# Phil Plait's Bad Universe premieres Aug 29th **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 28, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-plaits-bad-universe-premieres-aug-29th/551810 "2010-08-28T17:50:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sohvan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@sohvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sohvan)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-plaits-bad-universe-premieres-aug-29th/551810/1 "2010-08-28T17:50:43Z")
Is anyone else looking forward to this? He’s known as the Bad Astronomer, and is a notable skeptic more commonly known for taking on the moon hoaxers. I wish there was more skeptical programming on television, and if it’s good and does well, it could lead to a full series. It’s a 3-part pilot that premieres on the Discovery Channel sunday 29th at 10pm (ET). You can see a sneak peak and a link to local listings [here](http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/08/24/bad-universe-sneak-peek/). ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-plaits-bad-universe-premieres-aug-29th/551810/2 "2010-08-28T17:53:19Z")
Phil used to be a Doper, actually. I am interested…don’t know if I’ll watch it on a regular basis, but I might check it out. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2010, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-plaits-bad-universe-premieres-aug-29th/551810/3 "2010-08-29T10:51:30Z")
I’ll probably forget, but I’ll watch it if I don’t. I forget to watch a lot of things. (sigh) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-plaits-bad-universe-premieres-aug-29th/551810/4 "2010-08-30T02:03:31Z")
Reminder bump. Just started. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-plaits-bad-universe-premieres-aug-29th/551810/5 "2010-08-30T04:46:58Z")
Had I a TV, I would be watching this. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-plaits-bad-universe-premieres-aug-29th/551810/6 "2010-08-30T04:56:37Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Had I a TV, I would be watching this. You need more than a TV; you need a cable account that’s more than basic, I think – I have basic cable, but not this channel. I can wait til it comes out on YouTube. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-plaits-bad-universe-premieres-aug-29th/551810/7 "2010-08-30T05:22:02Z")
Good good stuff. Hopefully it gets picked up. Phil kept making faces that reminded me of Bert from Sesame Street. Especially when he found out the only six people worked at the place that tracks asteroids. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-plaits-bad-universe-premieres-aug-29th/551810/8 "2010-08-30T05:37:10Z")
Damit, I forgot. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-plaits-bad-universe-premieres-aug-29th/551810/9 "2010-08-30T06:36:53Z")
I think he needs to cut back on the Holy Halimokulas. I don’t want to see that phrase catching on. It was entertaining but I hope the science content is expanded. The first fifteen minutes of the show were spend making a big explosion - which, as Plait pointed out, has really nothing to do with asteroids. At least when they blow things up on _Mythbusters_ they try to have a reason for doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-plaits-bad-universe-premieres-aug-29th/551810/10 "2010-08-30T13:40:01Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I think he needs to cut back on the Holy Halimokulas. What I came in to say. While watching it, my thought was “If that was a drinking game (drink whenever he said that), I’d be wasted by now and the show isn’t half over.” Although to be fair, he mixed in some "holy cow"s and others too. And then the same thought at the beginning “This looks like an episode of Mythbusters”. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-plaits-bad-universe-premieres-aug-29th/551810/11 "2010-08-30T14:11:35Z")
Shoot, I missed it. Will have to check the schedule for future airings. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-plaits-bad-universe-premieres-aug-29th/551810/12 "2010-08-30T16:32:41Z")
> [@](#): > > You need more than a TV; you need a cable account that’s more than basic, I think – I have basic cable, but not this channel. Oddly enough, I _do_ have cable. And what the heck kind of basic cable doesn’t include Discovery? How do you get your Mythbusters fix? ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-plaits-bad-universe-premieres-aug-29th/551810/13 "2010-08-31T10:49:29Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I think he needs to cut back on the Holy Halimokulas. What’s that even supposed to mean? I found it to be more of an irritation than I would have thought… Other than that, it seemed really just to be _Mythbusters_ in a different guise, though I did like the comic-y visual style. I wish there’d be a show that shows how science can be cool without needing to blow stuff up, though; it’s become a bit old by now. Also, it seemed a tad sensationalistic – would it have hurt the mass appeal that much to mention that the probability of an encounter with Apophis is estimated at about 1 in 250,000? That said, I’m looking forward to other, more interesting scenarios (that lend themselves less well to creating huge showy explosions with little actual content) being discussed in the show – I’d like to see an episode on gamma ray bursts, for instance. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-plaits-bad-universe-premieres-aug-29th/551810/14 "2010-08-31T11:23:55Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > > > I think he needs to cut back on the Holy Halimokulas. > > What’s that even supposed to mean? _Holy Haleakala._ [Haleakala](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haleakal%C4%81#Astrophysical_research) is a mountain in Hawaii where astronomers congregate to look at the stars. I found the editing to be too frenetic. They rushed through things that they could’ve dwelled on a little longer. They seemed too eager to blow stuff up instead. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-plaits-bad-universe-premieres-aug-29th/551810/15 "2010-08-31T12:41:21Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > > [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > > > What’s that even supposed to mean? > > _Holy Haleakala._ [Haleakala](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haleakal%C4%81#Astrophysical_research) is a mountain in Hawaii where astronomers congregate to look at the stars. Ah, thanks for that. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-plaits-bad-universe-premieres-aug-29th/551810/16 "2010-08-31T12:44:26Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > You need more than a TV; you need a cable account that’s more than basic, I think – I have basic cable, but not this channel. > > Oddly enough, I _do_ have cable. And what the heck kind of basic cable doesn’t include Discovery? How do you get your Mythbusters fix? Basic cable that I know about is the major (over-the-air) networks (NBC/CBS/ABC/Fox), PEG (Public/Education/Govt), 50 music channels, and a smattering of miscellaneous channels. And 500 shopping channels. Discovery, Disney, HBO, CNN, Showtime, etc. are extra cost. I get my Mythbusters fix from DVDs or YouTube. Actually I’m not much of a fan of Mythbusters, anyway – too much sensationalism, too little realism. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-plaits-bad-universe-premieres-aug-29th/551810/17 "2010-08-31T14:36:29Z")
I finally got to watch it, and found it was entertaining in a Mythbusters vein. Not nearly in-depth enough for the folks that hang out here, I suspect, but few shows are. Still, I think it was good, and my childhood, _Cosmos_-loving self would’ve loved it. If I remember in the future, I’ll watch it again. I thought Phil did well in front of the camera: clear, likable and entertaining. He kept things moving along, not as frenzied as Adam Savage, but not as laid-back as Jamie. The fast-paced editing I’ll put down to a concession to the average person’s attention span. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-plaits-bad-universe-premieres-aug-29th/551810/18 "2010-08-31T14:58:17Z")
It was one of those shows I classify as “ten minutes of content crammed into an hour slot.” I couldn’t even finish it. Phil, there are already fifty shows on television that set up explosions. Why ruin perfectly good science with a mound of dirt? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-plaits-bad-universe-premieres-aug-29th/551810/19 "2010-08-31T14:59:55Z")
I liked it. Seemed like there was more real science content than a typical **Mythbusters** episode, which is good. But priority one should be a new catchphrase; like everyone else, I found the "Holy Haleakala"s distracting after the second time and annoying after the third. Suggestions for new phrases to swap in occasionally: [ul] [li]Holy smokes![/li][li]Great Caesar’s ghost![/li][li]Sweet Mother McCree![/li][li]Holy Moses on the mountain![/li][li]Dahomey Namibia![/li][li]And of course, Sweet Zombie Jesus![/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-plaits-bad-universe-premieres-aug-29th/551810/20 "2010-08-31T15:29:33Z")
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