At the end of a long week spent watching your favorite shows, crying about them on your blogs, and brainstorming your next cosplay, are you feeling out-nerded? No such thing! And on Saturdays on BBC America, The Nerdist is there to remind you that it’s okay to let your nerd flag fly.
Following new episodes of Doctor Who and Orphan Black, Chris Hardwick takes to the telly to discuss what’s hot in nerd culture along with co-hosts Matt Mira and Jonah Ray. The show is expected to be diverse in its nerd coverage and incredibly star-studded this season, with appearances by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Karen Gillan, Guillermo Del Toro, and Buzz Aldrin, just to name a few.
Episode one’s in-studio guests were Dominic Monaghan (of Lost and The Lord of the Rings fame, and host of Wild Things), and Tatiana Maslany, star of Orphan Black. Some highlights? When Dominic spots someone who recognizes him but can’t place him, he likes to go up to them and ask how their mother is, to confuse them even further. Tatiana was horrified to find out that Hobbit feet were destroyed after being used during filming of The Lord of the Rings. And the two guests bonded over their experiences on mysterious television programs.
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Off set, Matt and Jonah spent some time competing against Matt Smith and Jenna Louise Coleman in various Who-themed games. From pin the bow tie on the doctor (Dr. House, in this case) to TARDIS building, Matt and Jenna won out over Matt and Jonah. Though it’s pretty difficult to compete with the Doctor and his companion. He only takes the best, after all.
Matt Smith made an appearance on the actual show as well. Though he couldn’t be in studio, a video screen showing Matt’s face during the live interview was placed cleverly over the body of a mannequin donning, of course, the signature suit and bow tie.
The Nerdist’s music is provided by the incredible Mike Phirman and his band of himself, and the show will be featuring stand-up performances. This week, the audience’s giggles were supplied by Matt Kirshen.
If I could have one wish for The Nerdist, however, it would be to have a regular female presence on the show. An audience question about the possibility of a female Doctor really brought this need into focus. While Hardwick offered the suggestion of Helen Mirren as a good Who candidate, she was “too old” for one co-host’s tastes. William Hartnell did just fine at his age. I can’t really stand by the excuse that there would need to be a canon explanation for a female regeneration, considering how flexible Who canon is.
Okay, that may be a topic for a separate post. But come on, how great would it be to have, say, Aisha Tyler as a show regular? She was fantastic on Talking Dead.
Speaking of the dead, the next episode of The Nerdist will feature The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, along with Merle Dixon himself, Michael Rooker, a zombified Karen Gillan, and comedy by Kyle Kinane.
Who else are you hoping to see on The Nerdist this season?
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