The world of oil drilling is undoubtedly foreign to most people watching television at 10 p.m. on a Wednesday evening, and viewers will procure a new found respect for the labor involved in getting oil out of the ground and into our giant American cars.
Who's that? No one you would know unless you grew up in a podunk town in West Texas. Or unless you're a money-hungry oil man (there are no oil ladies in this series). The “roughnecks” you are introduced to are only given first names, and some are even given cute pet names like Peanut.
Buzzed about: With gas prices skyrocketing, it's interesting to hear the narrator of the series boast about an oil boom in Texas. Also interesting that one of the series’ oilmen makes $1.5 million a day. Is there something rotten in the state of Texas?
The "ooh" factor: After seeing the primitive drilling techniques in Paul Thomas Anderson’s "There Will Be Blood," it's amazing to see how far technology has come. The rigs now used weigh up to 200,000 pounds each and cost tens of thousands of dollars per day to run. Wonder how much milkshake those bad boys can drink?
The "eh" factor: As it turns out, oil drilling is pretty repetitiive, so after about 20 minutes of watching greasy men lay miles of pipe, you’re ready to take a break.
The verdict: Fans of "Deadliest Catch" and "Ice Road Truckers" will most likely find that "Black Gold" satisfactorally completes truTV’s trifecta of shows about jobs that totally suck. It's entertaining enough if there’s nothing else on, or if you have a sick interest in seeing people risk their lives for a bunch of black goo.
"Black Gold" premieres Wednesday, June 18, at 10pm ET/PT on truTV.
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