Bill Nye thinks disaster movie 'Don't Look Up' is 'painfully close to what's happening right now'

Deadly water, raging tornadoes and falling houses.

These are all touchstones of the 1939 fantasy classic "The Wizard of Oz," but they can also be found in Bill Nye's alarming new Peacock docuseries "The End is Nye" (now streaming Thursday). Over six episodes – each focused on catastrophes such as killer asteroids and earthquakes – the longtime TV scientist lays out the harsh realities of surviving mass disasters, while also offering urgent pleas for meaningful action on climate change.

"If you're old enough to deal with talking trees and flying monkeys (in 'Oz'), you can watch this show," says Nye, 66, who became a household name with his beloved educational program "Bill Nye the Science Guy," which aired on PBS and in syndication in the mid-’90s. He later tackled science deniers in 2017's "Bill Nye Saves the World" on Netflix.

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Nye first started developing "End" in December 2020 with executive producers Seth MacFarlane ("The Orville) and Brannon Braga (the "Star Trek" franchise). The show was shot primarily on a soundstage in Montreal where – with the help of digital effects – he demonstrates what it might look like trying to dodge debris and escape floodwaters during a massive hurricane.

Coming off the last 2 ½ years, a series that viscerally depict apocalyptic events may not seem like anyone's idea of comfort viewing.

But Nye says you'd be surprised: "When things are happy, we watch comedies. When things are anxiety-producing, we watch anxiety-producing entertainment. When there's a pandemic, let's rent 'Contagion!' It's some crazy thing about humans."

The show isn't all doom and gloom: Nye ends each episode by discussing scientific solutions to climate issues. He also encourages viewers to take individual action.

"Vote for lawmakers who want to address these problems. Take the environment and the future into account when you vote," Nye says. "If you're not optimistic, you're not going to get anything done."

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MacFarlane believes Nye's mix of intelligence and positivity is what continues to endear him to viewers of all ages. "In a world full of celebrity voices of all kinds pushing misinformation and superstition, the 'science star' is a rarity," he says via email. "The Carl Sagans and the Neil DeGrasse Tysons are as precious as they are anomalous. We’re lucky to have Bill."

Navigating onscreen calamities in "End" has forced Nye to consider how he'd handle them in real life. He says he most worries about the potential of a "coronal mass ejection," in which highly charged particles from the sun could create a magnetic field that causes mass power blackouts on Earth. He also points to the recent flooding in Kentucky that killed at least 37 people and displaced hundreds more.

"These huge floods happen quickly, and people don't have the resources to go someplace else," Nye says.

Experts warn California of a disaster 'larger than any in world history.' It's not an earthquake.

The mechanical engineer-turned-TV fixture tries to always stay prepared for extreme natural events.

"I have 45 gallons of water stored (in) different places," says Nye, who lives in California. "If there's an earthquake, you may not be able to get to some parts of the house. It could be under debris. It's all very grim, but it's possible."

He also recommends keeping "shoes near the bed because disaster can happen in the middle of the night, and the floor (could be) strewn with broken glass and planks with exposed nails."

Nye praises end-of-the-world movies such as 2004's "The Day After Tomorrow" and last year's star-studded "Don't Look Up" on Netflix for their realistic science portrayals. But he says that "Up," about a pair of climate scientists warning of an impending meteor strike, is "preaching to the choir. I wouldn't be surprised if the irony of 'Don't Look Up' is lost on the people it was really intended for because it is so painfully close to what's happening right now."

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In addition to his science education with "End," Nye speaks regularly on climate change panels and serves as CEO of The Planetary Society, a nonprofit group that promotes space exploration. Earlier this summer, he tied the knot with the "very smart and funny" Liza Mundy, a journalist and author. ("Married three months and still happy as newlyweds," Nye says with a smile.)

And he still can't escape the "Bill Nye the Science Guy" theme, which strangers chant at him "at least once a day."

"I love the song, it's fabulous," Nye says. "I saw the guy who wrote it, Mike Greene, in the grocery store a while ago and said 'Hey, man.' That was just great work."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bill Nye the "science guy" prepares for end of the world in new show