Adam Savage’s Simple Reason for Returning to ‘Mythbusters’ World for ‘Mythbusters Jr’: ‘The Word Junior’

TCA 2018: “It’s not a kids’ shows. These are the new MythBusters,” Discovery Channel alum says

Adam Savage
TheWrap

Adam Savage has been away from the “MythBusters” world since the long-running Discovery channel series aired its final episode on March 6, 2016. And he didn’t expect to be coming back anytime soon (having steered clear of the Science Channel reboot).

But the ultimate science nerd told reporters at the Television Critics Association press tour Thursday why exactly he agreed to come back for the upcoming spinoff series, “MythBusters Jr.,” and the answer is short and sweet: “The word junior.”

“You know, I stayed away from [‘MythBusters: The Search’] and the reboot of ‘MythBusters,’ specifically ’cause 14 years, 40 plus weeks a year, I was sort of happy to take some time off from making the show,” Savage said, seated on stage next to his young “MythBusters Jr.” co-stars. “But in the interim, I’ve also turned 51 and my kids left the house — an empty nest. And all of that is part of realizing that it’s time for me to start passing on everything to the next generation. Everything I know needs to move out to the world.”

“And really, in sort of this little juncture, [Discovery President and CEO David Zaslav] called and asked if I would be interested in hosting ‘MythBusters Jr,’” Savage continued. “And it wasn’t something that had ever crossed my mind. But the idea of, it’s not a show about teaching these guys how to do stuff. It’s not a kids’ shows. These are the new MythBusters. And I’m their camp counselor, and their adviser, and, sometimes, their test subject. But the moment I heard that phrase — ‘MythBusters Jr’ — I saw all that. I realized how much potential there is.”

Savage and Jamie Hyneman co-hosted “MythBusters” for 14 seasons on the Discovery Channel. Not long after the series wrapped, Discovery’s sister network, Science Channel, announced its plans for a reboot. The revival premiered last fall, with new hosts Jon Lung and Brian Louden — who were chosen to act as the show’s replacement hosts during the competition series “MythBusters: The Search” — at the helm.

“I’ve always thought of ‘MythBusters’ as an aspirational show, specifically aspirationalist in the terms of, ‘Wow, I wish I could be there doing that, what those folks are doing,’” he added. “And that’s the show that we’re making. It’s like you’re gonna watch them blowing up stuff just as big as we did.”

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