kschwiz

CNN so far has a bad habit of taking interesting shows and making them somewhat boring. The same happened with Bourdain as well. Somebody's Gotta Do It is similar to Part's Unknown in that the focus is about interviewing everyday people living in environments that are different than what the average person experiences. CNN takes the emphasis out of the actual jobs in Rowe's new show, and instead focuses more on the human beings that do the job. That's fine if you are entertained by that, but the predicaments Mike got himself in during Dirty Jobs and the resulting hilarity that ensued from the very witty Rowe is nearly nonexistent in Somebody's Gotta Do it. I find that very unfortunate as Rowe truly is one of the funniest TV personalities there is.The other problem I have with this show compared to DJ is that the jobs on this show aren't really that dirty (nor are they supposed to be). But, that was half the fun of DJ—watching Mike climb 200ft down the inside of a bridge no larger than 5 feet in diameter, crawl inside tight spaces inside an old ship, or work at a potato chip factory. You'll get almost none of that intrigue in Somebody's Gotta Do It, which I think is a shame. I found myself often fast forwarding through a lot of the interviews, and some particular bits (such as the sign painter in Austin, the tiny house guy in Luling, and La Reve in Vegas) I just turned off completely. I'm glad Mike is getting another shot at a TV show as a non-narrator, but I personally find this show a far cry from Dirty Jobs as far as entertainment value goes.

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mcfennesz

Dirty Jobs was a good show, but Somebody's Gotta Do It feels like the show Mike Rowe always wanted to create, but wasn't allowed to do. The two are similar, but Somebody's Gotta Do It is better in a lot of ways.There are really no reality shows left. Most shows that call themselves reality shows, have entire writers teams, that sit down and create a story which is then "enacted" by the shows stars. Directors and producers seem to be obsessed with control; they always want to steer shows in a particular direction. Not so for Somebody's Gotta Do It.The show is even more raw, and less scripted than Dirty Jobs was. It really does show things behind the scenes, and does a fantastic job showing the passionate characters that Rowe interviews. What they all have in common is a great enthusiasm for their jobs, and that is extremely infatuating to see. Rowe is as sarcastic and humorous as always, and is even more frank and direct with the audience than he was in the previous installation.Somebody's Gotta Do It is perhaps the only reality/documentary show left that truly feels organic, which is highly respectable in 2014. It's honest, likable, funny, interesting, enlightening, and sometimes it's damn smart.10/10.

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