"Mythbusters" ending in '16

Bummer!

Despite the ups and downs, I've always loved the Mythbusters.

Not surprised, personally - it's time, really, and the dismissal of the Build Team kinda telegraphed it. And, TBH, I felt they'd drifted from a pure science approach (or the appearance of a pure science approach) to a little more skewed one, where they either ignored things or glossed over important steps in their proving/debunking - it was more about "Jamie want big boom!" than the process. But they had a big effect on science education, one that hopefully will last through the difficulties facing science in public school curriculum.

There was a driving episode that so completely ignored anything resembling scientific method, I'm surprised they even aired it. There wasn't a control to gauge any original responses and Kari, Grant, and Tori talked about it so much, there was no way to avoid skewing the results the way they did ("Well, this is so obvious this is going to happen this way AND IT ACTUALLY DID COLOR ME SHOCKED!") I've haven't watched it regularly for the last five years or so, and the last few episodes have been pretty...meh. Star Wars? Breaking Bad? Video games? More Star Wars? Cheeses, guys.

I enjoy a good boom like anyone else, but the experiments I remember are those like "Third Rail" or "Three second rule". Small but interesting things.

It hasn't been the same since the build Team left, and I've noticed the 'fad' shows overtaking small-but-real experiments for a few years before that. I'd love to see them take on something really controversial in the very last episode, but I doubt they will.

RedRajah said:

If the last episode doesn't feature shark jumping in some form, I'll be sad...

Click to expand...

And the shark must explode...

It was fine when they weren't on the first few seasons. Then, the show explored a lot of urban myths and, of course, changed the format as the show became more popular. After a while, though, it felt like Kari, Grant, and Tori were taking up the lion's share of the show, with Jamie and Adam as bookends and the five weren't interacting as much as they were when the Build Team were first brought on, I thought. The material was drying up by the time the Build Team was let go, though, and there were only so many stories about explosions, guns, things exploding, and shooting things I could take.

Like all great things, there comes the decline, then the end.

The trick is to not let the decline sour what the beginning and the glory days offered!