Returning the Favor
| Returning the Favor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Mike Rowe |
| Presented by | Mike Rowe |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 34 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
|
| Running time | 18–26 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
|
| Release | |
| Original network | Facebook Watch |
| Original release | August 29, 2017 – present |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
Returning the Favor is an American reality web television series that premiered on August 28, 2017 on Facebook Watch. It follows Mike Rowe as he travels across the United States in search of people who are giving back to their communities. At the end of each episode, those being profiled get surprised with a reveal that allows them to do even more of whatever kind of good work they are doing.
In November 2017, Facebook renewed the series for a second season that premiered on December 19, 2017. In July 2018, Facebook renewed the series for a third season.
Production
Rowe credits his mother as being a source of inspiration for bringing his show to Facebook. After posting a video of his parents and monitoring how many people viewed it after it was posted to his Facebook page, he realized the potential audience reach that the social media site could afford.[1]
On July 5, 2017, it was announced that Facebook had greenlit the production. The number and length of episodes had yet to be determined at the time.[2] The show is referred to internally by Facebook as one of their "hero shows" alongside other programs such as Ball in the Family and Strangers.[3]
On November 27, 2017, it was reported that Facebook had renewed the show for a second season consisting of 13 episodes. Facebook's vice-president of media partnerships Nick Grudin has said that the show has worked well on the platform because Rowe is "a very engaged creator, thinking through how to participate in natural ways with the audience in order to make and develop the storyline."[4] Between the first and second seasons, Returning the Favor released seven short videos, labeled as "Micro Editions", that ran between 6 to 7 minutes in length. Some of these mini-episodes followed up on subjects covered in the first season.[5]
On July 25, 2018, it was announced during the Television Critics Association's annual summer press tour that Facebook had renewed the series for a third season.[6]
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 10 | August 29, 2017 | October 24, 2017 | ||
| 2 | 24 | December 19, 2017 | August 28, 2018 | ||
Season 1 (2017)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Operation Combat Bikesaver" | August 29, 2017 |
| 2 | 2 | "Donovan Discovers" | August 29, 2017 |
| 3 | 3 | "Girls Build" | September 5, 2017 |
| 4 | 4 | "Raising the Roughriders" | September 12, 2017 |
| 5 | 5 | "Loving You Through It" | September 19, 2017 |
| 6 | 6 | "A Hero's Retreat" | September 26, 2017 |
| 7 | 7 | "Feeding the First Responders" | October 3, 2017 |
| 8 | 8 | "The Music Man" | October 10, 2017 |
| 9 | 9 | "Pens and Pencils All in a Rowe" | October 17, 2017 |
| 10 | 10 | "Wedding Dress Rescue" | October 24, 2017 |
Season 2 (2017-18)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1 | "The Cop Who Saved Christmas" | December 19, 2017 |
| 12 | 2 | "Sleep in Heavenly Peace" | February 13, 2018 |
| 13 | 3 | "Against All Odds" | February 20, 2018 |
| 14 | 4 | "The Garage Of Blessings" | February 27, 2018 |
| 15 | 6 | "Alton's Toy Story" | March 6, 2018 |
| 16 | 6 | "Tough Love" | March 13, 2018 |
| 17 | 7 | "Serving Up Second Chances" | March 20, 2018 |
| 18 | 8 | "Bully Rehab" | March 27, 2018 |
| 19 | 9 | "Soldier Dogs" | April 3, 2018 |
| 20 | 10 | "Rebuilding the Big Easy" | April 10, 2018 |
| 21 | 11 | "Honoring the Brave" | April 17, 2018 |
| 22 | 12 | "Adah's Dirty Laundry" | April 24, 2018 |
| 23 | 13 | "All The Shingle Ladies" | May 1, 2018 |
| 24 | 14 | "The Girl Who Feeds The Hungry" | June 19, 2018 |
| 25 | 15 | "Grounds Of Love" | June 26, 2018 |
| 26 | 16 | "Saving Kids On The Farm" | July 3, 2018 |
| 27 | 17 | "Beauty And The Beets" | July 10, 2018 |
| 28 | 18 | "The Can Lady" | July 17, 2018 |
| 29 | 19 | "To Serve And Protect" | July 24, 2018 |
| 30 | 20 | "Veterans Helping Veterans" | July 31, 2018 |
| 31 | 21 | "Food 4 Kids" | August 7, 2018 |
| 32 | 22 | "In Memory of Ian" | August 14, 2018 |
| 33 | 23 | "An American Second Chance" | August 21, 2018 |
| 34 | 24 | "Standing with Coal Country" | August 28, 2018 |
Awards
In November 2017, Returning the Favor was honored along with four other shows with a "Got Your 6" certification by the Got Your 6 coalition. Got Your 6 is an entertainment industry-affiliated veterans organization that attempts to advocate for an increased balance in terms of depictions of veterans in their post-service lives with the ultimate goal of eradicating the "broken hero" stereotype. In recognizing the series, the organization specifically cited the pilot episode, featuring a former Army engineer running a therapuetic motorycyle building program for other veterans, and episode six, featuring an Army veteran and quadruple amputee running an outdoor retreat for other veterans suffering from injuries.[7]
See also
References
- ↑ Wojciechowski, Michele (August 9, 2017). "Parade Exclusive: Did Mike Rowe's Mom Get Him a Facebook TV Show?". Parade. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
- ↑ Petski, Denise (July 3, 2017). "Facebook Greenlights Two New Original Series As Part Of Expanded Push Into Video". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
- ↑ Jarvey, Natalie (November 16, 2017). "Facebook to Shift Funding Strategy for Watch Shows". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
- ↑ Jarvey, Natalie (October 17, 2017). "Facebook Renews Several Original Shows as Programming Strategy Takes Shape (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
- ↑ Rowe, Mike (January 3, 2018). "Returning The Favor: "Micro-Editions" – Mike Rowe". MikeRowe.com. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
- ↑ Lynch, Jason (July 25, 2018). "Facebook Watch Will Only Order a Show If It Meets This Standard". Adweek. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
- ↑ Littleton, Cynthia (November 6, 2017). "Veterans Org Got Your 6 Launches Industry Fellowship Program, Hails 5 TV Shows". Variety. Retrieved October 1, 2018.