Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Down To Earth With Zac Efron: Down Under’ on Netflix, Where The Actor’s Winsome Persona Gets Us Comfortable With Conservation

Netflix’s travel series Down To Earth With Zac Efron sets itself apart from most other travel shows by focusing less on the scenic vistas and culinary qualities of the places he visits (though there is some of that) but on the sustainability efforts of the people around the world. It’s a noble way to explore the world, one that will hopefully resonate beyond Efron’s fan base and effect some policy change.

DOWN TO EARTH WITH ZAC EFRON: DOWN UNDER: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: Host Zac Efron begins the second season of his travel series explaining how this season of the show came to be. Efron explains that while he was on a surfing vacation in Australia, the global COVID lockdown went into effect, stranding him in the country for months. “What started as me being stuck here has turned into with me falling in love with this country.” Hence, Down To Earth With Zac Efron: Down Under.

The Gist: Down To Earth With Zac Efron Season 1 featured Efron and his co-host, author Darin Olein, traveling to different countries for each episode. This season, each episode explores a different aspect of Australia, and the conservation and sustainability efforts there, which can hopefully be applied elsewhere on the planet.

The show is essentially a series of educational vignettes tied together with Efron’s narration (and occasional animated sequence) as he explains the significance of certain regions, cultures, or environmental groups who are tackling issues like dwindling koala populations after the country’s devastating wildfires, and food insecurity, which leads to the harvesting of sustainable ancient grains.

In each segment, Efron and Olein enthusiastically dive in (sometimes literally) to the subjects, like when they join in on a search for the remaining koalas in a fire-ravaged forest, or feeding Tasmanian devils at a farm that is trying to breed more of the animal that’s at risk of becoming endangered. (Watching Efron feed the adorable but fierce Tasmanian devils, despite being guided by an expert who raises the animals, is wild; these creatures have one of the strongest jaw pressures of any animal on earth and the audio of their ravenous chewing is terrifying.)

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? The series has elements of shows like Planet Earth, as we see incredible creatures in their natural habitats, though most of the animals Efron studies are endangered or otherwise affected by man-made problems. It’s also reminiscent of the film Sustainable, the documentary about relying on local farming as an environmentally sustainable choice. The show is doing a lot of things at once, but at it’s core, it’s about preserving the planet by any means necessary.

Our Take: Efron is an affable tour guide and narrator as he takes on a journey to explore nature and the ways we can help preserve it. The show feels like it would actually make for good classroom viewing, because the tone seems incredibly approachable and kid-friendly. (There are a few swears, but they’re actually bleeped to keep the show TV-PG.)

The message of leaving the Earth in the same condition that you found it in is one that seems especially important for younger viewers to take in since there’s no doubt that they’re inheriting a place that’s going to need their help, and Efron does just that in a manner that doesn’t feel preachy. He simply introduces us to people who are already trying to find solutions to some big problems, and shows us that we, too, can make a difference. This is not a show to quench your wanderlust the way many travel shows do, instead, it’s providing an education in the way other people around the world are living and preparing for the future, against the backdrop of Australia, which is rich in both culture and forward-thinking technology.

Sex and Skin: A shirtless Efron pulls on a bodysuit as he prepares to dive into a pool of water at the base of a canyon and I’ll take it.

Parting Shot: A montage of all the places Efron has visited over the course of the episode appears, and Efron explains, “We’re just getting started here. Strap in, it’s going to be a fun trip.”

Sleeper Star: Smudge, the koala-poop-sniffing dog, won my heart in this episode.

Most Pilot-y Line: “Man, these ladies really know their s—t!” Efron says about a group of conservationists from the Science For Wildlife group who study koala poop. (In an effort to learn more about koala habitats, of course.)

Our Call: STREAM IT! Efron is making a solid effort to not just respect and understand the places that he visits, but you can tell he’s invested in trying to educate himself and his audience about conservation. It may not be the sexiest topic, but it’s essential that we get comfortable being stewards of the earth, and Efron is doing his part to make it seem fun.

Liz Kocan is a pop culture writer living in Massachusetts. Her biggest claim to fame is the time she won on the game show Chain Reaction.