Two years ago, Zac Efron grew a large beard and began traveling the world in search of sustainable solutions to the man-made problems plaguing our environment. Part travel series, part nature documentary, and part brand extension, Down to Earth Season 1 felt like a gentle balm for a terrified audience when it debuted on Netflix months into the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a serious, down-to-earth and occasionally silly globe-trotting expedition into conservation, wellness, ayahuasca and organic chocolate, but it was Efron's light-hearted storytelling that turned out to be the real treat.
On Friday, we can all come down to Earth once more, as Netflix debuts eight new episodes, all of which are approximately 40 minutes long. While our previous episode was filmed before the pandemic, this one was filmed in the midst of it, so instead of traveling the world looking for different perspectives, Efron, along with his co-host and wellness expert Darin Olien and his team , they spend season 2 delving into a wild, wild country: Australia.
Stars: Zac Efron, Darin Olien, Bruce Pascoe
This season feels more focused than the last. That could be due, in part, to the set location Down Under, but the series also seems to have found its thematic footing: It's more grounded in sustainability than Season 1, which seemed to delve deeper into wellness. And while there are still plenty of farm-to-table restaurants and organic food companies on display here, they're usually accessories to the larger idea of reducing harm to the planet.
Efron, for his part, has lost his scruffy beard between this season and last, but he remains in fine form as a host: sincere, eager, and seemingly up for anything. And that apparently includes smelling koala poop.
Throughout the series, and especially during the premiere, Efron is up against some of Australia's most familiar creatures. First, she joins a nonprofit called Science for Wildlife, and her koala-scat sniffing dog, Smudge, on a search for koalas, an ongoing effort in the wake of the wildfires that raged across the continent in 2019 and 2020. (For those wondering, koala poop apparently smells like "moldy eucalyptus.") Then it's time for a quick trip to a farm to learn about sustainable farming, and then it's time to join Aussie Ark to learn how they've preserved 15 endangered species, including that of Tasmania. devil—apparently so named because of the hideous screams from him. Efron is as active as ever, from sniffing poop and making nasty faces for the camera to sheepishly walking into a room full of snarling demons while holding a piece of meat. And that's just episode one.
The humility Efron displayed last season carries over to his advocacy efforts in Season 2. The chiseled star casts himself not as an expert, but as a pair of empathetic eyes on the issues he discusses. He cracks cheesy jokes (like mushrooms/"funny guy") and loves to drop the occasional geeky reference. (While walking through a mangrove forest, for example, he tries out Yoda's best voice for him, and after a researcher explains how koala tracking collars work, he compares them to the tracking devices in Robocop.) . Whether he and Olien are completing an aboriginal greeting ritual or hiking through the woods in search of (non-magical) mushrooms, Efron seems interested in using his charisma for good.
Vitally, Down to Earth appears to be making a concerted effort in Season 2 to feature Aboriginal experts, organizations and pioneers, especially from the worlds of farming and cooking. Throughout the season, experts talk about the ecological balance that indigenous farming techniques promoted and how colonizers disrupted that balance. During a visit to Yerrabingin, Aboriginal-owned business founder and owner Christian Hampson tells us that "in many cases, early settlers were starving right next to piles of food because they didn't recognize it" as farmed food. and edible.
There's at least one new addition to the cast this season joining Efron and Olien: a Johnny Bravo-style cartoon Zac Efron, who helps break down concepts like our recycling infrastructure being more complicated than some might. to think. Is this necessary? Not really, but you know what they say: two Efrons are better than one, right?
Some viewers may find the levity of Down to Earth a bit unnerving. Despite its environmental focus, the series generally avoids being political, and at times its optimism could undermine the seriousness of the problems facing our planet.
Watch Down to Earth with Zac Efron Season 2 Trailer
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