‘Strikes me as the very definition of a backhanded gift. I’ve never seen Cosmos, but of course I am aware of the impact it and Carl Sagan have had upon science in the media, and society in general. I attribute similar respect to Neil DeGrasse Tyson, who - along with Prof. Brian Cox - regularly leaves me in bewildering states of wonder.

All of which makes its backing so hard to swallow. It’s nice that MacFarlane is using his media influence in this way, but the man has built that upon such offensive filth that it sickens me to behold. I’m not bashing Family Guy or his other shows for being somehow low-brow or mass-market; TV shows like that definitely have their place, and I was quite happy enough to own Family Guy seasons 1-4 on DVD. What I have deep issues with are the homophobic and deeply transphobic depths that show has plumbed in order to get its cheap laughs. Stack what I’ve heard of the way Quagmire’s father was portrayed alongside the wonders inherent to Cosmos and DeGrasse Tyson’s work, and I wonder if the two ideals could be any further apart. But then, this is Fox…’

In [Autumn] 2013, Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane will team up with Neil deGrasse Tyson in a bid to bring back COSMOS, the iconic television series written by Carl Sagan, his wife Ann Druyan, and astrophysicist Steven Soter. Druyan and Soter will co-produce with MacFarlane, and Tyson will be filling the shoes of Sagan as host of the series, which is scheduled to air on Fox.