Wil Wheaton returning to TV with ‘The Wil Wheaton Project’
Once upon a time, Wil Wheaton was just Beverly Crusher's bratty son on "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Today, though, he is the king of sci-fi knowledge and pop culture commentary. These skills will be demonstrated in Wheaton's upcoming Syfy series, tentatively titled "The Wil Wheaton Project," which will premiere in the U.S. in May. (As of yet, the show hasn't been picked up by any Canadian networks, but we're crossing our fingers that it's just a matter of time.)
As described by Wheaton on his blog, the series will be a "weekly roundup of the things I love on television and on the Internet, with commentary and jokes, and the occasional visit from interesting people who make those things happen. It's sort of like 'Talk Soup' for geeks."So far, Syfy has greenlit 12 episodes, and Wheaton will host as well as work behind the scenes.
Wheaton has come a long way since his years on "TNG." Baby boy Wesley Crusher was the bane of most viewers' existences. But his post-"TNG" life helped Wheaton show off his other, more creative side: on top of acting (and occasionally mocking the role that made him famous), he began branding himself as a proud member of nerd culture. After establishing Wil Wheaton Dot Net, he went on to write a regular "geek" column for The AV Club, Dungeon (yes, the Dungeons and Dragons magazine), then released his memoir, "Dancing Barefoot" in 2003.
By 2007, Wheaton released two more books ("Just a Geek" and "The Happiest Days of Our Lives"), then eventually "Memories of the Future: Volume 1," an episode guide to the first half of the first season of "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Which reminded fans of Wheaton's role as the whiny son of Dr. Crusher (#NeverForget), but also of how he's embraced his new status as king of nerddom.
With every piece on nerd culture written, and every appearance on "The Big Bang Theory" (playing a delightfully evil version of himself), Wheaton established himself as a more and more influential member of the community, and a defender of it, too. Suddenly, not only was nerd culture more accepted -- it had a celebrity actively crusading for it.
"The Wil Wheaton Project" will be another opportunity not only for Wheaton to further establish himself as knower of all things nerd, but to show other nerds that it's OK to like what you like, and to like it a lot. True, nerd culture may be intimidating to an outsider, but thanks to his willingness to reach out and include everyone, Wheaton's also proved that nerdiness is for the people.
