Kevin Buckins

I don’t often comment on shows publicly, but I truly loved this world-traversing nature study. Some may say otherwise, but I think it takes a lot of noble vulnerability for a known, high-visibility star like Zac Effron to admit the extent of the privilege he has been granted in life and to then deliberately challenge it by being willing to have his raw educational experience filmed on camera for all to see—just for the sake of influencing hearts and minds about crucial, time-sensitive matters, like the needs for saving our planet and for being mindful about how we treat others, in his own personal quest for deeper purpose and meaning. I also love that this show didn’t merely try to create a fake teleprompted host out of Zac, but rather just let him be his casual, fun-loving and occasionally oafy self just simply having his experiences while we tagged along. For that reason, the moments that mattered most felt honest and real, and while there may have been what some other viewers have understandably pointed out to be missed opportunities (there are definitely questions I would like to have heard asked or topics explored more deeply in exchange for some of the less valuable banter), there was ultimately just a deliberately childlike and innocent quality revealed through the show’s tone because of that directorial approach—and it makes the viewer feel very much as though they are having a shared journey that they would not otherwise get (or, for some, even want) to take, were it not for Zac and Darin’s approach to their experience. Sometimes I just felt like I was on a road trip with friends, I also often felt appreciatively moved. For these primary reasons, I loved the show. As a mere viewer, I felt like I made some new friends of these fellows whom I would otherwise probably never get to know—and got to learn (and to care even more deeply about) some very interesting, fun, and most of all critically important things along the way. The show provides an opportunity to learn through play, and to evolve with its hosts as they risk having an on-camera transformation to the potential critique of others who can’t understand or appreciate the value of what they’re trying to do by capitalizing on overtly stated privilege. I especially loved Darin’s role compared to Zac’s (and that of the camera crew) equally, if not more—and how Darin’s own expertise was given so much more relevance in the face of his own personal loss at the end of the show’s journey, and I love that he shared some of his grief with us. It made the stakes of his message all the more real. I feel like “Down to Earth” accomplished its mission of taking someone (Zac in this case) from an acknowledged place of privilege and bringing him down to earth while taking the audience with him, and even (just maybe—although I won’t fully admit to it publicly!) eliciting some justifiable tears from some viewers along the way. 😋 Thanks, Zac, Darin, and crew. Thumbs up. I appreciated both the poignance and the levity you offered while helping us to learn along with you, and I can’t wait to see where the impact of this experience leads you both to next.