''Returning the Favor'' is an American

reality Reality is the sum or aggregate of all that is real or existent within a system, as opposed to that which is only imaginary. The term is also used to refer to the ontological status of things, indicating their existence. In physical terms, r ...

web series that premiered on August 28, 2017 on

Facebook Watch Facebook Watch is a video on demand service operated by American company Meta Platforms (previously named Facebook, Inc.). The company announced the service in August 2017 and was available to all U.S. users that month. Facebook Watch's original ...

. It follows

Mike Rowe Michael Gregory Rowe (born March 18, 1962) is an American television host and narrator. He is known for his work on the Discovery Channel series '' Dirty Jobs'' and the series '' Somebody's Gotta Do It'' originally developed for CNN. He hosted ...

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 receive a surprise that allows them to do even more of whatever kind of good work they are doing. In July 2018, Facebook renewed the series for a fourth season which premiered on January 14, 2020. The show was canceled after four seasons in January 2021.

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. 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. The show is referred to internally by Facebook as one of their "hero shows" alongside other programs such as ''

Ball in the Family ''Ball in the Family'' is an American reality television series that premiered on August 29, 2017 on Facebook Watch. The show documents the personal and professional lives of the Ball family. The sixth season premiered on October 18, 2020. Cast ...

'' and '' Strangers''. 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." Between the first and second seasons, ''Returning the Favor'' released seven short videos, labeled as "Micro Editions", that ran between 6 and 7 minutes in length. Some of these mini-episodes followed up on subjects covered in the first season. On July 25, 2018, it was announced during the

Television Critics Association The Television Critics Association (TCA) is a group of approximately 200 United States and Canada, Canadian television television criticism, critics, journalists and columnists who cover television television programme, programming for newspapers, ...

's annual summer press tour that Facebook had renewed the series for a third season. On November 23, 2018, it was reported that season three would premiere on November 27, 2018. Facebook cancelled the show on January 27, 2021.

Episodes

Season 1 (2017)

Season 2 (2017–18)

Season 3 (2018-19)

Season 4 (2020)

Awards

In November 2017, ''Returning the Favor'' was one of five shows cited by Got Your 6, an entertainment industry-affiliated veterans organization with a Got Your 6 certification. In recognizing the series, the organization specifically cited the pilot episode, featuring a former Army engineer running a therapeutic motorcycle building program for other veterans, and episode six, which featured a quadruple amputee Army veteran who runs an outdoor retreat for other veterans suffering from injuries.

References

External links

* * {{Facebook Watch Facebook Watch original programming 2010s American reality television series 2017 American television series debuts 2020 American television series endings English-language television shows American non-fiction web series