Goldfathers Joins TV Trend but Doesn't Fit In Yet
TVFirstLook
National Geographic Channel's Goldfathers: Race for Gold (Friday, 8pm) has all the elements you'd expect in an on-the-job reality show about Alaska gold miners.
There's the scenery - amazing. There's the gold - there's a lot of it. Although, finding the hundreds of millions of dollars' worth that's just under foot is easier to dream about than to realize. And there are the characters, which is where Goldfathers threatens to fall off the rails.
That's not to say Goldfathers does fall off the rails. But it gets close.
Goldfathers is a perfectly OK show in the same family as Discovery Channel's Gold Rush (the best of the bunch) and its Bering Sea Gold. Families and hard-working (and hard smoking and probably hard drinking) guys live in isolation and endure freezing temperatures to make a living.
Sometimes, the payoff is huge. Usually, there's a lot of waiting, hoping and smoking.
Goldfathers revolves around three groups of gold miners. John Reeves is a grumpy, money-hungry guy with a lousy attitude. Forty years ago, he hitchhiked to Alaska with $12 in his pocket. Today, he's one of Alaska's biggest land owners.
Trouble is, he's grumpy and not very nice. So, so far, he drags Goldfathers down. That could change and probably will.
More interesting is Doug Baker and his family - nice, hardworking people. And, then, the least experienced of the bunch, Creighton Lapp and Chuck Tillian, who in the Goldfathers premiere, sit around in frustration as a seemingly minor mistake derails their mining operation.
Goldfathers has all the pieces in place to make for a good TV show. In it's premiere episode, it's not quite there. But, maybe like Creighton and Chuck, time will be on its side.
I'm watching the premier of Goldfathers on Discovery. The narrator is terrible. His gruff voice is so phony. He sounds like he's doing a bad impersonation of Sam Elliot. This flaw could kill this show.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with the above commenter, the narrator is the worst I have ever heard. I could pick someone off the street and they would have to be better than the guy Natgeo has. The narrator will ruin the show, plus there is no real excitement in the show at all! I am a reality tv person, have been since the first Realworld on MTV, but this show is just bad, period!!!! Hate to say this Natgeo, but I will not watch this show again, probably just like a lot of the first viewers that will not tune in again. I don't know what else to say except film somemore Locked up abroad, that show is in my top 10.
ReplyDeleteNarrator is bad...first thing i noticed I absolutely did not like..otherwise the show could turn out o be good....ill probably quit watching if they continue to have a bad narrator....bring in waylon jennings..remember the dukes of hazzard!
DeleteOh I just remembered..waylons dead....morgan freeman would be godod
ReplyDeleteThe narrator is bad but content needs to be more focused on the real miner, Doug Baker.
DeleteI think the show has some real promise. Mud miners could be the secret to this show's success because it appears true...not phony like Reeves. It appears to show actual miners, unlike Gold Rush which appears stupid and scripted.
ReplyDeleteI agree that mud miners will carry the show if natgeo wakes up and gives the real Alaska gold miners some time on the air...otherwise Reeves andCCR will swamp the show with their stupid antics. It's not yet to late to to show how a lot of gold can come from dirt.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's what we were thinking, too.
DeleteI noticed the narration style as well, but I can't say it's bad. It just different, unlike any other.. I mean, at one time he ironically laughs ("Ha, ha"). Takes time to get used to.
ReplyDeleteCan't stand listening to that narrator - would rather mute the whole show and read subtitles!
ReplyDeleteWatching the marathon, enjoy the show but the narrator is almost annoying enough to make me shut it off
ReplyDelete