505px-Neil_deGrasse_Tyson_at_Howard_University_September_28,_2010
"Cosmos" host Neil deGrasse Tyson via Wikimedia Commons Brucefpressphotography

Fox Broadcasting Company and National Geographic Channel announced today that the much-anticipated series "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey" will premiere with a two-night special March 9 and 10. The “companion” series to Carl Sagan’s wildly popular 1980s “Cosmos: A Personal Voyage” will be hosted by celebrity astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson.

The first episode of the 13-episode series will premiere on Fox at 9 p.m. ET and will air with extra footage and features via the National Geographic channel on March 10 at 10 p.m.

The original "Cosmos" series was conceived and written by husband-and-wife team Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan with astrophysicist Steven Soter. Druyan and Soter are on the new series as executive producer and writer, respectively. Seth MacFarlane of "Family Guy" fame is also an executive producer. Tyson told Parade that MacFarlane was key in bringing the new series to Fox and broadening the potential audience as a result.

Fox says, “Cosmos will invent new modes of scientific storytelling to reveal the grandeur of the universe and reinvent celebrated elements of the legendary original series… the most profound scientific concepts will be presented with stunning clarity, uniting skepticism and wonder, and weaving rigorous science with the emotional and spiritual into a transcendent experience.”

The original series debuted in 1980 to rave reviews. It was the most widely watched series in the history of American public television until 1990. It won an Emmy and a Peabody award and has been seen by more than 750 million people worldwide, according to Fox.

Tyson has made a name for himself as an ambassador of science, most notably by his appearances on talk shows, intelligent humor and via Twitter. Tyson has said he has a “duty” to carry on Sagan’s educational legacy, which he experienced firsthand as a high school student. Sagan, then a Cornell physics professor, invited him to see the school’s laboratory.

Check out Fox’s trailer for the new series below:

Space Neil degrasse tyson