Killers of the Cosmos is a documentary science television series hosted by Aidan Gillen.

In a format the Science Channel describes as "space noir," Killers of the Cosmos explores possible lethal threats the cosmos poses to life on Earth through the "investigations" of a private investigator—the "Gumshoe Detective," modeled in the style of a character in a Raymond Chandler novel[1]—portrayed by Aidan Gillen in animated form.

In scripted dramatic sequences combining the characteristics of film noir with those of a pulp fiction graphic novel set in the mid-20th century, the Gumshoe Detective hosts each episode.

Aided by a mysterious informant portrayed by Sarah Winter, the detective takes on a "case" and hunts down a "killer" by exploring a lethal threat the cosmos poses to humanity.

The animated sequences link conventional live-action documentary segments in which experts in astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology, planetary science, biology, and aerospace engineering describe and explain phenomena that could threaten the Earth, how they pose a threat, what would happen on Earth if they actually took place, the likelihood of them occurring, and how to counter them.