Bill Nye the Science Guy
Bill Nye the Science Guy
Bill Nye the Science Guy
Contents
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. He made an appearance on the Disney Channel's New Mickey Mouse Club in its forty-eighth episode Anything Can Happen Day. Before this show, Bill Nye had previously worked alongside Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future: The Animated Series, where Nye played Doc Brown's assistant and demonstrated several experiments.
Bill Nye the Science Guy has been likened to a modern Mr. Wizard. Bill's TV persona is a tall and slender scientist wearing a lab coat and a bow-tie. He mixes the serious science of everyday things with fast-paced action and humor. Each show begins with Bill walking onto the set, called "Nye Labs", which is filled with scientific visuals (including many "of science" contraptions announced dramatically, such as "The slingshots of Science!") relevant to the topic of the show. Most episodes contain a mock song parody and music video in the "Soundtrack of Science" by "Not That Bad Records", substituting a scientific roundup of the episode for the lyrics to a popular song. Each show ends with Bill explaining his departure in a clever description of an activity on topic. The credits sometimes rolled next to a series of outtakes from the episode. Other times, outtakes are shown at the time they actually happened.
Another popular member of the cast is the announcer Pat Cashman, whom Nye knew from his time on Almost Live!. Some announcers who subbed in for Cashman include Ernie Anderson, Gary Owens, and Brian Cummings. In 1996, Bill made a guest appearance on Cartoon Network's talk-show Space Ghost Coast to Coast in its twenty-fourth episode, Boo! with Michael Norman. A year later, he made a guest appearance on the long-running PBS series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
List of episodes
Episodes
Season
Episode number
Episode name
"Soundtrack of Science" Parody song
1
1
Flight
Nyevana - "Smells Like Air Pressure"
Parody of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana
2
Earth's Crust
Magmadonna - "Crust"
Parody of "Vogue" by Madonna
3
Dinosaurs
J.C. - "Mr. Dino"
Parody of "Mr. Wendal" by Arrested Development
4
Skin
No music video
5
Buoyancy
Sure Floats-alot - "Bill's Got Boat"
Parody of "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-Lot
6
Gravity
Attraction Action - "G-R-A-V-I-T-Y"
Parody of "Twilight Zone" by 2 Unlimited
7
Digestion
Dy Gestion - "Can't Eat This"
Parody of "Can't Truss It" by Public Enemy
8
Phases of Matter
Phaze Change - "Solid Liquid Gas"
Parody of "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" by Digable Planets
9
Biodiversity
Bio Di Versity - "We're all Connected"
Parody of "Connected" by Stereo MC's
10
Simple Machines
The Pulley Ramp Five - "ABC's of Machinery"
Parody of "ABC" by The Jackson 5
11
The Moon
The Lunatics - "Moon Cycle"
Parody of "Bicycle Race" by Queen
12
Sound
Gloria Wavelength and the Vibrations - "Sound is a VIBE"
Parody of "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor
13
Garbage
Trash E. Trash - "R.E.C.Y.C.L.E."
Parody of "Respect" by Aretha Franklin
14
Structure
Stress N' Tension - "Let's Talk About Stress"
Parody of "Let's Talk About Sex" by Salt-n-Pepa
15
Earth's Seasons
A Tilted Development - "Rhyme and Season"
16
Light & Color
The Bent Wavelengths - "Light and Colour"
Parody of "Trust and Dread and the Fugitive Mind" by Megadeth
17
Cells
Mighty Chondria - "Cellular Haze"
Parody of "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix
18
Electrical Current
Billy Ray Cyrcuits - "AC/DC Charge"
Parody of "Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus
19
Outer Space
Elve Centuri - "Celestial Hotel"
Parody of "Heartbreak Hotel" by Elvis Presley
20
Eyeball
The Eye Doctors - "Two Eyes"
Parody of "Two Princes" by The Spin Doctors
2
21
Magnetism
N.S. Cool J. - "Opposites Attract"
Parody of "Insane in the Brain" by Cypress Hill
22
Wind
Wind Dee - "Wind Is In Your Hair"
Parody of "Groove Is In The Heart" by Deee-Lite
23
Blood and Circulation
AB+ - "Blood Stream"
Parody of "Love Shack" by The B-52's
24
Chemical Reactions
Chemical Reactions - "Don't Try This at Home"
Parody of "State of Attraction" by Paula Abdul
25
Static Electricity
The Sticky Socks - "Static Electricity"
Parody of "Turning Japanese" by The Vapors
26
Food Web
Food Webby Web - "(It's The) Food Web"
Parody of "Who Am I (What's My Name)?" by Snoop Dogg
27
Light Optics
Queen Lighteefa - "B.E.N.T."
Parody of "U.N.I.T.Y." by Queen Latifah
28
Bones and Muscles
Steppenbone - "Bones in my Body"
Parody of "Born to be Wild" by Steppenwolf
29
Oceanography
Gulfstream Girls - "Deep Ocean Currents"
Parody of "California Girls" by The Beach Boys
30
Heat
LeHot - "LeHeat"
Parody of "Le Freak" by Chic
31
Insects
UB Buggy - "Jah Mon, Insects Rule"
Style Parody of UB40
32
Balance
Torquer - "Balance This"
Parody of "Get Off This" by Cracker
33
The Sun
Deep Yellow - "My Favorite Star"
Parody of "Highway Star" by Deep Purple
34
Brain
En Lobe - "Whatta Brain"
Parody of "Whatta Man" by En Vogue with Salt-n-Pepa
35
Forests
John Cougar Loggincamp - "Second Growth"
Style Parody of John Mellencamp
36
Communication
Mary Chapin Communicator - "How Can We Communicate"
Parody of "He Thinks He'll Keep Her" by Mary Chapin Carpenter
37
Momentum
Momentisey - "The Faster You Push Me"
Parody of "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get" by Morrissey
38
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
39
Atmosphere
Warm -n- Wetta - "Fresh Aire"
40
Respiration
Ali Veoli - "What A Pair"
Style Parody of Tatyana Ali
3
41
The Planets
No music video
42
Pressure
PSI Garden - "Pressure"
Parody of "Spoonman" by Soundgarden
43
Plants
Rhoda Dendron - "Cross Pollination"
Parody of "Human Behaviour" by Bjrk
44
Rocks and Soil
Sedimentary Fools - "Rocks Rock Harder"
45
Energy
The ERG's - "N-R-G"
Style Parody of the Beastie Boys
46
Evolution
Evolver - "Survival"
Style Parody of Veruca Salt
47
Water Cycle
J.A.C. - "Water Cycle Jump"
Parody of "Jump" by Kris Kross
48
Friction
Grace Slip - "Friction Happens"
49
Germs
Dose of Soap - "Just Wash Your Hands"
Parody of "Don't Turn Around" by Ace of Base
50
Climates
Climate Report - "Whether the Weather"
Parody of "Lucas With The Lid Off" by Lucas Secon
51
Waves
Big Amplitude - "Baby I Love Your Wave"
Parody of "Baby, I Love Your Way" by Big Mountain (originally by Peter Frampton)
52
Ocean Life
James Baleen - "Power To The Plankton"
Style Parody of James Brown
53
Mammals
Fake Fur - "Jennifer's A Mammal"
Parody of "Institutionalized" by Suicidal Tendencies
54
Spinning Things
House of Spin - "Spin Around"
Parody of "Jump Around" by House of Pain
55
Fish
Salmon Dave - "I'm a Sole Man"
Parody of "Soul Man" by Sam & Dave
56
Human Transportation
Carpoolio - "Move Groove"
Parody of "Fantastic Voyage" by Coolio
57
Wetlands
Maria and the Mudflaps - "Where The Land is Wet"
58
Birds
LL Bloo J. - "Talkin' Bout Birds"
59
Populations
Shirell Crow - "All We Need To Do"
Parody of "All I Wanna Do" by Sheryl Crow
60
Animal Locomotion
Bjorn Turun - "Loco Motion"
Parody of "Everything Zen" by Bush
4
61
Rivers and Streams
Talking Headwaters - "Take Me To The River"
Parody of "Take Me To The River" by Talking Heads
62
Nutrition
Knute Trishan - "Good Food"
63
Marine Mammals
Marina Cesealia - "Breathe Like Me"
Parody of "I Know" by Dionne Farris
64
Earthquakes
Mistah Richter - "Earthquake Rumble"
65
NTV Top 11 Video Countdown
Mudhoney - "Bill Nye The Science Guy Theme"
66
Spiders
Foo Spighters - "This is A Spiders Life"
Parody of "This Is a Call" by Foo Fighters
67
Pollution Solutions
No music video
68
Probability
Steven Odd - "50 Fifty"
Parody of "Loser" by Beck
69
Pseudoscience
Dare L. Pseudo - "Pure Proof"
Parody of "100% Pure Love" by Crystal Waters
70
Flowers
Daisy Birdsenbees - "So Many Flowers"
71
Archaeology
Mob Barley - "Diggin'"
Parody of "Jamming" by Bob Marley
72
Deserts
Deserette - "Always Dry"
Parody of "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morissette
73
Amphibians
P-Swamp All Stars with DJ Hoppy - "The Amphidelic Mothership Metamorphisis"
Style Parody of George Clinton the P-Funk All Stars
74
Volcanoes
Volcanque - "Lavaflows"
Parody of "Waterfalls" by TLC
75
Invertebrates
S. Khar Go - "Crawl Away"
Parody of "Runaway" by Janet Jackson
76
Heart
Vinny Vein and the Pumpers - "Gimme Back My Heart"
77
Inventions
En Vent and the Process - "It's An 'ing Thing"
78
Computers
La Binary - "One Zero 001"
Parody of "Be My Lover" by La Bouche
79
Fossils
Etchton Stone - "Fossil Man"
Parody of "Rocket Man" by Elton John
80
Time
The Tim E. Zone Experience - "Time Time Time Time Time..."
Parody of "Time Has Come Today" by The Chambers Brothers
5
81
Forensics
Krime Seen - "We Will Find You"
Parody of "We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions" by Queen
82
Space Exploration
The Space Princess of Galactic Grooviness - "Planets All"
Parody of "Set You Free" by Planet Soul
83
Genes
Alice in Genes - "It's Called Genetics"
Parody of "Killing in the Name" by Rage Against the Machine'
84
Architecture
The Artist Formerly Known as Archie T. - "Makin' Plans"
Parody of "All Mixed Up" by 311
85
Farming
Chris Ballew - "Farm Food"
Parody of "Peaches" by The Presidents of the United States of America, of which Ballew himself is a member
86
Life Cycle
Roberta Fungi - "Everything Has A Life Cycle"
Parody of "Killing Me Softly" by Roberta Flack
87
Do-It-Yourself Science
Nye & The Family Crust - "Do It Yourself Science"
Parody of "Hell" by Squirrel Nut Zippers
88
Atoms and Molecules
Third Nye Blind - "Atoms in My Life"
Parody of "Semi Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind
89
Ocean Exploration
The Posies "Voyage of the Aquanauts"
90
Lakes and Ponds
The Foggy Boyz - "Found of Lakes and Ponds"
Parody of "Tha Crossroads" by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
91
Smell
Turbinator Two - "Come On Use Your Brain (Smell This)"
Parody of "C'mon N' Ride It (The Train)" by Quad City DJ's
92
Caves
Batilda & Guano - "Cave Thing"
Parody of "Shake Your Groove Thing" by Peaches & Herb
93
Fluids
Weflo - "Drip it"
Parody of "Whip It" by Devo
94
Erosion
Earth, Wind & Ice - "Causing the Erosion"
Style Parody of No Doubt
95
Comets and Meteors
Halley Comet - "Got Me Looking"
Parody of "Shadowboxer" by Fiona Apple
96
Storms
Mighty Might Thundertones - "Stormin'"
Style Parody of Reel Big Fish
97
Measurement
The Meter Men - "Every Measurement You Make"
Parody of "Every Breath You Take" by The Police
98
Patterns
Downward Spiral - "Patterns of Joy"
Style Parody of The Prodigy
99
Music
"There's Science In Music"
Parody of "The Time Warp" by Richard O'Brien
100
Motion
Slow Moe - "All in Motion"
Style Parody of Van Halen
Theme song
Aside from Bill himself, one of the most memorable things about Bill Nye the Science Guy is its theme song. The bass-heavy theme is set to a Hip hop beat with Bill's name shouted throughout the duration of the song. The sound and speed fluctuations of the voice were accomplished through a vocoder and electronic pitch fluctuator. The theme song is credited to Mike Greene.
Production music
The show's episodes consisted of several compositions from Associated Production Music, some featured tracks include:
"Act of Heroism (c)
"Blood in the Gutter" by Laurie Johnson
"Drama Impact #3"
"The Gunfighter" by Ennio Morricone
"Hit and Run" by Ralph Dollimore
"Killer Birds" by Gregor Narholz
"Saw Theme"
Many of these tracks were also featured in many Nickelodeon cartoons in the 1990s. Another common track used was the theme from the English show Dave Allen At Large, here used as the theme from "The Jackie Smazz Show."
Funding
National Science Foundation (1993-1997)
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (1993-1997)
The Boeing Company (1993-1997)
Ore-Ida (1996-1997)
Intel (1995-1997)
Corporation for Public Broadcasting (1993-1997)
Viewers Like You (1993-1997)
Video Game
A computer game for the series, titled Bill Nye the Science Guy: Stop the Rock!, was released in 1996 for PC and Macintosh by Pacific Interactive. In the game, a large meteoroid called "Impending Dum" threatens to make a catastrophic collision with the Earth. A team of scientists develop a laser satellite-controlling computer system called MAXX to destroy the meteoroid; however, MAXX develops a personality of its own (in an obvious parody of the sentient computer HAL from the film and novel 2001: A Space Odyssey) and refuses to save the planet unless Earth's scientists can solve seven science riddles. Nye Labs decides to take on MAXX's challenge, and the player, depicted as the newest member of the Nye Labs team, is asked to solve these riddles before Impending Dum hits (represented through an in-game timer). The game featured a fully explorable Nye Labs, as well as video cut scenes featuring Bill Nye and other Nye Labs scientists. However, the characters and cast members from the TV series, sans Bill Nye and a few others, do not appear in this game, instead being replaced by game-exclusive Nye Labs team members and new actors.
References
^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0343449/
See also
Bill Nye
The Eyes of Nye
Almost Live!
Universe of Energy - an attraction at Walt Disney World's EPCOT Center starring Bill Nye.
Stuff Happens (TV show)
External links
Bill Nye, the Science Guy at the Internet Movie Database
Bill Nye the Science Guy at TV.com
Bill Nye, The Science Lab Official Site (billnye.com points to the same site)
vde
PBS Kids shows
Current shows
Angelina Ballerina Barney & Friends Betsy's Kindergarten Adventures Between the Lions Bob the Builder Caillou Curious George Dinosaur Train Franny's Feet It's a Big Big World Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies Martha Speaks Sesame Street Super Why! Sid the Science Kid Thomas and Friends WordWorld
PBS Kids GO!
Arthur Cyberchase DragonflyTV Design Squad The Electric Company (2009) FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman Maya & Miguel Postcards from Buster WordGirl
Past shows
3-2-1 Contact Adventures from the Book of Virtues The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon The Berenstain Bears (2003) * Bill Nye the Science Guy The Big Comfy Couch Boohbah Captain Kangaroo Charlie Horse Music Pizza Clifford the Big Red Dog * Clifford's Puppy Days * Dragon Tales * The Electric Company (19711977) Gerbert George Shrinks Ghostwriter (19921995) The Huggabug Club In the Mix Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks Jay Jay: The Jet Plane * Katie and Orbie Kidsongs Kratts' Creatures Lamb Chop's Play-Along Liberty's Kids Long Ago & Far Away The Magic School Bus? Mark Kistler's Imagination Station Mister Rogers' Neighborhood * Newton's Apple Noddy Pappyland PBS Kids Bookworm Bunch Peep and the Big Wide World? Powerhouse The Puzzle Place Reading Rainbow* Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat * Shining Time Station Square One Television Seven Little Monsters Teletubbies Theodore Tugboat Tots TV Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego? Wimzie's House Wishbone * Zoboomafoo * Zoobilee Zoo ZOOM *
Note
This list does not include shows from networks airing PBS Kids shows that are not funded directly by PBS, such as shows created by and funded by local PBS affiliates.
See also
PBS network shows Educational television
* = No new episodes are being produced; reruns still airing on many major PBS stations or on PBS Kids Sprout.
= Not distributed via PBS, but by American Public Television.
= Airing (as of 2010[update]) on Qubo Channel.
? = Airing (as of 2010[update]) on Discovery Kids.
= Airing (as of 2010[update]) on This TV.
= Airing (as of 2010[update]) on Smile of a Child TV.
Categories: PBS network shows | 1990s American television series | Science education television series | American comedy television series | CBS network shows | Disney Channel shows | Television series by Buena Vista Television | 1993 television series debuts | 1997 television series endings | Television spin-offsHidden categories: Articles needing additional references from February 2010 | All articles needing additional references | Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2010 | All articles containing potentially dated statements
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