Big History

This show isn't suitable as the first ever history series to watch. It jumps around between events and concepts that you need to already be familiar with, and tries to weave them into new sequences.

In that sense, it's quite entertaining, if sometimes factually flawed.

What really bothered me was the endless verbal repetition of the term "Big History" in every episode. The scriptwriters are trying to create a brand out of it, but overdoing it to the point that it becomes distracting and irritating. It's very American.

It's worth watching for a bit of stimulation, but yeah... it's trying too hard. The sound and visual effects try to make it "hardcore", which might hold the attention of a 15 year old kid for a little longer, but will wear down the grownups.

Great show. It incorporates scientific analysis with historical records to create an account of how things came to be. It is a bit difficult to research the show itself since Big History is also the name for the scientific initiative on which the show is based. That can get a bit confusing, so if you go to Wikipedia to look up Big History, the first thing that comes up is not the television series itself, but an initiative by a group of researchers to investigate some of the most intriguing questions about history, mankind, the earth, the cosmos, the physical laws by which we are governed, and just about anything else that needs answering. The show itself is very compelling to watch. Cranston does a great job on the narration, and the visual depictions are great, including re-enactments with actors, exuberant scenery and well-designed graphic animations. The story told by the narrator is a concisely described historical account focusing on the key points and paying close attention to the facets likely to be most interesting. Highly recommend giving it a try.

I wish someday TV producers would assume their viewers might just possess an educational level past the grade 5 level.

There is indeed some basic value to the content of Big History. But, shamefully, it seems written for children. Why is the sound background so unimaginative and overbearing ? The loud and "fancy" sound effects only disrupt the viewing experience. Despite any interest I might have in the material, I have to switch to other channels.

You might perhaps learn from PBS documentaries how to properly present a subject.

I don't expect the same quality as PBS from you, but, at the very least please have the decency of respecting your viewers intelligence.

Gilles Violette

Every episode lays out 5-6 ideas about a theme, doesn't investigate further into those concepts but you can google it and it shows that they did their research pretty good. The videos in the background are just for enhancing your memory of the show, of those 5-6 ideas. You can recollect every show very fast when somebody asks you! Unlike Cosmos, where you get lost very fast, cannot recall anything, and have no idea what they wanted to say, this is quite the opposite - very clear concepts, presented in a memorable way. I find all the ideas very contemporary. *And the do like drama - seems like they can connect your morning coffee with the Big Bang :) but i don't mind the theatrical approach, probably gets to wider audience

One has to remember how much The History Channel has changed over the years. From real history to Swamp Diving reality shows. This show thankfully isn't that shallow. It definitely has enough facts to keep the watcher immersed but this obviously will vary from episode to episode.

Certain episodes can push the limits of their statements just to add to the danger factor as a previous post pointed out where a flight pilot was saying something along the lines of how gravity is the enemy of flight. Might have been a simple switch up by the production team but gravity is a constant and doesn't change. If one enemy had to be put on flight, it would be weather which is dynamic and changing.

To summarize, it's above average compared to the crap The History Channel airs nowadays. It will keep you interested and you will learn a few things about human history. Some episodes even leave you wanting for more. Haven't felt that way about a History Channel Production in a very long time.

My Rating: Solid *6.5/10* I would've given it a seven if all the facts were actually checked to make sure they're correct. Hope I helped you decide if you'll invest many of your free hours in this show.