Did you hear that? Far off in the distance? It’s sort of a repeated shout that sounds like. . . Bill! Bill! Bill! Bill! Bill! Bill!
It’s an unmistakable siren call, kids, and it’s coming our way next year: Bill Nye (née the Science Guy) is getting his very own talk show on Netflix. It comes with an ambitious title—Bill Nye Saves the World—and a torturously far-off release date sometime in spring 2017.
Most of Nye’s fans got to know the quirky scientist/bowtie aficionado from his Emmy Award-winning children’s show, Bill Nye the Science Guy. The series aired for five seasons on PBS, from 1993 to 1998. Each episode found Nye examining a new topic—with the help of some psychedelic sets, kooky sound effects, and physical demonstrations.
Similarly, Bill Nye Saves the World will also focus on one topic per episode, “dispelling myths, and refuting anti-scientific claims that may be espoused by politicians, religious leaders or titans of industry,” according to a press release. So basically, think MythBusters without all the explosions.
It’s also worth wondering whether Nye will manage to attract more consistent interest than Chelsea Handler, whose Netflix talk show, Chelsea, generated some initial buzz, but quickly faded from the late-night conversation. But considering MythBusters’ recent cancellation—and the largely positive reception and solid ratingsNeil deGrasse Tyson’s Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey received two years ago—the public might be hungry for some good science TV. (A second season of Cosmos has not materialized, though the series was never formally canceled.)
“Since the start of the Science Guy show, I’ve been on a mission to change the world by getting people everywhere excited about the fundamental ideas in science,” Nye said in the press release. “Today, I’m excited to be working with Netflix on a new show, where we’ll discuss the complex scientific issues facing us today, with episodes on vaccinations, genetically modified foods and climate change. With the right science and good writing, we’ll do our best to enlighten and entertain our audience. And, perhaps we’ll change the world a little.”
Here’s hoping the wait for spring 2017 isn’t as long as it sounds. In the meantime, let’s just hope Netflix is coming up with a theme song worthy of Bill’s legacy.
