Explain SMBC — the wiki for Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

The Joke

The comic depicts a science consultant being brought into a writers' room for a TV show or movie. The showrunner welcomes her, saying she will be the science consultant for "every last detail." The consultant is enthusiastic and asks when she will see a script. The showrunner explains: "You just listen to our ideas and then say if they're scientifically appropriate or whatever appropriate."

The consultant starts offering real scientific feedback, saying things like "this science-y looking beaker doesn't work that way" and "I think we've gotten too far from reality, its interplay is off." Each time, the writers become more annoyed. When she says "if at any time tiny containers of a weird toxic chemical appear, that's only milliliters, not gallons," someone responds dismissively. In the final panel, the consultant sits alone with a coffee mug, resigned, while the show has clearly ignored all her advice. A note at the bottom reads "This bonus strip is brought to you by... launching today!"

The Humor

The comic satirizes the role of the "science advisor" in Hollywood productions. Studios hire scientific consultants to lend credibility to their projects, but in practice, the writers and producers often ignore the consultant's feedback whenever it conflicts with dramatic needs. The humor lies in the consultant's gradual realization that her role is purely decorative -- she was brought in so the show can claim scientific accuracy, not to actually achieve it. The escalating frustration as each piece of legitimate scientific advice is dismissed or ignored is painfully recognizable to anyone who has served as an expert consultant in a field where their expertise is nominally valued but practically unwelcome.

References

Science advisors in Hollywood have a well-documented history of being hired and then ignored. Many real scientists who have consulted for films and TV shows have shared similar experiences of having their corrections dismissed in favor of more visually dramatic (but scientifically inaccurate) depictions.