Bill Nye

Growing up, we all were excited for that special day, when the teacher would wheel in a television and pop in the videotape. All the sudden the screen would pop into color and we’d wait for the inevitable theme song to start playing so that we could all scream along. Shouting “Bill!” was the highlight of the day and it turned us all into one collective Bill Nye fan club. What made Bill Nye the Science Guy turn into an icon like he did? It wasn’t because it was a science show directed towards children, there were many of those. It was because of the format and direction of the show. I think it would be hugely beneficial for us to analyze this show and see why it affected us all so much.
First we should look at the “characters.” Bill Nye was certainly the star, but he was never the one to do the work. The kids always did the experiments with his help. They were the ones to initiate the experiments while seeing them through. Often they also took over the job of explaining the experiment while Bill Nye took a true backseat. I believe this is incredibly important because it puts the children in the limelight. It makes them capable, intelligent, and active. As kids, we could see ourselves in them and it allowed to believe that science wasn’t some unattainable subject that only adults could interact with. We could become scientists right then and create our own experiments. These kids on the TV could do it and why were we any different? Being able to relate to them was important and made the show easier to understand and made us more invested in what we were learning.
But there is more to the genius of the television show. Related to the former point, we see in the show that Bill Nye never talks down to the children. As far as he is concerned, they are on equal footing and equally able to be intelligent and make deductions. The children seemed to be as intelligent as Bill Nye. He would often ask them questions as if he truly didn’t know the answers and allow them to take over the show. It was another way for us to see ourselves as capable. It inspired us to become as intelligent as them and continue to seek knowledge in whatever ways were available to us. As before, this was crucially important. Both of these details together made the show incredibly relatable. It was important to be able to see ourselves as part of the show.
Of course entertainment also plays a big part in the show. Looking back at it now, the show seems steeped in 90’s but it is still pretty entertaining. I have to assume that it would be even more entertaining if I was still a kid. The quick jump cuts and crazy camera angles and zooms seem distracting and unnecessary, but, as a kid, I knew that it would keep me invested. We all had much shorter attention spans when we were younger and the quick changes to scene make sure that we were not bored. The songs were quick and a nice reprieve, the experiments were entertaining and highly educational, and the jokes were just good enough (though honestly not very good) to make us laugh. Watching it now, I am still entertained and still learn from it, but I know that if I was younger, it would be infinitely better.
This show is still a hallmark of science television and it deserves every accolade it gets. While it has the crust of the 90’s laying on it, it is easy to overlook that and rewatch it. I am currently studying in a science field and I can’t help but believe that Bill Nye might have had something to do with it. We all love Bill Nye and there are many strong reasons for that. Television should look back on this hallmark and see how that can mold their shows to become as powerful as this one.