Through the Wormhole

All series on the topic of astronomy and cosmology must and will be measured to that watershed event of the early eighties, "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan, which left me with clarity of what we knew, and the relevant questions yet to be answered at the time.

A magisterial Morgan Freeman guides each episode by asking fascinating and timely questions, then allowing experts to answer them.

The result feels too all-over-the-map, sometimes patronizingly simple, then suddenly, as if taken for granted, skipping over crucial logical stepping stones in the explanation process. "Through The Wormhole" suffers from too many people with different verbal styles (and varying verbal skills) to follow a coherent thread of an idea from beginning to end, the way Mr Sagan did so masterfully back in the day.

Then there's a certain something Discovery Channel Influence, with episodes titled along the lines of "Is There A God?", which Mr Sagan would have found sensationalistic. And I agree with Mr Sagan.

Bottom line: As a passionate follower of astronomy since the early eighties, I watch "Through The Wormhole", but in 2012 I prefer my astrophysics/cosmology shows hosted by Neil DeGrasse Tyson, or Brian Cox.

I have seen both the first and second seasons of this excellent series. It explores topics ranging from eternal life to multiple dimensions, with host Morgan Freeman clearly both interested and knowledgeable in the topic he is discussing. The scientists who appear throughout the show are a mix of the current leaders and some of the up-and-comers in quantum theory and astrophysics.

The common thread running through virtually every episode is the Theory of Quantum Mechanics, and this series will be all the more interesting to you if you have some idea of how modern science works. A Scientific Theory is not a "guess," an "assumption," or a "belief." Theories are based on hard evidence, and are put to the test every day by a world full of scientists who would love to prove one of the big ones wrong. Keep in mind that Gravity is still only a Theory because we can only observe its effects on other things; you still can't see it or directly measure it, even with our high technology.

Quantum mechanics is the dominant theory in modern science because it has been validated by every test thrown at it so far. What this series covers are those many tests and trials, as well as the ideas on the horizon, with each hour long episode dedicated to a particular deep philosophical question. Scientists with competing ideas are allowed to explain their work, and cover many of the new frontiers such as String Theory, Nanotechnology, Multidimensionality, the Multiverse, and even what Consciousness truly is.

Typically science documentaries made in America are not as good as those from the BBC, Europe, or Japan because American shows have to cater to a majority that sadly still fails to accept even evolution. Despite my reservations, Through The Wormhole is bar none the best science documentary series I have seen, as well as the most current in terms of the cutting-edge scientific community.

The production value is very high, with many stunning visual representations of the concepts being discussed. The video is HD and scenes are framed and shot more like a film than a standard television documentary. It even has its own original music rather than stock. They clearly went all out in making this the best it could be.

If you have an open and curious mind I can't think of a better series to recommend. This is a show for people who aren't afraid to ask the big questions, and who are willing to be left with even bigger ones after watching the series. Through the Wormhole will certainly broaden your horizons.

WOW! I have watched every single episode. FINALLY a high quality scientific show that actually asks high quality questions and goes onto answer them! AMAZING! It has high quality footage, music, and they bring the top experts in whatever field they are discussing. They are not shy to discuss concepts that go beyond the norm and always push the envelope.

Highly recommended if you are bored with the current JUNK that is available. It will broaden your thinking and deepen your perspective on our everyday reality.

Some areas where they can improve is perhaps try not to be TOO neutral! A lot of times they briefly discuss a fantastic idea and not give it enough time to explain further. Thus leaving us with a sense of wanting more information, which i guess is a good thing because then we can go and find out more information on it.

The fact should be mentioned that other reviews have rated this show less than satisfactory due to highly abstract ideas and very inductive thought processes. While this may be a negativity for other science-based shows, it certainly isn't for 'Through the Wormhole'. As the title suggests, the viewer is traveling through a wormhole - which humankind knows little to nothing of. The producers and scientists behind this don't pretend to know everything. While you don't learn many facts with this show, you do learn theories, laws of physics, and how to expand your thinking. Humans as a species tend to be quite narrow minded, and this can be proved through ongoing problems such as segregation, homophobia and radicalism in religion. While this show doesn't touch much on any of these issues, minds are being re-molded to solve problems nonetheless. There's something about learning of things greater than human lives that, if it can fill even one with a spark, will ignite the future generation of minds.

I love this series. I love Morgan Freeman - he is one of the best narrators in the business. The series has something for everyone. It is provocative,informative, and mesmerizing.

It includes new scientific information, some hard facts, some budding theories, and ideas from a variety of perspectives about every subject it approaches. I know there are some very valid criticisms from subscribers who would like to see only strict proved scientific content, but I find the format intriguing. I especially like that it recognizes that there are other perspectives - from spiritual to science fiction - without assigning any degree of validation, asking "what if?"

I leave each episode with things to ponder about "the deepest mysteries of existence" as the series promises.