Netflix To Give ‘The Science Guy’ His Own Talk Show In Spring 2017: ‘Bill Nye Saves The World’
Most millennials need no introduction to Bill Nye, or rather the “Science Guy” as most 20-somethings in America grew to know him. Without question, the fact that he will be returning to television is bound to make so many people happy. Next spring, Nye is set to get his own talk show, Bill Nye Saves the World, courtesy of Netflix.
Nye has undergone a transition from host of the kid-friendly science show he is mostly known for. In recent years, he has become a no-nonsense defender of the hard sciences, and his new talk show will be the perfect platform for that change.
The premise of the show will revolve around taking a new approach to looking at the way science has impacted politics, pop culture, and society as a whole. It will involve Nye discussing various science topics while also making an attempt to dispel the different myths and anti-scientific claims that politicians, religious leaders, and various giants of the industry tend to spout. The talk show will also gave some special guest stopping by to join in on the fun.
In 2017, we're doing a talk show with @BillNye. It's an experiment. pic.twitter.com/gE4bOIhV6a
— Netflix (@netflix) August 31, 2016
According to the little snippet of information that Netflix tweeted out to their 2.24 million followers, you naturally cannot have a talk show with the Science Guy and not have some cool lab demonstrations and experiments sprinkled in too.
This new talk show with Netflix will actually mark the first time that Bill Nye has returned to television in a significant role since he rose to prominence as the host of Bill Nye the Science Guy, a children’s show on PBS. The show ran from 1993 until 1998, and Nye was the master of making science and engineering approachable and fun while highlighting the coolness of bowties.
Since then, Nye has mainly played host to short-lived television shows and seems to have stayed out of the spotlight for a while at least. In recent years, he has come back as a science celebrity, more than likely due to the fact that his main audience from back in the day is all grown up and imbued with a ton of nostalgia for the 90s. Nye is the CEO of the Planetary Society and has been posting videos of online about the climate, space, and a variety of other science topics. He has also frequented some late night talk shows as a guest and even became a contestant on Dancing with the Stars back in 2013.
Bill Nye actually released a statement regarding this new venture with Netflix and Indie Wire wrote that the partnership between the two is a natural progression of the network’s recent line of work with talk show hosts and their resurrection of old favorites like Full House. The target audience is, of course, those 90s babies, all grown up and with a little spending power.
“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. 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.”
So I'm co-head writer on the new Bill Nye show for @netflix. https://t.co/F7SJXOq4PZ
— Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) August 31, 2016
Bill Nye Saves the World will definitely be more in keeping with the fire and ire Nye has been displaying lately in his public speaking appearances as he takes on deniers of climate change and creationists who try to refute evolution.
With any luck, the new talk show with the science guy will be a platform that both children and adults can get into as it is never too early or too late to learn something new.
[Photo by D Dipasupil/Getty Images]
