January 6, 2016 7:03 pm

We’re Back! Announcing Season 3 of StarTalk TV on National Geographic Channel

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL ANNOUNCES SEASON THREE  OF EMMY^®-NOMINATED SERIES STARTALK, HOSTED BY NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON

SCIENCE-BASED TALK SHOW RETURNS FALL 2016, COUPLED WITH RELEASE OF FIRST-EVER STARTALK BOOK

StarTalk New Season Guests Include U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, Two-Time Olympic Gold Medalist Hope Solo, Actress and Neuroscientist Mayim Bialik and “The Walking Dead” Creator Robert Kirkman

(Pasadena, Calif. – Jan. 6, 2016) National Geographic Channel’s Emmy^®-nominated series StarTalk (#StarTalkTV), hosted by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson), returns in fall 2016 for a third season. The new season will coincide with the release of the first-ever StarTalk book, published by National Geographic Books. The book will take the greatest hits from the airwaves to the page to deliver an illustrated companion to the popular podcast and television series, featuring vivid photography, thought-provoking sidebars, enlightening facts and fun quotes from science and entertainment luminaries. For more information, visit our press room at foxflash.com and follow @NGC_PR on Twitter.

StarTalk, the hourlong, weekly science-driven talk show series, is derived from Tyson’s popular podcast of the same name, the first and only space-based popular commercial radio show. Each television episode features an intimate interview with Tyson and a guest hewn from pop culture, politics or news, discussing how science and technology have affected their lives and careers. Season three guests will include U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, two-time Olympic gold medalist Hope Solo, actress and neuroscientist Mayim Bialik and The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, to name a few. Past guests have included President Bill Clinton, President Jimmy Carter, Norman Lear, Christopher Nolan, George Takei, Susan Sarandon, Seth MacFarlane, David Byrne, Larry Wilmore, Arianna Huffington, David Crosby, Richard Dawkins, Biz Stone and more.

“Neil deGrasse Tyson is not only an incredibly accomplished astrophysicist, but also a very gifted communicator who blends pop culture and humor to make science accessible and fun, making him — and StarTalk — a great fit for National Geographic Channel,” said National Geographic Channel Global CEO Courteney Monroe.

“Science surrounds us daily, infusing civilization in countless ways, and StarTalk’s mission is to reveal that intersection,” Tyson said. “Our guests are selected from all corners of pop culture, allowing us to explore how their lives and livelihoods have been touched by the moving frontier of science.”

The show also features a panel of comedians and experts who analyze the conversation in front of a studio audience at the American Museum of Natural History’s Rose Center for Earth and Space in New York City — where Tyson serves as the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium. Regular comedian co-hosts include Eugene Mirman, Chuck Nice, Maeve Higgins and Leighann Lord. Each episode, Tyson calls on his friend Bill Nye the Science Guy to weigh in on the week’s theme, while other influencers across pop culture and science join via live video.

StarTalk is produced by Curved Light Productions and National Geographic Studios for National Geographic Channels. For Curved Light Productions, executive producers are Neil deGrasse Tyson and Helen Matsos. For National Geographic Studios, executive producer is Brian Lovett and co-executive producer is Drew Pulley. For National Geographic Channels, executive producer is Char Serwa and president of original programming and production is Tim Pastore.

# # #

National Geographic Channels

Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channels US are a joint venture between National Geographic and Fox Networks. The Channels contribute to the National Geographic Society’s commitment to exploration, conservation and education with smart, innovative programming and profits that directly support its mission. Launched in January 2001, National Geographic Channel (NGC) celebrated its fifth anniversary with the debut of NGC HD. In 2010, the wildlife and natural history cable channel Nat Geo WILD was launched, and in 2011, the Spanish-language network Nat Geo Mundo was unveiled. The Channels have carriage with all of the nation’s major cable, telco and satellite television providers, with NGC currently available in nearly 90 million U.S. homes. Globally, National Geographic Channel is available in more than 440 million homes in 171 countries and 45 languages. For more information, visit natgeotv.com, find us on Facebook at facebook.com/NatGeoTVUS or follow @NatGeoChannel on Twitter and Instagram.

StarTalk Radio

StarTalk Radio, hosted by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, is a groundbreaking, weekly one-hour radio talk show and podcast, where science, pop culture and comedy collide. With a unique combination of comedy and celebrity star power, including frequent guest host Bill Nye, the show aims to bring the universe down to Earth. Now in its sixth season, StarTalk is available on SiriusXM Insight Channel 121, iTunes (where it has made the “Best Podcast” list for the second year in a row!), Stitcher (where it won the Stitcher Award for Best Science and Medicine podcast), SoundCloud and TuneIn. The podcast has more than 3 million downloads per month. For more information and to listen, visit www.startalkradio.net.

The American Museum of Natural History

The American Museum of Natural History, founded in 1869, is one of the world’s preeminent scientific, educational and cultural institutions. The museum encompasses 45 permanent exhibition halls, including the Rose Center for Earth and Space and the Hayden Planetarium, where Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson serves as the Frederick P. Rose Director. The museum’s five active research divisions and three cross-disciplinary centers support 200 scientists, whose work draws on a world-class permanent collection of more than 33 million specimens and artifacts, as well as specialized collections for frozen tissue and genomic and astrophysical data. Through its Richard Gilder Graduate School, it is the only American museum authorized to grant Ph.D. degrees. Approximately 5 million visitors from around the world came to the museum last year, and its exhibitions and Space Shows can be seen in venues on five continents.

Media Contacts:

Julie Frazier, 212-378-1975, [email protected]

Aubrey Siegel, 646-762-8702, [email protected]