Review - Netflix's White Rabbit Project
I am a MASSIVE -- let me make this very clear... MASSIVE -- fan of MythBusters. It's the second most popular show ever produced by Discovery and arguably one of the most beloved family shows ever made. It's one of the only shows that's as interesting (and in some cases, more so) to me as it is to my 7-year-old sister... who loves princesses... and Michael Jackson, oddly.
When I heard that MythBusters was going off air, I weeped. Like a little baby. Ugh, I love that show to the depths of my soul and it was wrenching to see them go. I understood, said my goodbyes, and started wearing all black to pay respects.
And on the other hand... Netflix announced production of White Rabbit Project with Tory, Grant, and Kari. I leapt from my seat with joy, kissed my lovely lady, and popped a bottle of bubbly. I could not wait for the "revival" of the old myth busting crew. Granted, I knew that it wouldn't be the same, given that Adam and Jamie wouldn't be joining the cast. No matter, I'm getting my MythBusters back!
I couldn't wait to see the backyard hack jobs and the unexpected results of the urban myths and with a tagline citing things like "... history's greatest inventions, heists, and more..." I was positively champing at the bit. What I loved the most about MythBusters was (apart from the collective adoration for science and math that transcends generations and social classes) a fantastic good time and it was because of the genuine unpredictability of the experiments that they've conducted. Case-and-point: When Tory climbed down a building using a toilet paper rope.
The whole show leading up to this point, me, along with everyone on the show, thought that this rope would fail. and it didn't! To me, this sort of result is what the entire show was all about. Unpredictability and fun. Another thing that's so great about MythBusters was that, other than the last two or three seasons, it wasn't particularly apparent that they were throwing money at the show. This helped the show become that much more relatable.
Which is what I think is wrong with this new show, White Rabbit Project. From the start of the show, it's far too easy to see through the façade of TV world. The crew holds up in a studio setup, talking about the various moments in history that have been riddled with urban mythology. They're too far removed from each of the topics that they're exploring. It's also far too apparent that the outcomes of any tests that they did (when they managed to do any tests) were pre-determined. There was only one moment when I believed that the cast and crew didn't really know what was going to happen next, and that was when Grant built a hover board from miscellaneous drone parts. Even then, it was coated in studio-quality tint and came across as flashy for flashiness's sake.
I can see this show making a case for being a family show. It's certainly got a lot of entertainment value and a younger audience would gravitate toward the new, flashy nature of the series. But for the much younger audience, which is a lot of fun to share things like this with, it's not really able to live in that camp. Every now and then, I'll catch swear words and innuendo that just wouldn't be appropriate for the younger audience.
Maybe it's my fault for wanting more MythBusters with this show. But after watching a video like this:
I had to think that the series would at least hark back to the original style of MythBusters and deal with urban myths and untested ideas in pop culture in the way that they used to.
Honestly, I think that they just spent too much money.
Source: http://www.thetoptens.com/programs-broadcast-by-discovery-channel/
Source: www.Netflix.com