Neil deGrasse Tyson says fate of 'Cosmos' to be determined 'within a month'

Iconic science show "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey" isn't dead at Fox, according to the show's host and executive producer Neil deGrasse Tyson.

"We should know soon, within a month possibly," Tyson told Business Insider while promoting the upcoming second season of his National Geographic Channel series, "StarTalk" (which is adapted from the podcast of the same name).

"We’re converging now," the astrophysicist continued. "Nothing’s greenlit, but we’re getting the band back together and we’re meeting with some of the heads of the Fox network by the end of the month. So, we should know something."

Second season meetings have been mentioned before. For example, "Cosmos" executive producer Seth MacFarlane previously said discussions were going down in December 2014 in the tweet below.

Aside from partnering with Nat Geo, Tyson and, MacFarlane, the remake could brag that it also had Carl Sagan's original creative collaborators – executive producer/writer Ann Druyan and co-writer and astronomer Steven Soter – on board.

"We had the pedigree that linked to that production back in 1980," Tyson underscored.

The new "Cosmos" premiered in March 2014 to a modest audience of 8.5 million viewers across 10 networks, including Fox, its cable networks, and Nat Geo. Over the course of the first season, "Cosmos" debuted new episodes on Fox, which were then re-aired on Nat Geo (with bonus footage).

In the end, it averaged 3.93 million viewers and a 1.47 rating in the advertiser-coveted 18 to 49-year-old demographic. At the time, its rating was beating "The Mindy Project" and tying "Bob's Burgers."

For Nat Geo, "Cosmos" became its most-watched program ever. 

If the show were to be given a second season, Tyson wouldn't change a thing.

"I don’t think there’s anything I would do differently," he said. "I was quite happy with how that turned out, how the visualizations, the animations, the script, the music... it’s a full sensory intellectual experience."

And after thinking on it for a beat, he added, "And the ship of the imagination, you have to admit, that was a badass ship."

Fox had no comment on the renewal of "Cosmos."

"StarTalk" returns for its second season on Sunday, October 25 at 11 p.m. on National Geographic Channel.

SEE ALSO: Neil deGrasse Tyson thinks 'Star Trek' is better than 'Star Wars' — but he prefers this show over them both

MORE: Neil deGrasse Tyson explains how Batman can really beat Superman

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Neil deGrasse Tyson explains why he's so excited for 'The Martian'