Wonder how the world will end? New docuseries explores the possibilities
The Crave Original six-part documentary We’re All Gonna Die takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the end of the world, which draws together science, psychology, pop culture, and philosophy. The Weather Network’s Mark Robinson recently sat down with the show’s host, well-known Canadian actor, director and author Jay Baruchel, for an exclusive look at what viewers can expect.
Being halfway down the cliffs surrounded by a boiling lake of lava makes you question your own mortality and perhaps your own sanity, but it didn’t quite make me contemplate the existential dread of the end of the world.
In contrast, Jay Baruchel (I know him as the voice of Hiccup from the How to Train Your Dragon franchise), sat down and really contemplated those scary threats to our world and then made a TV series about it.
Since natural disasters are a big part of what I do at The Weather Network, I just had to sit down with Jay to find out a bit more about the new show, We're All Gonna Die.
Jay Baruchel (left) is the host of Crave's new six-part documentary, We're All Gonna Die.
“There’s enough things to be worried about when you turn on the news, so we thought we’d shine a light on some of it. I have an intrinsic connection to sad and scary stuff so it was a good fit,” Jay told me as we sat chatting in a warm, comfortable, far from scary, studio in downtown Toronto.
“There’s a lot of stuff out there that people haven’t flagged and they should, especially in the last 30, 40 years, we’ve been ingesting more information than we ever have before and plus, there’s a whole bunch of new stuff.”
Oh goody. New things that even I hadn’t thought of, and I’ve spent more than a few days getting myself into situations that most people would find to be … interesting, if not downright terrifying. While this might make me sit up and take notice, I asked Jay how this isn’t absolutely depressing and scary for most people.
“If nothing else, it’s fascinating and it’s worth commiserating and putting a name on stuff that you’re scared of and knowing there’s other people flagging the same stuff, but at best case, it’s kind of hopeful.”
Hopeful? Really?
“We show steps that can be taken that, if full on can’t prevent something, mitigate it and there are folks across the world who have spent their adult lives dedicated to protecting us from threats that a lot of us don’t even know are there.”
This stuck with me. In every major natural disaster I’ve been through, there’s always, without fail, people rushing in to help out. The people Jay spoke to are on the other side of those disasters; they’re preparing us to withstand and better ride out the inevitable. They’re helping out just as much as those that dig into the rubble to pull people out.
It’s a tough job to stare down an existential dread and say “Not today.” and, in our world of escapist entertainment, it’s just as hard to shine a light on those issues. What Jay and his team have created may be tough to watch at times, but he manages to bring his brand of self-deprecating humour to it and that’s the spoonful of sugar that makes things a bit easier.
Now, the next time I’m hanging off volcanic cliffs, or watching debris fly past my face in the heart of a hurricane, I’ll definitely be contemplating the existential dread of natural disasters ending everything. Thanks, Jay?
We’re All Gonna Die is now available on Crave.
Article thumbnail credit: Screengrab from video that leads this article, courtesy of Bell Media/Crave.