I’m sure we have all seen at least a few episodes of Bill Nye the Science Guy at some point in elementary school. For some of us, this show might even be the reason we fell in love with science. Bill Nye and his show made science easy to understand as well as engaging and interesting to the audience.
Bill Nye the Science guy was born out of desperation
on January 10, 1987. At the time Bill Nye was working as a writer on a Seattle-based
sketch comedy TV show called Almost Live! and in fact he was the lowest
paid writer on the show as he was only doing freelance work for the program. On
the day of January 10, 1987, the guest that was set to appear that night on Almost
Live! cancelled and the writers were desperately trying to find a replacement.
Bill then spoke up and suggested that he could do an experiment demonstrating
what happened when you ate a marshmallow that had been dipped in liquid
nitrogen. At first, the rest of the writers were reluctant, however, Bill
pushed for it and that night Bill Nye the Science Guy was born.
In collaboration with James McKenna, Erren Gottlieb,
and Elizabeth Brock, Nye went on to develop a pilot for a new show, fittingly
titled Bill Nye the Science Guy. Nye pitched the show to KCTS-TV in 1993
and it went on to be one of the most-watched educational TV shows in the US
until it stopped airing in 1998. Nye’s ability to make science entertaining and
accessible is incredibly unique. His further work in the scientific community beyond
the entertainment level proves his talent as not only a television writer but
also as a scientist and educator.
When reflecting on the night that Bill Nye the Science
Guy was created, Bill Stainton, who was the executive producer of Almost
Live!, stated that this character was created because Nye was able to ask a
different question than everyone else in the room. The rest of the writers were
trying to answer the question of who can we get to be a guest on the show while
Nye asked the question of how can we fill the time. By asking a different
question, Nye reframed the situation and realized the root of the issue was not
the missing guest spot but instead, the empty 12 minutes of show time that
needed to be filled. This situation proved Nye’s incredible ability to think
divergently and work outside of the rules of the field of television. Furthermore,
Nye was an outsider to the writer’s room being the only one working as a freelancer, and therefore his presence made the writer’s room a lower Q situation and he
was able to bring newer, more creative ideas.
Sources:
I did not know the origin of Bill Nye the Science Guy but I never expected it to be the result of a last-ditch attempt to save a failing TV show. Bill Nye was a huge part of my childhood and he definitely contributed to my love of science. I'm glad Bill Nye got to stay on TV because his show made a positive impact on an entire generation of young minds.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely very naive but I always assumed that Bill Nye was a scientist by profession and not just a screenwriter. He has made a significant impact on my childhood and I'm sure most others as well. It is amazing that Bill Nye was born out of such a desperate situation and made something so significant.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting blog ! I had no idea about the backstory behind Bill Nye and now I am an even bigger fan. He definitely had an impact on so many kids, including me. I had no idea that Bill Nye came from a last-minute idea for a sketch comedy show.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger, I used to hear "rumors" that Bill Nye was not an actual scientist. Being a kid, I was kind of hurt by the rumors, as I felt that he played a role in my elementary education of science. However, after learning more about Bill Nye's story and the creative process, I feel that I have a greater appreciation for his talent and creativity than before.
ReplyDeleteI remember watching Bill Nye in elementary and middle school, and how I would get so excited to see the big box tv being wheeled out on the cart to play the vhs tape. What I particularly enjoy about Bill Nye, is that he seems to have grown with us. As kids, his target audience was us, and now as adults, we still make up that target audience. His politically-fueled tweets and public statements are proof of this shared maturation between our generations.
ReplyDeleteI feel like Bill Nye is an iconic figure amongst our generation - his show (and especially the show's theme song) is something that I will never forget. I hate to echo the comments already made, but I cannot believe that someone as well-known as Bill Nye became famous 'on accident'. You could go as far as to argue that Bill Nye is a Big-C creative - he has impacted so many people worldwide and was at the top of his field during his peak. I enjoyed this post a lot.
ReplyDeleteThis was a fun read, and although I was worried that knowing that he was not an actual scientist would make him lose his mystique, the fact he was able to make a career out of being a divergent thinker is more impressive imho.
ReplyDelete