Two years ago, Zac Efron grew a great beard and began traveling the world in search of sustainable solutions to the man-made problems that plague our environment. Part-travel series, part-nature documentary, and part-brand extension, Down to Earth Season 1 felt like a gentle balm for a terrified public when it debuted on Netflix months into the COVID-19 pandemic. It was an earnest, grounded, occasionally goofy globe-trotting expedition into conservation, wellness, ayahuasca, and eco-friendly chocolate—but it was Efron’s light-hearted narration that proved to be the real treat.
On Friday, we can all come Down to Earth once again, as Netflix debuts eight new episodes, all of which clock in at about 40 minutes. Whereas our previous chapter filmed before the pandemic, this one shot through the thick of it—so rather than travel the world in search of different perspectives, Efron, along with his co-host and wellness expert Darin Olien and their team, spend Season 2 drilling down on one wild, wild country: Australia.
This season feels more focused than the last. That might be due, in part, to the fixed location Down Under, but the series also appears to have found its thematic footing—it’s more grounded in sustainability than Season 1, which seemed to dig further into wellness. And while there are still plenty of farm-to-table restaurants and organic food enterprises on display here, they’re usually accessory to the broader idea of reducing harm to the planet.
Efron, for his part, has lost the scruffy beard between this season and the last, but he remains in fine form as host—sincere, eager, and seemingly down for just about anything. And that apparently includes sniffing koala poop.
Throughout the series, and especially during the premiere, Efron confronts some of Australia’s best-known critters. First, he joins a nonprofit called Science for Wildlife—and their koala poop-sniffing dog, Smudge—on a search for koalas, an ongoing effort in the wake of the wildfires that scorched the continent in 2019 and 2020. (For those wondering, koala feces apparently smell like “musty eucalyptus.”) Then it’s time for a quick trip to a farm to learn about sustainable farming, and then it’s time to join Aussie Ark to learn about how they’ve conserved 15 endangered species, including the Tasmanian devil—apparently named for their awful screams. Efron remains as game as ever, from sniffing the poop and making yucky faces for the camera to timidly stepping into an enclosure teeming with snarling devils while holding a hunk of meat. And that’s just episode one.
The humility Efron displayed last season carries forward into his advocacy efforts in Season 2. The chiseled star presents himself not as an expert, but as an empathetic pair of eyes into the issues he discusses. He cracks corny jokes (like fungi/“fun guy”) and loves to drop the occasional geeky reference. (While hiking through a mangrove forest, for instance, he tries on his best Yoda voice—and after a researcher explains how koalas’ tracking collars work, he compares them to the tracking devices in Robocop.) Whether he and Olien are completing an Aboriginal greeting ritual or hiking through the forest in search of (non-magic) mushrooms, Efron seems invested in using his charisma for good.
Vitally, Down to Earth seems to make a concerted effort in Season 2 to feature Aboriginal experts, organizations, and trailblazers—especially from the worlds of farming and cuisine. Throughout the season, experts speak to the ecological balance that indigenous farming techniques promoted, and how colonizers disrupted that balance. During a visit to Yerrabingin, an Aboriginal-owned company, founder and owner Christian Hampson tells us that “In many cases, early colonists starved right next to heaps of food because they didn’t recognize it” as cultivated, edible food.
There is at least one new addition to the cast this season joining Efron and Olien: a Johnny Bravo-like cartoon Zac Efron, who helps break down concepts like how our recycling infrastructure is more complicated than some might think. Is this necessary? Not really, but you know what they say—two Efrons are better than one, right?
Some viewers might find the levity of Down to Earth a little grating. In spite of its environmental focus, the series generally avoids getting political, and at times its optimism might undercut the severity of the issues that face our planet. That said, Efron’s on-screen charisma (and his fluid, delightfully cheeky narration) does manage to cut through issues that might otherwise feel dense and dreary. Plus, you’ll never see anyone appreciate a loaf of bread more than this guy. He might’ve loved the carbs in Iceland last season, but he seems even more impressed by the Damper bread he got to help make this time—so much so, he calls it “mind-blowing.” Maybe this is just an actor playing a part, but it sure does seem like he really means it.
