| Nostradamus Effect | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Sensationalism Apocalypticism Religion Paranormal |
| Narrated by | Phil Crowley |
| Theme music composer | Scott Cruz |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 45 minutes |
| Production company | Workaholic Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | History Channel |
| Release | September 9 – December 16, 2009 |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
Nostradamus Effect is an American television series that premiered on September 9, 2009, on the History Channel. The program detailed various historical apocalyptic prophecies, such as the 2012 phenomenon. The show was named after reputed French seer Michel de Nostredame, more commonly known as Nostradamus. The series ran for a single season.
It presented itself in a "documentary style" but it was not a documentary. The show's disclaimer stated that it does not take sides regarding the apocalyptic prophecies. In the introduction of each episode, the narrator states, "We will neither refute, nor endorse, these theories; merely, present the evidence." Despite this claim, prophecies are often exaggerated or presented incorrectly.[1][2][3] For example, the show repeatedly claims that the Mayan Long Count calendar predicts the end of the world for December 21, 2012 while in reality it marks the first day of the 14th b'ak'tun era and not any belief in the end of the world.[4][5][6][7]
The series was described as full of misleading suggestions supported by vague, unattributed weasel phrases such as "some think that", "many believe that", and "scholars suggest that",[8] while in his book 2012: It's Not the End of the World Nostradamus specialist Peter Lemesurier describes its Nostradamian aspects as "largely fiction" and "lurid nonsense".[9]
The series was also released on DVD in 2010.[10]
- ^ Lemesurier, 2012: It's Not the End of the World, Derwen Publications, Pembroke, 2011, pp. 91-7, and compare The History Channel's 'The Nostradamus Effect' Archived July 16, 2012, at archive.today
- ^ Gregory, Sara (October 16, 2009). The end is near: beware of 2060, Western Courier
- ^ (28 June 2010). The Story of Us on History channel—an attempt to revive the myths of American capitalism, World Socialist Web Site ("History, first launched 15 years ago, is sometimes known as "The Mystery Channel" or "The Pseudo-History Channel," according to online encyclopedia Wikipedia. Last year it premiered "Nostradamus Effect," in which it gave serious treatment to various apocalyptic prophecies.")
- ^ Susan Milbrath, Curator of Latin American Art and Archaeology, Florida Museum of Natural History, quoted in USA Today, Wednesday, March 28, 2007, p. 11D
- ^ Schele, A. and Freidel, D., A Forest of Kings: The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya, Quill, New York, 1990, p.430
- ^ Aveni, A., The End of Time, U. of Colorado Press, 2009, passim
- ^ Lemesurier, P., 2012: It's Not the End of the World, Derwen, Pembroke, 2011, p.161
- ^ For critiques, plus supporting links, see The History Channel's 'The Nostradamus Effect' Archived July 16, 2012, at archive.today
- ^ Lemesurier, Derwen Press, 2011, p.91
- ^ Douglass, Jr.., Todd (18 April 2010). Nostradamus Effect: The Complete Season One, DVD Talk