Episode Guide
Iceland France Costa Rica Sardinia Lima Puerto Rico London Iquitos 2020 has brought forward a lot of travel documentaries across various streaming platforms. Whether it be James May in Japan or the quest to find fans in Twogether, there’s certainly a lot of choice in this genre. Down To Earth with Zac Efron isn’t a show that reinvents the wheel. Nor is it a particularly groundbreaking or unique perspective on the travel genre. Instead, the star power of Zac Efron and his banter with Darin helps to ground this into an enjoyable series with an important message about sustainability on our planet and renewable sources. It’s a light, breezy watch for sure and the comedy between the pair is ultimately what makes this so watchable. Each episode see the pair travel across their chosen country, with an accompanying translucent map depicting their route along the roads. There’s plenty of car banter too but it’s hard not to believe Darin is high on marijuana through much of the show. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing though, given Zac Efron balances the pair out with his own array of jokes, but his slow speech and relaxed demeanour certainly gives off that impression. One particular joke early on involving an “expert” at the waterfalls is definitely one of the highlights of the comedy. These antics continue between the pair and their journey takes them across the country with an enthusiasm that’s hard not to appreciate. Interestingly, Down To Earth is executively produced by Zac Efron himself, complete with his own narration and comedic spin on proceedings. With that in mind, Down to Earth is a show that does feel geared toward Americans. A lot of the facts and expository text that pop up on screen are pretty common knowledge while America is mentioned and shows up a fair few times across the episodes – there’s even a good 10 minute segment in the episode about France dedicated to visiting a French restaurant in LA. Having said all that though, Down To Earth is a fun, breezy show that’s easy to jump in and out of. The episodes explore some fascinating and beautiful locations across the globe while keeping the message about sustainability at the core of what the pair get up to. Zac Efron’s star power will be enough to get a good amount of eyeballs on this but there’s actually some really compelling material here that makes this a decent entry in the genre. If you’re looking for another travel documentary series to whet the appetite, Down To Earth is certainly worth a watch.
