For most 90s babies, Bill Nye and Ms. Frizzle were science heroes in elementary schools across the country. This year, Netflix is bringing back both “Bill Nye the Science Guy” and “The Magic School Bus” in what feels like a trendy capitalization on the nostalgia-evoking sweet spot in television right now.
Both shows spurred childhood scientific inquiry, and no television series since these have made as much of an impact. They are scientifically accurate, educational and hold the interest of a younger demographic. “Bill Nye the Science Guy” and “The Magic School Bus” invoke years past when viewers did not question common scientific knowledge and political divisiveness had not yet touched the subject.
The new series, “Bill Nye Saves the World,” will debut in late April. According to Netflix, it will function as a talk show with host Bill Nye “exploring scientific issues from space exploration to fad diets.” The trailer flashes words like “sex, global warming and GMOs” as topics Nye will address in episodes. These prevalent themes are an attempt to focus more on current scientific issues and less on elementary science subjects.
Despite going off the air in 1998, Nye’s original show is still played in classrooms today — it’s well decorated with 19 Emmys, two Environmental Media Awards and other awards. Nye has remained prominent since his show went off air by railing against pseudoscience and discrediting anti-vaccine arguments on a national platform.
Each episode of Nye’s new show will tackle topics from a scientific point of view, dispelling myths and refuting anti-scientific claims that may be espoused by politicians, religious leaders or titans of industry, according to Netflix.
Nye has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University and six honorary doctorate degrees, including Ph.D.s in science from Goucher College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He has spent much of his career working with and for the scientific community. Nye has proven himself dedicated to science over spectacle by doing his research and unapologetically changing his stances on issues like GMOs as new research comes out. In 2014, Nye admitted skepticism of GMO use in foods, but after visiting biotech companies and learning about the science, he revised his book a year later. If anyone is qualified to make science fun, accessible and understandable to millions of Americans, it’s Nye.
Netflix has yet to announce an official release date for “The Magic School Bus Rides Again,” but the show will encourage young audiences “to think critically and creatively,” according to Netflix. Kate McKinnon will take Lily Tomlin’s place as the voice of Ms. Frizzle, possibly to attract older audiences as McKinnon is known for her role on Saturday Night Live.
“The Magic School Bus Rides Again” will most likely stick to less controversial topics than Nye’s show. Netflix reports the series “will deal with technological advancements and innovations that have been discovered since the original series came to an end almost 20 years ago — including ‘robotics, wearables and camera technology.’”
The series won an Environmental Media Award for its episode on rot and recycling in 1994. The show encouraged children to think about their relationship with the natural world around them. Since the show has ended, more children’s books under “The Magic School Bus” name have been published addressing increasingly severe issues such as climate change.
Both shows have the opportunity to speak to a much larger audience. Young adults can fondly remember shows that marked their childhood and children of today will discover the irresistibility of Nye’s enthusiasm and Ms. Frizzle’s vivacious presence.
Hopefully, older generations tuning in with children or even by themselves will remember the virtues these shows taught them about science. In a day and age where so many people seem adamant to refuse scientific facts, these shows will hopefully harken back to an era in which political division hadn’t reached pure science while making us all giggle like children again.
Ryan Thaxton is a 20-year-old mass communication sophomore from Monroe, Louisiana.