Netflix Addiction: Dirty Jobs

by Temper

   It’s a dirty job, but someone's got to do it. For eight seasons the Discovery Channel brought us the real life misadventures of host Mike Rowe, as he and his crew shed a light on the thousands of dirty jobs in the U.S. Jobs like Alpaca farmer, large animal veterinarian, marble maker, and many more.

    The show isn't just showcasing the job, it gets a lot of its charm and character from the people Rowe interacts with. Through Rowe's attempts at performing the job he is presenting and generally slowing down the process due to his inexperience, the program showcases the skills developed after years of performing these dirty jobs. Rowe is constantly impressed and taken aback by the speed, precision and efficiency with which many of these people carry out their jobs. The host is constantly reminding the viewer that even though the show is called Dirty Jobs and many of the jobs can boil down to just menial labor, the people performing them deserve no less respect than your average lawyer, doctor, or similar professional because without those people "civilized life wouldn't be possible for the rest of us." 

    Secondary to the people whose jobs Rowe and his crew are visiting, Dirty Jobs shines a light on the set up and general process that the Dirty Jobs team goes through. Crawling into tight holes with big cameras and putting themselves in the way of dangerous equipment and animals all to show us how Rowe and those he visits perform the jobs.  Through the series you get to know the crew and Rowe for being just a silly group of people willing to film the harshest, dirtiest, darkest, grimiest jobs for your entertainment, and a bit of education on the side.

  Dirty Jobs however does suffer from the missing episode ailment, where many of the televised episodes are not on Netflix (as far as I can remember) for some reason or another. Fortunately the episodes that are on Netflix are some of the more memorable ones from Dirty Jobs. Sadly Discovery did not renew Dirty Jobs after its eighth season. So next time you want to complain about your job, why not queue up an episode? And be glad you don't have to inspect the hundred year old San Francisco sewer system.