SILVER SPRING, Md., Dec. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Next month, Science Channel will premiere STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW – a new genre-bending television series about a real podcast that's set in a fictional world. Let us explain…Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant are two real guys – uber-popular podcasters and actual Discovery Communications employees. Their podcast, also called Stuff You Should Know, is top ten on iTunes with more than 5 million monthly downloads. On January 19, at 10:00 PM ET/PT, Science Channel will follow Josh and Chuck inside and outside the recording booth with STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW, a series that combines all the delicious informational nuggets of their podcast and wraps them in deadpan mockumentary-style humor. Along for the ride are a wide array of guests making cameo appearances, including John Hodgman, Sarah Silverman, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Rufus Wainwright, and Michio Kaku.

Each half-hour episode takes place at HowStuffWorks, a fictionalized podcast factory where Josh and Chuck tackle modern life and corporate culture while also juggling their insatiable thirst for peculiar knowledge and wacky curiosities. The actual podcasts – which discuss topics from zombies to artificial intelligence to alien hand syndrome - are woven into each plot where scientific facts collide with Josh and Chuck's sublimely ridiculous adventures. STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW is a totally unique and highly entertaining series blending cerebral wit and sarcasm with illuminating insights on addictively buzzable subjects.

"STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW is a different television experience. It's a novel combination of sticky, fascinating information and smart, provocative humor," said Debbie Adler Myers, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Science Channel. "We're bringing Josh and Chuck to the masses, including their legions of podcast followers and those who will meet them for the first time on Science Channel. From television, to podcasts, to online, to short-form; STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW is an enormously entertaining and immersive 360 degree experience"

Full episodes of STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW will be available for download on iTunes the day following their premieres. To commemorate the series launch, the debut episode will be offered free of charge beginning on January 20. Short form content featuring Josh and Chuck also can be found online on ScienceChannel.com, StuffYouShouldKnow.com, and Youtube.com/ScienceChannel.

STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW is produced by School of Humans. L. C. Crowley is director and executive producer for School of Humans. Julie Smith is executive producer. Rocky Collins is executive producer and Bernadette McDaid is vice president of production for Science Channel. Debbie Adler Myers is General Manager and Executive Vice President of Science Channel.

Full series description below:

Episode 1: BRAINS GONE WILD

Premieres Saturday, January 19 at 10PM ET/PT

In the premiere episode, Josh and Chuck's boss, Steve, brings a man who suffers from alien hand syndrome to the office for the guys to do a podcast about him. The man's hand has a grudge against Josh, and Josh suspects all is not what it seems. In their podcast, Josh and Chuck discuss brain anomalies including alien hands, split brains and dual personalities.

Episode 2: THE CSI EFFECT

Premieres Saturday, January 19 at 10:30PM ET/PT

In episode two, in preparation for their podcast on forensics, Steve sets up a ride-along for Josh and Chuck with the Atlanta police department. As Josh and Chuck shed their staunchly-held beliefs based on TV series, the yin-and-yang duo of Detectives Johnson and Hillburn open their eyes to the realities of life on the force. The guys focus on forensics and the "science in the service of justice" for their podcast.

Other episodes include:

MINDING THE HIVE

Construction in the office stirs up a bee colony living inside a wall, and we find out the hard way that Chuck is allergic to bees. Steve is inspired to adopt the bee colony managerial style, with herself as queen. For their podcast Josh and Chuck discuss bee colonies, hive intelligence, social order, colony collapse and allergies.

MAKE IT RAIN

When the star pitcher of their office softball team is injured, Josh and Chuck do some homespun experiments in cloud seeding in hopes of causing a rain-out. Josh and Chuck use their podcast to talk about weather modification, from air conditioning to cloud seeding and hurricane steering during peacetime and war.

BACTERIOPOLIS

In episode five, news reports of flesh-eating bacteria at Chuck's gym threaten to derail his new workout routine, but Steve sees the situation as an opportunity to investigate a local story. As an illness befalls the office, Steve suspects bacteria from Chuck's gym, and sequesters Josh, Chuck and Jeri until they have been inspected by a most unusual doctor. During their podcast the guys discuss necrotizing fasciitis, antibiotics and the concept of super-bacteria as well as bionic bacteria that eat oil spills or track E. coli in food.

MATTER OF TIME

When corporate office promotes a company-wide time capsule initiative, the office is excited. While some people contribute thoughtful tokens to represent these times, Josh and Chuck concoct a plan to contact future time travelers. With some help from world-renowned physicist Michio Kaku, Josh is convinced they have a foolproof plan. The guys discuss the prospects of time travel, how time works, the speed of light, paradoxes and communicating with future man during their podcast.

TRUST NO ONE

Josh and Chuck notice that a rival podcast has recently covered four of the topics they have discussed, leading them to wonder if this is more than a coincidence. Fellow office podcasters, The Conspiracy Guys, get involved, and Josh and Chuck begin to suspect Jeri of betraying them. This leads to the guys talking about spy recruitment, gadgets, double agents and misinformation campaigns for their podcast.

NIGHT TERRORS

One of Josh and Chuck's colleagues, Kent, begins suffering from extreme sleepwalking. Josh and Chuck do a series of studies in an effort to help understand and cure him of his sleepwalking. During their research the guys discover Kent has been violating Steve's office in his sleep. For their podcast Josh and Chuck discuss the complex things people can do while sleepwalking, only to wake up not remembering anything, sleep hacks to ensure you get optimal sleep, and what happens when you don't get enough sleep.

PERSONAL SPACE

In episode nine, Steve holds a trivia competition to decide which podcasters win a VIP tour of a design facility for space travel. Josh learns that elusive SpaceX owner Elon Musk will be present and the tour turns into a competitive event between Chuck and John Hodgman. The guys discuss in their podcast the struggles of NASA and the decision to move forward on the privatization of space travel. The main focus is the future of space travel, colonization and what it could mean for humanity.

I, Coffeebot

In the final episode, the series goes back to the beginning when the new boss, Steve, is introduced and brings a high-tech coffee machine with her to the office. It doesn't take long for the staff to discover that the coffee machine appears to have a mind of its own. Josh and Chuck use the opportunity to talk about technological singularity (greater than human intelligence through technological means), the emotional lives of robots, and the future of humanity during their podcast.

About Science Channel:

Science Channel, a division of Discovery Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), is home for the thought provocateur, the individual who is unafraid to ask the killer questions of "how" and "why not." The network is a playground for those with audacious intellects and features programming willing to go beyond imagination to explore the unknown. Guided by curiosity, Science Channel looks for innovation in mysterious new worlds as well as in its own backyard. Science Channel and the Science Channel HD simulcast reach more than nearly 80 million U.S. households. The network also features high-traffic online and social media destinations, including ScienceChannel.com, facebook.com/Science Channel and twitter.com/Science Channel.

About Discovery Communications

Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world's #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 200 countries and territories. Discovery is dedicated to satisfying curiosity through more than 140 worldwide television networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science and Investigation Discovery, as well as US joint venture networks OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, The Hub and 3net, the first 24-hour 3D network. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools and owns and operates a diversified portfolio of digital media services, including HowStuffWorks.com. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.

SOURCE Discovery Communications