I Similar 'Bill Nye Saves the Earth' But I Have No Clue Who It'due south For

Netflix is going back to the lab: the streaming service premiered the third season of its science-based reality show Bill Nye Saves the World, a show that combines celebrities, crazy scientific discipline experiments, and hot-button political topics with everyone's favorite science guy, Bill Nye. Just now that we're 25 episodes into this bear witness, there's just one large question left: Who is this show for?

To be clear, I've always liked Nib Nye Saves the World. When the series kickoff premiered, I gave it a positive review and praised the series for its unapologetic science-first focus. Simply the question of Saves the World's intended audience has always bothered me; in Season three things only get murkier.

When the serial originally premiered, I assumed it was a children'due south show with adult leanings. That seemed to be the balance Season ane was always trying to hit, something that would be watchable by both children and their Millennial-aged parents, who grew up watchingNeb Nye the Science Guy. At that place were celebrity appearances adult would appreciate from people like Zach Braff, Diedrich Bader, and Neil deGrasse Tyson. Only each episode was start and foremost about learning something new. The celebrities served more as filler in between the meaty lessons of the serial… And and so in that location was a shift.

It'due south hard to tell if the bear witness consciously inverse or if the controversy around Rachel Bloom's sex-focused song shifted the chat around the show. But at some signal Saves the World started condign merely every bit much about its glory invitee stars equally it was most science. The celebrity monologues interjected betwixt experiments became less integrated, and the guest stars started to take fewer and fewer connections to scientific discipline or that episode's subject matter. Before Bill Nye fifty-fifty introduces the topic of the first episode of Season 3, Tyler the Creator rushes out and starts to do a bit. It'southward a fun moment, but I'k not entirely sure which section of the audience its supposed to be for.

Photograph: Netflix

These celebrities certainly aren't for kids. I can't imagine any second grader getting excited to see Tim Gunn, OK Go, or Joel McHale, slap-up equally all three of those guests may be. Then is Saves the World condign more of an adult-focused show with childish leanings? That makes even less sense than it being a children'south show with an adult focus. There have been very popular and profitable adult-oriented science shows, but they typically focus more on exploring extremes, like Mythbusters, than on instruction basic lessons. Fifty-fifty if an older viewer is interested in learning more virtually science, it feels like a stretch that they would choose Saves the Earth over one of Netflix'south documentaries — or fifty-fifty a TED Talk on YouTube.

And and then there's the question of politics. Though Saves the World never directly addresses the Trump administration or conservatives, it'south an virtually overtly political show. The serial confronts questions about climate change and anti-vaccination head on. The show'southward antagonistic tone has fifty-fifty made headlines and acquired waves of internet rage.As someone who doesn't have children, I don't know how parents feel about politically charged children's programming. Only I do know that focusing on cyber attacks is a weird motility for a show that's theoretically for kids.

Mayhap I'm overthinking it. After all, there'southward a lot of spectacular content for children out there, fifty-fifty more than stellar adult-oriented programming, and very piffling in betwixt. Perhaps Saves the Earth is merely an imperfect solution to this thorny programming problem… And happily, its an entertaining one, even given the mixed tone. But every time I turn on an episode and discover its largely adult audience that has the same relaxed marvel of a crowd going to come across a show at Disney World, I observe myself asking the same question. Who is this for?

Stream Bill Nye Saves the World on Netflix

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