 28, 1998
92	12	Caves	Batilda & Guano – "Cave Thing" Parody of "Shake Your Groove Thing" by Peaches & Herb	April 25, 1998
93	13	Fluids	Weflo – "Drip it" Parody of "Whip It" by Devo	May 2, 1998
94	14	Erosion	Earth, Wind & Ice – "Causing the Erosion" Style Parody of No Doubt; artist name is a parody of Earth, Wind & Fire	May 9, 1998
95	15	Comets and Meteors	Halley Comet – "Got Me Looking" Parody of "Shadowboxer" by Fiona Apple	May 16, 1998
96	16	Storms	Mighty Mighty Thundertones – "Stormin" Style Parody of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones	May 23, 1998
97	17	Measurement	The Meter Men – "Every Measurement You Make" Parody of "Every Breath You Take" by The Police	May 30, 1998
98	18	Patterns	Downward Spiral – "Patterns of Joy" Parody of "Breathe" by The Prodigy; artist name reference to Nine Inch Nails.	June 6, 1998
99	19	Music	"There's Science In Music" Melodic Style Similar To That Of "The Time Warp" by Richard O'Brien	June 13, 1998
100	20	Motion (series finale)	Slow Moe – "All in Motion" Parody of "Hot for Teacher" by Van Halen	June 20, 1998

Awards

During its run, Bill Nye the Science Guy was nominated for 23 Emmy Awards, winning nineteen.[1]

Daytime Emmy Awards

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.[18] 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."[19] 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[20] and the other containing 17 episodes.[21]

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.

Syndication

Reruns of Bill Nye the Science Guy aired on Noggin (now Nick Jr.) from 2000 to 2002. From 2016 to 2019, reruns of the program have been aired on MeTV on Sunday mornings.[22]

References

Bill Nye, the Science Guy, September 10, 1993, retrieved April 12, 2016
Bell, Phillip (2009). Learning Science in Informal Environments: People, Places, and Pursuits. National Academies Press. p. 253.
"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.
Chotkowski LaFollette, Marcel (2012). Science on American Television: A History. University of Chicago Press.
Boss, Kit (December 18, 1994). "The Bill Nye Effect". The Seattle Times.
Nolan, Susan; Heinzen, Thomas (2010). Essentials of Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences. Macmillan.
Maddus, Gene (August 25, 2017). "Bill Nye Claims Disney Withheld $28 Million in 'Science Guy' Profits". Variety. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
"Bill Nye, The Science Guy | Archive of American Television". Emmytvlegends.org. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
"Back to the Future (TV Series)". IMDb. September 21, 1991. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
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.
"Michael Gross (III)". IMDb.
"Who Wrote The Bill Nye Theme Music?". ScienceBob.com. June 6, 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
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.
Staff, MeTV (September 1, 2016). "9 things you might not know about Bill Nye the Science Guy". Me-TV Network. MeTV National Limited Partnership. Retrieved January 21, 2017.

External links

Bill Nye, The Science Lab Official Site
Bill Nye, the Science Guy on IMDb
Bill Nye the Science Guy at TV.com
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).

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[auto-1] Bill Nye, the Science Guy, September 10, 1993, retrieved April 12, 2016

[study-2] Bell, Phillip (2009). Learning Science in Informal Environments: People, Places, and Pursuits. National Academies Press. p. 253.

[3] "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.

[4] "HISTORICAL BACKGROUND FOR KCTS". Seattle Television History. University of Washington. Archived from the original on April 24, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2017.

[nuttiest-professor-5] "Bill Nye Is Still the Nuttiest Professor". Seattle Metropolitan. September 3, 2013. Retrieved April 23, 2017.

[Chotkowski-6] Chotkowski LaFollette, Marcel (2012). Science on American Television: A History. University of Chicago Press.

[7] Boss, Kit (December 18, 1994). "The Bill Nye Effect". The Seattle Times.

[8] Nolan, Susan; Heinzen, Thomas (2010). Essentials of Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences. Macmillan.

[9] Maddus, Gene (August 25, 2017). "Bill Nye Claims Disney Withheld $28 Million in 'Science Guy' Profits". Variety. Retrieved January 16, 2018.

[10] "Bill Nye, The Science Guy | Archive of American Television". Emmytvlegends.org. Retrieved February 9, 2014.

[11] "Back to the Future (TV Series)". IMDb. September 21, 1991. Retrieved April 12, 2016.

[12] Heppner, Frank (2007). Teaching the Large College Class: A Guidebook for Instructors with Multitudes. John Wiley & Sons. p. 11. ISBN 9780470180846.

[13] Kundanis, Rose M. (2003). Children, Teens, Families, and Mass Media: The Millennial Generation. Taylor & Francis. p. 37. ISBN 9780805845631.

[14] "Michael Gross (III)". IMDb.

[Mike-Greene-15] "Who Wrote The Bill Nye Theme Music?". ScienceBob.com. June 6, 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2017.

[16] 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.

[17] Bedford, Karen Everhart (May 9, 1994). "Bill Nye the Science Guy to run on PBS simultaneously with commercial syndication". Current. Retrieved October 11, 2019.

[18] "Disney Educational Productions". dep.disney.go.com. Disney.go.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016.

[19] Adams, Becket (May 5, 2017). "Netflix: We didn't edit that Bill Nye episode". Washington Examiner. Retrieved September 18, 2017.

[20] "Bill Nye the Science Guy, Vol. 1 on iTunes". iTunes. September 10, 1993. Retrieved September 24, 2016.

[21] "Bill Nye the Science Guy, Vol. 2 on iTunes". iTunes. September 10, 1993. Retrieved September 24, 2016.

[22] Staff, MeTV (September 1, 2016). "9 things you might not know about Bill Nye the Science Guy". Me-TV Network. MeTV National Limited Partnership. Retrieved January 21, 2017.