Black Gold - TV-14

Reality show has crude men going after crude oil.

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details

TV Rating: TV-14
Network: truTV
Genre: Reality TV

Parents need to know

Parents need to know that life on the oil rigs showcased in this series is mean, dirty, and very dangerous, with lots of foul language. The strongest words are bleeped, but it's clear that these guys could put sailors to shame. The danger is very real, and one of the drillers talks very graphically about losing his thumb on the rig, then later bellows at one of his roughnecks that if he doesn't move his foot, the driller will cut it off. Traditional gender roles also seem to be in play, though they're not overt about it.

Families can talk about the show's message. Do you think it's trying to make a political point about oil? If so, what? Parents, ask your kids whether they think the opinions being expressed on the show are fair. Families can also discuss the appeal of "dangerous jobs" series like this one. What's so fascinating about getting a glimpse of these worlds? Do you think these shows are more or less realistic than other reality series?

Message
Violence
Sex
Language

Message

Social Behavior:

The crews are almost exclusively Caucasian. There are no women, except in some scenes that take place at a bar -- and at the side of the men in the office -- which reinforces traditional gender roles.

Consumerism:

Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco:

One of the drillers and his crew get seriously drunk. Minimal cigarette smoking, but at least one of the guys appears to have chewing tobacco in his mouth.

Violence

One of the drillers talks graphically about losing his thumb on the rig -- seeing the bone coming through and all. But beyond one worker getting whacked by a chain (and then getting up again), little blood is actually seen.

Sex

Talk of picking up girls. One of the guys gets patted on the seat.

Language

These guys could make a Marine sergeant look like a choir boy. The strongest words are bleeped, but you can tell they're using "f--k" all over the place.

Common Sense says

What's the story?

Reviewed by Anne Louise Bannon

We've all heard that drilling for oil is a high stakes, win big, lose big proposition and that working on the oil rigs is very dangerous and rough. BLACK GOLD viscerally brings that fact home by documenting the world of the company men, the drillers (who operate the drilling equipment and supervise the rest of the crew), and the roughnecks (the guys doing the heavy lifting under the driller). The series -- produced by the same folks behind Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers -- tells a story about brave men risking their lives to bring us something we've historically taken for granted.

Is it any good?

There's plenty of drama to be had on the rigs, that much is clear. But the show has two problems. One is that the job itself is pretty repetitive, and viewers are subjected to endless shots of massive pipes being attached to other massive pipes. Secondly, viewers don't get enough of the personal stories to really connect with the guys. One of the featured roughnecks, called Peanut because of his small size, talks about having to constantly prove himself and work harder, but he never says anything about why he's doing what he's doing. Another does, but he's just in it for the money -- which isn't terribly interesting, unfortunately, and adds to the impression that most of these guys are little more than crude grunts. And that's not terribly interesting, either.