StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson

StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson is impossible to stop watching once you start. It is currently available in the US on Amazon Prime Video, so there is no reason to keep putting it off. A 7/10 rating means the audience agrees — and those who disagree tend to be in a clear minority. The production does not waste your time: every episode earns its place in the run, and the pacing is calibrated to keep you watching rather than checking how much time is left. The run length is exactly right for the story being told. Neil deGrasse Tyson is the anchor, but the depth of the supporting cast is what elevates it. Start it tonight and see for yourself why the ratings are where they are.

Originally commissioned by National Geographic, StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson quickly became exactly the kind of show that viewers rearrange their evenings for. Host Neil deGrasse Tyson brings together celebrities, scientists and comedians to explore a variety of cosmic topics and collide pop culture with science in a way that late-night television has never seen before. Weekly topics range from popular science fiction, space travel, extraterrestrial life, the Big Bang, to the future of Earth and the environment. Tyson is an astrophysicist with a gifted ability to connect with everyone, inspiring us all to to "keep looking up." The series ran for 5 seasons (2015–2019), building a story that gave its audience time to invest properly. The format has been replicated endlessly since StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson first aired, which is its own form of tribute. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Best watched with company — the kind of show that generates strong takes from everyone in the room. Fans of The Kelly Clarkson Show will already have a sense of whether this is their kind of television. The production design is sharper than it looks, and the casting decisions are better than the genre usually manages. The contained run is exactly the right length for the story the format is telling. The kind of television that is easy to dismiss until you start watching it and find yourself completely unable to stop.