White Rabbit Project

One of the most beloved and wickedly entertaining pieces of pop- culture in recent memory, "Mythbusters" was a small phenomena. Mixing real science with laugh-out-loud humor and an excellent cast of real-life characters, the series thrilled audiences for well over ten years and even after cancellation, it remains a fan-favorite for many a television viewer. So it should come as no surprise that a sort-of spiritual successor or follow-up would happen. And we get that in "White Rabbit Project", an entertaining but sometimes uneven new Netflix series starring the "Mythbusters" build-team of Kari Byron, Tory Belleci and Grant Imahara. While it has a small slew of issues holding it back from sheer perfection, I do think that the show is off to a promising start, has a lot of room to grow, and should it be renewed for a second season, it has the potential to get better and better.

Each episode follows our hosts as they explore and discuss a topic, whether it be comic-book superpowers, long-fabled future-tech or even just real-life scam artists. We explore different aspects and examples of each topic and how they could be recreated in the real world or be accomplished. Along the way, we are treated to friendly banter, the occasional skit and plenty of likable chemistry with our three leads.

I'll definitely admit that perhaps the biggest part of the appeal here is the fact that we've finally rejoined the build-team after their absence in the final episodes of "Mythbusters", and the leftover love for that series that fans have. And it's part of what makes the series all the more palatable even when it falters at time. Byron, Bellaci and Imahara are endlessly likable and entertaining and have an absolutely wonderful sense of companionship on screen. The topics discussed are very fascinating and it's a lot of fun seeing them doing oddball things like turning roaches into technical cyborgs or discussing the topic of heists.

But that being said, I can't help but feel that the series is way too unfocused and uneven at times. To the point that some episodes just don't work. The show has a very frenetic pace and it never really stops to let you appreciate the science of what's happening. Therefore it can be hard to really get a handle or invest yourself. I also think there's a bit too much "qwirkiness" and "style" going on for the show's own good. Yes, it's fun seeing an occasional skit or seeing Grant dress up in a supervillain's outfit. But we don't need a five-minute scene to introduce an episode or a prolonged scripted scene of acting to introduce a segment. It's just got too much filler. I'd rather see more deliberate and streamlined episodes with a greater focus on and more breathing room for the actual experimentation.

But that being said... it's still a very decent show. Even if abbreviated, the science is fascinating. The topics are often very fun and quite varied. Our hosts are just a blast and a half and are consistently enjoyable to watch. And there's a lot of untapped potential beneath the surface that keeps you invested and hoping for more. So hopefully it'll do well enough to get more episodes ordered. I know I'd love to see more, and I think newer installments will get progressively better. It might not quite live up to the sheer perfection that was "Mythbusters"... but it's a worthy unofficial follow-up.

"White Rabbit Project" is a solid 7 out of 10 for me.

I'm a huge fan of these guys and have been since they first appeared in Mythbusters. I enjoyed the last season of that show, but felt like losing these three was a big loss.

Therefore I'm super happy Netflix threw some bucks at them and got them their own gig, and it's a great time revisiting a gang who feel like old friends now - already this show gets a big pass from me.

My issue here really is with the presentation. Each subject they cover is LADEN with silly over-the-top sketch performances by the gang that easily eat up 60-70% of the screen time, with only 30% left over for the actual meat of the science. I realize that I'm in the minority of the public who find the tech stuff fascinating and the fluff, well, fluffy, but I could really do with a lot less "estrogen crazed Hitler dancing through the tulips" (in an especially egregious example of this from the "world war 2 crazy weapons" episode) and more fun experiments-gone-wrong. If they had cut out, for example, all of the "Farting Germans at a Cafe" and "Hitler gets boobs" feature-ettes from that episode they could have packed in at least a few more crazy weapon schemes which I would have found WAY more interesting.

To summarize, I watch a TON of hilarious sketch comedy shows already, when I want science I want to turn to these guys. Dial back the "acting" just a bit and you've got a winner.

I'm really disappointed White Rabbit Project ended up as meh as it was. I've always enjoyed the trio's segments on Mythbusters and while it was sad to see them leave the show, I was excited to see what they could accomplish with their freedom on Netflix. Instead, the show feels like a very high budget YouTube top ten list with occasional experiments here and there.

Each episode focuses on a general theme, such as superhero powers. Each of the three have two entries out of 6, generally with one being an experiment and the other being some small research and storytelling. At the end of every episode, the 6 entries are (supposedly?) averaged out and ranked on three criteria, like "how similar is it to the actual superpower." The problem I have with White Rabbit Project is that it doesn't play to the strengths that the trio had back in Mythbusters. Everybody works separately here, maybe showing up to an experiment as a test subject every once in a while, which is a far cry from their work in Mythbusters.

I would only recommend watching this if you have nothing else to watch and you liked the trio's work back in Mythbusters. There's definitely some good episodes in here, don't get me wrong, but even despite those good episodes, the majority of this show is forgettable.

Mythbusters found out that you could not take the Build Team out of the show. Can you run a show using only the Build Team? And doing things similar to Mythbusters, without outright plagiarizing it? That's not an easy task.

And, for season one, it didn't go too well. If there is to be a second season, it will need some adjustments here and there.

The premise? Take a topic (Weirdest weapons of WW II, g-force and it's influence on humans, great escapes, just to give you examples) and pick six items related to it. Six weird weapons for example. Then, find three criteria to judge them by. Each of the three cast members takes two of them and demonstrates them. This can involve building something, like an electric car, it can be documentary footage, play scenes (some good, some bad) or a mix.

But - less nerd porn. Slightly more Byron cleavage, though (and a looong sequence of her in underwear). While Mythbusters tried, in a scientific way, to prove or disprove a myth, explaining the science behind it and showing different methods of testing them (with varying success), the White Rabbit Project lacks experimentation. More often than not, you will see experts in their fields and hobbyists demonstrating something. Quite interesting, but as six different aspects of the episode topic need their time, instead of just two or three myths, it lacks depth there.

Something is not quite right with the show. Yet. I'd love to see it succeed, though.

Why don't the creators of this show like science???

They seem to think that the facts and stories in the show are not interesting enough by themselves. So they try to "improve" the "boring" science with weak jokes and a dumb ranking-system. Spoiler: it's not an improvement!

If you watch this show, just skip the intro and the "outro" = the 10 minutes of wasted time where they score the different stories against each other.

That way you skip all the stupid and are left with the core: a few (mildy) interesting science-related stories, which are nice to watch.