Black Gold (TV series)

Black Gold
Season 1 Title Card
Format	Reality television (Documentary Style)
Created by	Thom Beers
Narrated by	Thom Beers
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	26
Production
Running time	45 Minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	truTV
Original airing	June 2008 – present

Black Gold is a documentary-style reality television series that chronicles three oil drilling rigs in Andrews County, Texas, 30 miles northwest of Odessa.^[1] It is produced by Thom Beers, creator of Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers.^[2] The Black Gold theme song is sung by country music star Trace Adkins. The title "Black Gold" comes from a slang term for oil.

Black Gold airs Wednesday nights on truTV at 10pm. It is also shown as a special presentation on TNT in high definition. Starting 8 April 2009, the show also airs in the United Kingdom on Five, under the title Oil Riggers. Season 3 began on September 8, 2010.

First Season

The first season follows three rigs—Longhorn, Viking, and Big Dog—that have only 50 days to successfully locate and retrieve the crude oil. The roughnecks, as they are called on the rig, endure exhausting and dangerous work demands. Oil rigs Longhorn and Viking are funded by wildcatter Mike Lamonica while the Big Dog is funded by wildcatter Autry Stephens, both of whom have put up millions of dollars in hopes of finding new deposits of oil. The show also features pipe salesman Michael “Rooster” McConaughey, brother of actor Matthew McConaughey.

Second Season

The second season (premiered 8 August 2009) only follows one rig, Big Dog rig number 28, owned by Autry Stephens. The season is centered around the requirement given by Stephens to finish four wells in 50 days in order to maintain the lease on the land. One notable returning character is Gerald Williams, who was fired in the previous season.

Third Season

The third season (premiered 8 Sept 2010) began with hostile landowner Peggy Hauser's animosity toward Autry Stevens and his roughnecks wildcatting on her property.

Fourth Season

According to truTV's official website, new episodes will begin airing November 30, 2011. The show will air Wednesdays at 10pm.

References

1. ^ Skolfield, Daniel (2008-06-12). "'Black Gold': West Texas search for oil premiers on truTV". Odessa American Online. http://www.oaoa.com/articles/oil_18050___article.html/gold_black.html. Retrieved 2008-07-12. 
2. ^ Bellafante, Ginia (2008-06-18). "Television - Reality Shows’ Workers of an Extreme World, One Beyond Classes - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/arts/television/18beer.html. Retrieved 2010-10-14. 

External links

• truTV's "Black Gold" website