Don’t call it a comeback. Local programmer Discovery Channel has been making hit shows for years. Shark Week is a perennial crowd pleaser and isn’t showing its age even after two decades. Anything about dinosaurs garners big numbers. The channel even brought dung beetles onto the general population’s radar and afforded the tiny beastie a touch of Atlas-pushing-the-Earth-up-a-mountain inspired dignity. The newly minted and well-received Planet Earth is as ambitious a televised adventure as it’s ever attempted, canning footage of never-before-captured animal behaviors. A brand identity study from Beta Research shows public interest in the channel is extremely high, and among males it ranked first in quality, boldness, entertainment and original programming.
The Silver Spring, Md.-based programmer launched coast to coast in 1985 and has since gone gangbusters, currently reaching 94 million homes in the United States, making it the most widely distributed cable channel in the country, and grabbing another 235 million households worldwide.
in Labrador, Canada
And 2007 saw Discovery exhibiting thoroughbred stride, with four well-muscled shows eschewing four-legged, finned and furry stars to focus on biped forces of nature. The resulting viewing hours posted a programming trifecta: making the most of a niche nature market, exploring unclaimed programming territory and finding a way to please across generational and gender demographics. Providing the muscle to pull it off: Deadliest Catch—an ode to crab fishermen toiling in one of the world’s most dangerous professions; Survivorman and Man vs. Wild—free verse from a man willing to get dropped into inhospitable territory with not much more than the clothes on his back; and Dirty Jobs—a love sonnet to the workers who get the most revolting jobs done so we don’t have to. And the real surprise in all of this is the unbridled machismo taking center screen—big, sinewy men doing dirty, dangerous work.
The switch to shellfish from sharks as programming bait was a decision helped along by the Discovery Channel’s president Jane Root, who overcame her initial response of “Crab fishing? Really?” to sign programming liquid gold: “And then I watched what these amazing fishermen went through and was hooked. It’s as if we’re exploring uncharted territory—the new Wild West. The danger is so vivid—and from the risks come high rewards.”
And so came Deadliest Catch, the first riff on the time-proven “man versus nature” theme high school English teachers keep pounding into student’s heads, making Captains Sig Hansen and Phil Harris and their crews, who face 40-foot freezing waves off Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, household names. Catch’s then-host (and Washington-area local), Mike Rowe, came to the boardroom table with another idea—let him get his fingernails dirty (150 Dirty Jobs in at this point, Rowe must have some horrifyingly dirty fingernails) apprenticing at the work that nearly no one is willing to do, and celebrate the everyday hero. Once again, Root and the rest of the suits proved prescient: “Mike Rowe is not afraid to be the ultimate guinea pig. It’s his gumption and sincerity that really give us a deeper appreciation for the meaning of hard work … and he brings just the right sense of humor to make us laugh even when he’s covered in an unspeakable mess.”
Big score number two. Survivorman and Man vs. Wild came soon after and built on the cult following its predecessors had drummed up, and both recently started season two. The shows all garner big numbers: Deadliest Catch nets 3 million viewers alone; Dirty Jobs and Man vs. Wild follow suit with about 2 million apiece; Survivorman more than holds on with 1 million. Deadliest Catch has proved so popular it’s already spawned a spin-off called Lobster Wars, with channel execs banking on the credibility of a show that chases yet another crimson crustacean across the high seas.
The real test will be sustainability—man versus attention span, if you will. Can these hits muscle through season after season and still hold edge-of-the-seat allure? If Shark Week, the longest-running event in cable history, is any indication, these shows may just have the two legs to do it.
How did you make the leap from Shark Week to macho reality shows? What was the decision-making process behind the shift?
We’re constantly listening to our viewers and finding new ways to take them where they want to go. And talent like Mike Rowe, Sig Hansen, Phil Harris, Les Stroud, Danny Forster—they bring such energy and raw enthusiasm to the screen, it’s as if we’re right there with them on the Bering Sea or on top of an enormous skyscraper. It’s really about immersion, and with that comes adrenaline and excitement.
How did you decide to do both Survivorman and Man vs. Wild? What are the differences that led to your decision to air both simultaneously?
Survival is a huge part of adventure, and being able to impart critical knowledge about how to survive is important. Survivorman and Man vs. Wild go about it in different ways. For Survivorman, Les Stroud is on his own and actually films himself—and it makes for this real intimate feeling of being there with him in the wild. For Man vs. Wild, Bear Grylls has a crew that films him as he jumps into danger and shows us how to get out. Both are so knowledgeable—the adventures they take draw us in, and then we find ourselves learning along the way.
What’s your take on why these shows are popular?
There’s an element of insider knowledge that comes from seeing our world from different points of view. There’s always something new to explore, and we’re able to present it in a way that’s fun, has something for everyone and, at the end of the day, gives us a deeper understanding and appreciation of the world around us—it may even be empowering.
Which shows would you consider the cornerstone of your programming at Discovery?
We are extremely proud of our groundbreaking series, Planet Earth. It was epic, bigger than anything we’ve ever done before, and truly celebrates what’s precious and unique to our world. We were able to achieve a number of firsts in filming, and we took high-definition programming to a new level.
It’s our year-in-review issue. Who would you consider the breakout star of Discovery for 2007?
It may just very well be the polar bear cubs that emerged from hibernation for our Planet Earth cameramen (who waited weeks in freezing temperatures to capture just that moment). Many animal behaviors never before captured on film were displayed in high-definition glory. And it’s that innocence of the baby cubs—stumbling and falling as they get their paws wet on the ice—that reminds us just how much we still have to learn about our world.
location in Monroe, Wash.
You’re helping America get back in touch with a hard-work ethic. Any particularly admirable characters you’ve come across on your show, Dirty Jobs?
I could give you over 150 good examples, but my favorite characters are the ones who not only work hard, but have no visible interest in being on television. Renee the fish-gutter, Floyd the Crawdad Fisherman, Rod the Hot-Tar Roofer, Steve the Drain Maker—none of these people were impressed or intimidated or affected by me or my crew. That’s really unusual. They just went about their day as though we weren’t even there. Totally self-possessed. These aren’t the kind of people you find on “reality” shows. They’re just real.
What was your hardest job—the most physically demanding? Which did you find the most satisfying?
We vanilla-boxed an office building in Des Moines a few years ago. Went in with sledgehammers and smashed everything to bits that wasn’t a supporting wall. I couldn’t get out of bed the next day. Same thing after a 12-hour shift of railroad work. Anytime you swing a mallet all day, there are going to be consequences. I’ve stood on suspension cables, 600 feet over the water, I’ve crawled through tiny spaces in boilers and coal mines. I’ve been bitten by sharks and snakes, kicked by ostriches, stung by hornets, scratched by monkeys, stabbed by penguins and spit on by alpacas. At the end of the day I always leave, which makes them all rather satisfying.
Have you ever been truly afraid of a job?
Seventeen years ago, I worked the overnight shift at the QVC cable shopping channel. I sold collectible Hummels and Precious Moments figurines and porcelain dolls to a vast legion of co-dependent insomniacs.
Which came first: the chicken or the chicken joke? In other words, were you hired funny, or did you develop a sense of humor to get through your dirty days?
I’ve always been amused by the world and gotten a kick out of the people in it. If the feeling is suddenly mutual, great. My point of view is that there’s humor everywhere, and Dirty Jobs is a point-of-view show. On the other hand, maybe Dirty Jobs only seems funny because it airs around shows like Deadliest Catch, Going Tribal, Survivorman and Man vs. Wild. In that lineup, ER would get laughs.
You’re a Baltimore boy, and that makes you a local boy done good. When you’re back home, what are your favorite haunts?
The neighborhood’s changed, but I still go to Canton, Fells Point, Midtown. Had a ball in Annapolis last time—crabs at Cantler’s. I miss the Old Bay.
You used to host a D.C.-area real estate roundup called Your New Home, and you always seemed to have on that same blue shirt. Any other
local job highlights, wardrobe or otherwise?
I hosted YNH for 15 years, which I believe makes it the longest-running paid program in the history of television. So I’ve got that goin’ for me. I wore the same shirt for 15 years because it made me feel sexy and powerful. I’ve also worn that shirt in spots for Epic Pharmacies, which still air. After reviewing the research, it became clear that consumers found me most credible in faded periwinkle.
Any dream jobs that might bring you back to Charm City?
I believe I could manage the Orioles to great acclaim.
You’ve done two baseball-oriented jobs on the show. Which former Oriole would make a better Dirty Jobs co-host—Jim Palmer or Cal Ripken Jr.?
Tough one … Palmer’s great in later innings and has a nice full head of hair. But Ripken might have more practical appeal, given his tendency to show up.
What’s your take on why your show has such an impact on audiences?
It’s a really simple show with really big themes. Hard work, delayed gratification, patience, balance, all the Puritan work-ethic stuff that no one talks about anymore, but everyone remembers from their parents and grandparents. That’s what we’re celebrating—we’re just not being maudlin about it. We don’t write checks we can’t cash. I make no great claim, and no grand promise. I learn, I laugh, I leave. I get dirty. … It’s actual reality. And people are starving for it.
You’ve claimed your role on the show is to be Don Quixote, that you’re “paid to try.” Do you find your blissful unawareness at the outset of what each new job truly entails an asset or a hindrance?
It’s a hindrance to my boss, but an asset to me. Most “hosts” nowadays are either self-proclaimed “experts” in their field, or directed to appear as such. Personally, I’m sick of experts and have no wish to become one. The expectations are too high. People will be more likely to forgive me for screwing up a fact or making a stupid joke if I don’t claim to be an authority or a comedian. And believe me, I’m neither.
What is the common denominator of Dirty Jobs, well besides the dirt?
At base, Dirty Jobs is not about dirt or jobs. It’s about finding a little dignity and humor in places where you wouldn’t expect to see either. It’s an over-active talk show with an endless variety of disappointing sets.
Is there a great equalizer among men taking on the planet’s dirtiest deeds, or have you found there are levels of willingness? Would that chicken gender determiner trade places with that bat cave guy or roadkill collector, for example?
By and large, yes. Most of these guys seem to be in on some sort of joke. I think it comes from knowing they make a difference in a way that most of us don’t. There’s a shared fortitude, a fraternity of filth.