Bill Nye Hosts New Netflix Science Show in April
If you’ve been in a public middle school science class, chances are you’ll recognize this name. Bill Nye the Science Guy, as he’s popularly known, is a science educator, engineer, and entertainer beloved for his namesake PBS show Bill Nye the Science Guy. Now, the Science Guy returns with a new Netflix series for the intellectually curious, or those seeking to relive their middle school years.
Nye’s new show, Bill Nye Saves the World, was announced August of last year by Netflix through their Twitter account and is set to debut on the website on April 21st. In similar format to Nye’s previous series, the show will focus on high-profile scientific topics and their relation to politics, pop culture, and society. The show will take a particular interest in the myths and fallacies of science that populate society today, and will aim the series towards a more mature audience with the goal of solving what Nye describes as “...scientific illiteracy…” in America.
Although Nye has a primary reputation as an entertainer, he is also heavily involved in political advocacy in the scientific field, raising awareness and advocating positions on subjects such as climate change, evolution versus creationism, genetically modified food, and alternative medicine. He has published various books and debated with figures from the opposing sides of these arguments on multiple occasions. Even though most, if not all, of these dialogues have occurred with civility and professionalism from both sides, it has not stopped Nye from being associated with political partisanship.
Although Nye will serve as the host of the show, he will be aided by a diverse team of other correspondents, including supermodel Karlie Kloss, science educator and Youtuber Derek Muller, and comedian Nazeem Hussain, among others. All six episodes will be available on their website on the debut.
Nye’s famous show, Bill Nye the Science Guy, his first major entertainment career which aired on PBS and multiple other networks throughout the 90s, explored scientific topics in a light and humorous manner focused towards younger audiences. The show’s episodes were formatted into short segments that featured a specific subject on a topic, such as an expert or experiment safe to try at home, or a humorous and informative sketch that parodied popular culture references. With the wide variety of these segments tied together under the umbrella of an episode-specific scientific topic, Bill Nye the Science Guy was both entertaining and highly informative for the young and curious. Thus, the show gained popularity as a teaching aid to elementary and middle-school level students and has been used in classrooms across the nation ever since.
Since earning his reputation then, he has appeared in various shows and other entertainment media in his role as a scientific authority. In addition, he currently is the Chief Executive Officer of The Planetary Society, a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, and a guest educator at his alma mater of Cornell University.
Even for those without much of a passion in the sciences, Nye’s new show offers an opportunity to satisfy the intellectual curiosity some may feel but never have had the chance to fulfill. His style is unique for its light and engaging nature, and it’s quite hard not to enjoy his presentation, no matter how little one might understand about the subject. Although Nye’s new show will almost certainly be more aggressive with his advocacy, due to the fact that his show will be centered around dispelling fallacies and their relation to the political environment, critics hope that viewers can look past political undertones and instead learn from the knowledge being presented and enjoy Nye’s amusing and lively performances.
Even if you’re not a fan of science or agree with most of his political stances at the very least, if you’ve been through middle school science classes, you’ll be able to sing the theme song and feel like you’re back in middle school.
