Television series
Cosmos
Before Neil deGrasse Tyson picked up the torch, Carl Sagan lit it: a science documentary that treats the universe as something to fall in love with, not memorise. Cosmic history, evolution, physics and philosophy are folded into hour-long journeys narrated with genuine wonder. It's slow television by design — built for staring, not scrolling — and it rewards patience with something close to awe.
If you liked this
Planet Earth2006
Same appetite for scale and grandeur, turned back on our own planet instead of the stars. The photography alone justifies the biggest screen you own.
But It's pure spectacle with almost no philosophy — gorgeous, but it won't scratch the existential itch Cosmos does.
NOVA1974no page yet
America's longest-running science strand, and the closest thing to Cosmos's direct sibling — rigorous, curious, unafraid of complexity, endlessly rewatchable across decades of episodes.
But Quality varies wildly by era and topic; some episodes feel like homework, others feel like revelation.
The Ascent of Man1973
Jacob Bronowski's precursor to Cosmos, tracing human ingenuity from stone tools to nuclear physics with the same blend of intellect and feeling.
But Dated presentation, no CGI, and a pace that modern viewers may find glacial.
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Contact1997
Written by Sagan himself, it's the fictional twin of Cosmos's central argument: that wonder and rigour aren't opposites.
Carl Sagan wrote the novel this is based on, and its DNA is everywhere — a scientist's search for meaning that treats scepticism and faith as worthy of each other, not enemies.
But It's a slow, talky drama with a divisive ending; if you wanted more Cosmos-style visuals, this leans intimate instead.
More like this (7)
Blue Planet II2017
If Cosmos made you fall for the universe, this makes you fall for the ocean — strange, vast, and full of things stranger than fiction.
But Narrower focus than Cosmos; it's about one biosphere, not the whole of existence.
How the Universe Works2010no page yet
A punchier, more contemporary companion piece — black holes, dying stars, the physics of catastrophe, delivered with real enthusiasm and modern visualisation.
But Talking-heads format with flashier graphics can feel more sensational than Cosmos's measured tone.
Wonders of the Solar System2010no page yet
Brian Cox does for the planets what Sagan did for the cosmos — standing in remote, beautiful places, letting wonder do the explaining.
But Some find Cox's breathless delivery an acquired taste; it leans harder into mood than mechanism.
The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion2010no page yet
Michael Mosley traces the human story behind scientific discovery, with the same instinct that knowledge is drama, not just data.
But More biographical than visual — fewer jaw-dropping images, more historical detective work.
Africa2013no page yet
Attenborough's continent-spanning epic shares Cosmos's patience and reverence, just aimed at savannahs and deserts instead of galaxies.
But Purely a nature documentary — no science history, no philosophical detours, just breathtaking footage.
Powers of Ten1977no page yet
This Eames Office short pioneered the zoom-through-scale technique that Cosmos later made its signature move.
Nine minutes, one continuous zoom from a picnic blanket to the edge of the observable universe and back down into an atom — the visual trick Cosmos borrowed and expanded.
But It's a short film, not a series — over before you've settled in, and utterly without narrative.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy2005no page yet
It takes Cosmos's central insight — insignificance on a cosmic scale — and turns it inside out into absurdist comedy.
Same cosmic humility — we are impossibly small in an impossibly large universe — but played for laughs instead of awe, with towels and Vogon poetry.
But Broad British comedy with patchy pacing; if you want sincerity, this will feel flippant by comparison.
People
Cast
Carl SaganHost
Production
- Ann DruyanExecutive Producer
- Brannon BragaExecutive Producer
- Jason ClarkExecutive Producer
- Seth MacFarlaneExecutive Producer
Recommended by
Star Trek, Foundation, Contact, Doctor Who, Star Trek, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Connections, The Ascent of Man, Civilisation