"Ask the Storybots" was an exceptional show that explained often-complex topics through accessible but not dumbed-down stories, with the occasional humorous aside. "Answer Time" is an okay show in which the humorous asides have become the main course and the deep-dive explanations are now relegated to a supporting role.
Case in point: The electricity episode of the original show was one of the series' best. Instead of stopping at the power plant - which would have been a logical place to stop to satiate the curiosity of a child - they spent the whole C-block of the episode explaining electricity on the atomic level. No other show would have taken that step, least of all "Answer Time." This show would have spent those last 7 minutes bouncing frenetically among three unrelated songs.
This "Answer" reboot isn't bad; most of the voice talent is still there and the celebrity cameos pull their weight. But I don't get why they shifted the format away from what made it great. Answering a hard question in 20 minutes for the benefit of a 6-year-old (and the occasional adult...) was unique and really fun. "Answer Time" is an ADHD version of its predecessor that jumps around too much instead of just answering the question.
"Answer Time" is still better than most of what's out there, but man, why experiment when you already caught lightning in a bottle? It's like someone doing a decent impression of a really good show; it's worth watching, but it makes you long for the original.
My kids. I mean it makes my kids long for the original.
