Discovery’s “Mythbusters” will end after the next season. The series was created by Peter Rees and stars special effects experts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman. Using elements of the scientific method — and a lot of enthusiasm — it has tested theories and pop culture phenomenons as varied as whether a person could be sucked down by quicksand to the likelihood of Walter White’s “Breaking Bad” stunts actually working. There have also been several shark-themed episodes in conjunction with Discovery’s Shark Week programming. The most recent season’s final episode aired in September and was “Star Wars” themed.
“’Mythbusters’ is — and will always be — an incredibly important part of Discovery’s history,” said Rich Ross, group president of Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and Science Channel. “Adam and Jamie are enormous talents who have brought learning and science to the forefront of this network, and their legacy will continue to live on over at Science Channel. The ‘Mythbusters’ library will be moving over to Discovery’s sister network in 2016, where I know audiences new and old alike will be able to experience and learn with Adam and Jamie and the rest of the ‘Mythbusters’ family.”
The longest-running show on Discovery, “Mythbusters” premiered in January 2003. It is produced for Discovery Channel by Beyond Productions with Dan Tapster serving as show runner and executive producer and John Luscombe executive producing. Joshua C. Berkley serves as executive producer for Discovery Channel. Guest stars have included Seth Rogen, James Cameron, Aaron Paul, Vince Gilligan, Sophia Bushand and President Obama.
“For 14 years Adam and Jamie have given blood, sweat, tears and more to ‘Mythbusters,’” said John Luscombe, g.m. and exec v.p. of Beyond Productions. “Their unique personalities and extraordinarily diverse skill sets have literally redefined science television. It has been an absolute pleasure to be part of their time at the helm of ‘Mythbusters.”
“Making ‘Mythbusters’ has fundamentally and irrevocably altered the way I think as a person, as an artist, and as a scientist,” said Savage. “I’m glad for the chance to say goodbye with some of the best television we’ve ever made. I will miss making this show.”
Hyneman added that he “never dreamed we would be on television at all, much less for such a long time and with so much praise for keeping a thought provoking show on the air. And best of all, we were able to do what we do and still have all our fingers and toes.”
By the end of its final season, which premieres on Jan. 9, it will have aired 248 episodes that will have covered 2950 experiments, explored 1050 myths, and created 900 explosions. Keeping with the ethos of the series, Discovery insists that the final season of “Mythbusteres” will go out with a bang as Savage and Hyneman explore car stunts, social science, viral videos, explosions and rockets.
