Big History (2013– ) User Reviews

Watchable but don't expect anything groundbreaking or new.

[newport1151 · 6/10 · 9 December 2013]

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.

Lots of noise "effects" . Limited content.

[gviolet66 · 22 December 2013]

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

Simple, memorable, intro for further investigation

[mario-furcic · 10/10 · 8 November 2014]

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

Review of Big History

[dugal-daniel · 10/10 · 25 March 2014]

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.

Really good

[Shizuka2008 · 10/10 · 3 November 2013]

I've seen the first two episodes and really liked them.

It shows you things you take for granted but had a profound impact on human development.

I never realized how something as apparently mundane as salt had such huge consequences on human history - not only from a medical point of view but also how the salt business and trade changed humankind.

The same goes for the second episode where you learn about how horses profoundly changed our history.

The series is very well done and I am looking forward for more episodes and high quality television.

Entertaining enough, but crass

[soupofficial-221-953361 · 5/10 · 24 January 2015]

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.

A massive exposition on the history of the universe

[markjauer · 10/10 · 22 January 2014]

Some would say this show bites off more than it can chew - it attempts to explain the entire history of the universe from the big bang to present day and how this all relates to our history and livelihood. To understand the fundamental principles presented here you need good foundational science knowledge. It glosses over plenty of details, undoubtedly to cater to a wider audience and keep scenes moving.

But for all the glossing this show presents some impressively forward thinking concepts. How this series synthesizes knowledge for the viewer and 'connects the dots' so to speak makes for highly interesting historical narrative.

Big history focuses on the 'thresholds' matter and life itself went through to lead to our existence today. There are a number they go through and most every piece provides enlightening insight to how seemingly insignificant events had profound impacts on our evolution and history.

At the end of the day this show presents a simplified saga on the history of our everchanging universe and how it all relates to us.This is a vital topic every kid and adult should learn about. For those who don't know this series is made by the same people behind the 'Big History' academic project, funded partly by Bill Gates.

I give the series a 10/10 simply for how well it presents (and for actually presenting) the profound subject of our dynamic, ever changing and highly interconnected universe.

I expect more from the History Channel

[chucklin72 · 4/10 · 17 December 2013]

This show turns history into shows like "Best Police Chases" or "When Animals Attack".

There are more useless CG and intros than the actual content. Remove all the CG of flying through networks, the mindless summary of the show after EVERY commercial break, I would be surprised if there are 10 minutes of actual content in any episode.

They interview renowned scientists and only get the sound bite of the most basic concept. If they had interviewed Albert Einstein, their question would be "so, physics... pretty cool huh?"

To see a proper example of the same concept of this show, watch Connections, a show by James Burke. It was done in 1978 but far better than this show.

From Killing Brain Cells to Expanding Them

[HOWLING_MAD_DOC · 2 November 2013]

Breaking Bad fans prepare to regain some brain cells & increase your intelligence!

Just watched the first two episodes of Big History on H2 on 02 Nov., 13 which Bryan Cranston now narrates.

If you are a history fanatic as I am then you need to catch this show!

Praise to Bryan Cranston for his narration of the series. It is great that now he can show those fans of Breaking Bad that he has more interests and talents than just being an actor who plays a killer drug dealer.

Which in turn benefits our children's intelligence as well as adults.

Bravo & keep up the good work Mr. Cranston!

Connecting all the ways our universe and humans came to be ... quite accidentally it seems.

[TxMike · 7 April 2015]

I came across this on DVD set from my public library. Narrated by Bryan Cranston and discussing the history of our universe and us, it is a can't-miss for this scientist.

In my casual time (I am retired now) I have often looked at today's technology, like cars, cell phones, flat screen TVs, computers, space exploration ... things like that and wondered "What random sequence of events and discoveries were responsible for these things to happen?" And a related question, "What if one of the discoveries had not come about how different would our world and its technology be today?"

This series (or film, the DVD set has several 21-minute episodes plus one 90-minute movie of all this) seeks to tie up history this way. It makes the point often that we usually think of history in a linear manner but "Big History" is more like a web showing all the connections and interconnections. In fact, the narration mentioning "Big History" so often it became annoying and a bit distracting.

But it does serve a good purpose, explaining things like how the horse shaped not only much of history but also the spread of language. And the 8 thresholds, from the Big Bang to what we have today, then speculates on what the 9th threshold might be? Aliens? An asteroid that destroys most life? A global nuclear war that does it?

So, as a scientist myself, I found the series (film?) a fascinating glimpse into all of the history of the universe, the Big Bang, the various unlikely "accidents" that led to the Earth becoming a place that could support life, life and evolution on Earth. But much of it is all educated "speculation", and in fact in the past year or so many theoretical Physicists are now saying they don't believe there ever was a Big Bang at all.

The series (film?) takes a specific agnostic point of view, that everything that happened and continues to happen is simply by blind cosmic luck. But maybe God really does exist, maybe He really did create the universe and the conditions for life to arise. Maybe He really did create an Adam and an Eve that are responsible for human life?

There is much we still don't know and if anything this program makes us realize that even more.