Seth MacFarlane has made his beliefs on science, creationism, and theism pretty clear for many years vis-a-vis Brian, the anthropomorphic talking dog on the animated hit show Family Guy. Now, MacFarlane is boldly going where no animator has gone before: he's become the executive producer of Cosmos, the 21st century reboot of the classic Carl Sagan PBS series of the same name.

Recently, MacFarlane sat down with The Los Angeles Times to discuss what he hopes the new show -- hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson -- hopes to accomplish.

"I think that there is a hunger for science and knowing about science and understanding of science that hasn't really been fed in the past two decades. We've had a resurgence of creationism and intelligent design quote-unquote theory. There's been a real vacuum when it comes to science education," he said. "The nice thing about this show is that I think that it does what the original Cosmos did and presents it in such a flashy, entertaining way that, as Carl Sagan put it in 1980, even people who have no interest in science will watch just because it's a spectacle."

Like those of us who grew up in the 1980s and saw the late Carl Sagan's captivating special, MacFarlane remembered watching the show and "never feeling bored" by it. Sagan's widow, Ann Druyan, was behind the original series and is also part of this new series, which will debut on Fox.

According to Entertainment Weekly, MacFarlane said that it was important for Sagan's widow to be a part of this reboot.

"It was very important to her that it be something that was kind of timeless and very simple," he said.

MacFarlane also donated money to create The Seth MacFarlane Collection of the Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan Archive at the Library of Congress.

"The work of Carl Sagan has been a profound influence in my life, and the life of every individual who recognizes the importance of humanity's ongoing commitment to the exploration of our universe," MacFarlane explained. "The continuance of our journey outward into space should always occupy some part of our collective attention, regardless of whatever Snooki did last week."

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