I’m really digging the new season of MythBusters. While the antics of Grant, Tory, and Kari were often enjoyable, retooling the format has breathed new life into the show. Now they can focus a lot more attention on two stories per episode, going into more detail about the builds and nerdy background information on each myth. The visual grammar of the show has also been updated; I’m not thrilled with the style of the new on-screen graphics which can sometimes be distracting, but I sense that they are gradually starting to get it right.
So far this year all of the episodes have been themed specials covering particular aspects of popular culture: The Simpsons, Indiana Jones, The A-Team, and video games. Apparently they’re going to continue this structure for the foreseeable future. I think the theme narratives produce a far more cogent show than the random grab-bag of stuff that was assembled from the two different teams each week.
