Bill Nye Saves the World is an American television show streaming on Netflix hosted and created by Bill Nye.[1] It is both a sequel and a revival of sorts of Bill Nye the Science Guy, which is also created by Nye. The show's byline was, "Emmy-winning host Bill Nye brings experts and famous guests to his lab for a talk show exploring scientific issues that touch our lives",[2] with the series' focus placed on science and its relationship with politics, pop culture, and society.[3] Unlike Nye's previous show Bill Nye the Science Guy (which is revived in this show) which was intended for children, Bill Nye Saves the World is intended for adults (especially those adults who watched Bill Nye the Science Guy when they were children during its original run in the 1990s). As such, some episodes have Nye discuss topics that would be considered inappropriate to mention to minors.
Bill Nye Saves the World | |
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Genre | Talk show |
Created by | Bill Nye |
Directed by |
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Presented by | Bill Nye |
Starring | |
Theme music composer | Tyler, the Creator |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 3 |
No. of episodes | 25 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Producers |
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Cinematography | Jake Kerber |
Running time | 25–41 minutes |
Production company | Bunim/Murray Productions |
Original release | |
Network | Netflix |
Release | April 21, 2017 May 11, 2018 | –
Though the show was hosted by Nye, five correspondents assist in the presentation of the show. These include fashion model Karlie Kloss, science YouTuber and educator Derek Muller, comedian Nazeem Hussain, comedian and writer Joanna Hausmann, and the TV host and producer Emily Calandrelli.[4][5] The show's theme song was produced by Tyler, the Creator.[6] The thirteen-episode first season premiered on April 21, 2017.[7] A six-episode second season premiered on December 29, 2017, and a six-episode third season was released on May 11, 2018. Reception to the series has been mixed, with the first season being reviewed more positively by critics than audiences.[8][9]
Release history
editThe thirteen-episode first season premiered on April 21, 2017.[7] It explores topics such as climate change, alternative medicine, and video games from a scientific point of view, while also refuting myths and anti-scientific claims.
On June 15, 2017, Nye announced on his Facebook page that the series had been renewed for a six-episode second season,[10] which premiered on December 29, 2017.
On April 9, 2018, Netflix announced the show had been renewed for a six-episode third season, released on May 11, 2018.[11]
Episodes
editSeries overview
editSeason 1 (2017)
editNo. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date | Prod. code |
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1 | 1 | "Earth Is a Hot Mess" | April 21, 2017 | 101 |
Bill discusses climate change.
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2 | 2 | "Tune Your Quack-o-Meter" | April 21, 2017 | 102 |
Bill debunks alternative medicine.
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3 | 3 | "Machines Take Over the World" | April 21, 2017 | 103 |
Bill discusses artificial intelligence.
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4 | 4 | "More Food, Less Hype" | April 21, 2017 | 104 |
Bill discusses genetically modified organisms.
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5 | 5 | "The Original Martian Invasion" | April 21, 2017 | 105 |
Bill discusses the theory of panspermia.
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6 | 6 | "Do Some Shots, Save the World" | April 21, 2017 | 106 |
Bill discusses vaccinations.
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7 | 7 | "Cheat Codes for Reality" | April 21, 2017 | 107 |
Bill discusses playing games.
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8 | 8 | "This Diet Is Bananas" | April 21, 2017 | 108 |
Bill discusses diets.
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9 | 9 | "The Sexual Spectrum" | April 21, 2017 | 109 |
Bill discusses sex.
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10 | 10 | "Saving the World—with Space!" | April 21, 2017 | 110 |
Bill discusses space exploration.
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11 | 11 | "Malarkey!" | April 21, 2017 | 111 |
Bill debunks extrasensory perception.
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12 | 12 | "Designer Babies" | April 21, 2017 | 112 |
Bill discusses designer babies.
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13 | 13 | "Earth's People Problem" | April 21, 2017 | 113 |
Bill discusses human overpopulation.
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Season 2 (2017)
editNo. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date | Prod. code |
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14 | 1 | "The Marijuana Episode" | December 29, 2017 | 201 |
Bill discusses marijuana.
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15 | 2 | "Your Computer Is Under Attack" | December 29, 2017 | 202 |
Bill discusses computer viruses, malware, and related cyber attacks.
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16 | 3 | "We Suck at Sleeping" | December 29, 2017 | 203 |
Bill discusses sleep.
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17 | 4 | "Sex, Drugs and Superbugs" | December 29, 2017 | 204 |
Bill discusses superbugs.
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18 | 5 | "Extinction: Why All Our Friends Are Dying" | December 29, 2017 | 205 |
Bill discusses extinction and de-extinction.
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19 | 6 | "How to Travel Through Time" | December 29, 2017 | 206 |
Bill discusses time travel and gravity waves.
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Season 3 (2018)
editNo. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date | Prod. code |
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20 | 1 | "Cheating Death" | May 11, 2018 | 301 |
Bill discusses aging.
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21 | 2 | "Surviving in a World Without Water" | May 11, 2018 | 302 |
Bill discusses water scarcity.
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22 | 3 | "The Addiction Episode" | May 11, 2018 | 303 |
Bill discusses addiction.
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23 | 4 | "Recipes from the Future" | May 11, 2018 | 304 |
Bill discusses the future of food.
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24 | 5 | "Evolution: The Fact of Life" | May 11, 2018 | 305 |
Bill discusses evolution.
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25 | 6 | "What is your pet really thinking?" | May 11, 2018 | 306 |
Bill discusses animal brains.
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Reception
editBill Nye Saves the World received mixed reviews from critics.[8][9] The first season has an aggregate rating of 63 out of 100 based on 5 reviews from Metacritic[13] and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 73% based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10.[14] The performance segments of the show have been the focus of criticism. In particular, Rachel Bloom's performance in episode 9 has been described as "strange", "out of place",[9] and a "painful couple of minutes".[15] Conversely, NPR's Fresh Air said the show is "fun to watch," working well with Nye's "consistent reliance on scientific and provable facts."[16] Vox praised Nye's unapologetic talking style, though worried this may alienate some viewers.[17]
References
edit- ^ Prudom, Laura (August 31, 2016). "Bill Nye Lands Netflix Talk Show". Variety. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
- ^ "Bill Nye Saves the World". Netflix.
- ^ de Moraes, Lisa (August 31, 2016). "Netflix Orders Talk Show 'Bill Nye Saves The World'". Deadline. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
- ^ "Bill Nye Saves the World - Correspondent Announcement - Netflix" on YouTube
- ^ Harwood, Erika (October 14, 2016). "Karlie Kloss Is Teaming Up with Bill Nye". Vanity Fair. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
- ^ "Tyler, The Creator Did the Theme Song For Bill Nye's Netflix Show | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. April 15, 2017. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
- ^ a b Schwartz, Ryan (February 8, 2017). "Bill Nye Saves the World Gets Netflix Premiere Date, Star-Studded Trailer". TVLine. Archived from the original on July 14, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
- ^ a b Liao, Shannon (June 15, 2017). "Bill Nye Saves the World will be back for a second season". The Verge. Archived from the original on August 12, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
- ^ a b c Alexander, Julia (April 26, 2017). "Bill Nye's new Netflix show is being torn apart for the same reasons that made it great". Polygon. Archived from the original on April 26, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
- ^ "'Bill Nye Saves the World' Renewed for Season 2 on Netflix". variety.com. June 15, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
- ^ "'Bill Nye Saves The World' Gets Season 3 Premiere Date & First Trailer". Deadline. April 9, 2018. Archived from the original on April 10, 2018. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
- ^ a b Hammond, Pete; Hipes, Patrick (July 13, 2017). "Emmy Awards Nominations: 'Westworld', 'This Is Us', 'Stranger Things', 'Atlanta' Lead Diverse List". Deadline. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- ^ "Bill Nye Saves the World". Metacritic. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
- ^ Bill Nye Saves the World. Rotten Tomatoes Retrieved on May 21, 2018.
- ^ Hooton, Christopher (April 26, 2017). "Bill Nye Saves the World jumps the shark with cringeworthy 'My Sex Junk' skit". The Independent. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
- ^ David Bianculli (April 19, 2017). "'Fargo' and Bill Nye Make Promising Returns to the Small Screen". Fresh Air. NPR. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
- ^ Aja Romano (April 21, 2017). "Bill Nye Saves the World brings us an updated, unapologetically political science guy". Vox.