Posted on 07/05/2017 7:07:14 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
For years, it was hard to find host Mike Rowe on TV without his face covered in soot or his hair matted down with grossness, and the former Dirty Jobs frontman has thankfully found other gigs since that've kept him slightly more comfortable and couch-friendly. Rowe, who still serves as a narrator for several of Discovery's still-airing series, has landed a new show called Returning the Favor that aims to inspire and bring together audiences that have been split by the recent social climate.
Fans of Mike Rowe loyally follow the entertainer on social media, which should help out in terms of promotion, since Returning the Favor is one of the more marquee unscripted projects being developed by Facebook in the company's push to create more original video programming. And this sounds like just the kind of show that could create an endless line of heartwarming viral vids for people to pass around to loved ones in need of hope-filled stories.
Returning the Favor will follow Mike Rowe as he goes around the country seeking out regular, everyday American citizens who give back to their communities by putting the lives of others ahead of their own. What's more, the show will also do something just as thoughtful and life-affirming for those deserving of the attention. At a time when non-entertainment social media posts are so frequently used to attack others and their ideas, Returning the Favor will shine its spotlight on the concept of community to prove that when politics and technology aren't involved, we're all in this thing together.
News broke this week about the project, and Mike Rowe (understandably) took to his Facebook page to offer his own explanation on what audiences can expect, while also being frank about the project not being completely fine-tuned just yet.
All I can tell you for now is that this is a non-traditional show, on a very large platform, inspired by a very simple idea -- to introduce America to regular people who are doing something decent, and then, do something decent for them in return. In other words, it's a show that rewards the kind of behavior I think we'd all like to see more of. Conceptually, it's a bit more earnest than crawling through sewers and violating barnyard animals - both of which I still hold in high regard. However -- when the country's divided and the news feels fake and no one knows what to believe anymore -- maybe a little earnestness is just what the doctor ordered?
At this point, most of the release-centered details about Returning the Favor are still up in the air, as it's not known how many episodes will be produced, nor when Facebook is planning on debuting the series. But I'm guessing a good way to get updates will be to keep social tabs on Mike Rowe, who followed up his Dirty Jobs stint by hosting Bering Sea Gold and CNN's Somebody's Gotta Do It, among other things.
While waiting to hear more info about the release date for Returning the Favor, head to our summer TV premiere schedule to see all the other shows the small screen has to offer in the near future.
So is he leaving his CNN show...of the places to be that wasn’t it.
Just found out the Communist News Network cancelled it and so he has been trying to bring it back for a year.
Rowe is one of the good guys. May his new endeavor be well received.
My only concern is that FB is behind the show. I get the distinct sense that the upper levels of FB are distinctly
lukewarm on America and lean about 20 degrees to port. Just sayin’.
Like Rowe, I say you can get a degree in philosophy working as a plumber.
Anything that Mr (Mike) Rowe does will be excellent!
The guy is a Gift, his TED speech is like the #1 TED and he didn’t even know what he was going to say (even after a little Wine) got on stage and knocked it out the Park.
See for yourselves https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRVdiHu1VCc
He also did the Congress Testimony thing and it was good there as well.
Mike is just Real People
bmp
Bookmark.
Nice...I know his show will be a success...
Mike’s problem will be sifting through all the excellent candidates.
There are lots of people who dedicate their lives to a good cause.
My family has worked with a Bible camp in northern Michigan for years even though we now live in Maryland. One son is there all summer. My daughter is flying there right now to volunteer for a week as a counselor. I think my other daughter is there right now on kitchen staff. I drove the bus for 20 years.
When a good friend of mine was 18, one of the camp directors reminded him that because he had a big car, he could drive kids to camp. (465 miles each way and most of it on dirt roads at that time) He started setting up convoys. Several years later, they bought a bus. Now, they have a small fleet of retired Greyhound coaches. He’s in his mid-70’s and still manages the bus fleet. I can’t think of how many hundreds of trips he’s made in the last 55 years. It’s what we do.
I was a scout leader until BSA lost their moral footing. Now, I lead a Trail Life USA troop. Countless hours a year. It’s what we do.
I knew two guys who worked for the same bank and were both elders at their church. The bank sent out a survey to query employees on their charitable time donations. As I recall, they then posted something crowing about 5000 hours of charity time given by their employees. They didn’t mention that these two men accounted for 80+% of it.
It’s what we do.
I like the term Repaying the favor. This could really be a good show.
And make a much better living.
I tell some of my friends in academia that when their toilet overflows at 3 am, call someone who majored in Gender Studies!
Yuppers
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