# Dirty Jobs (2005)

> Host Mike Rowe takes on the grimiest, nastiest jobs across America and gets his hands dirty doing them.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/2456

## Facts

- Seasons: 11
- Episodes: 162
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: reality
- Network: Discovery
- Cast: Mike Rowe, Lance Burton
- TMDB rating: 7.7/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0458259/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: irreverent, affable, cheerful, gritty, wry

## What critics say

Audiences broadly rate Dirty Jobs positively, appreciating Mike Rowe's affable hosting and its unglamorous look at working life.

## Synopsis

Dirty Jobs (2005-2023) is an American unscripted reality series created for Discovery. Host Mike Rowe, the self-described everyman, dives headfirst into the grimy, physically punishing occupations most viewers never think about. Each episode is built around a single job, with Rowe performing the work alongside the people who do it every day, from sewer and septic crews to animal handlers and factory workers. The engine is simple: Rowe wants to understand what the work actually takes, and the audience watches him get dirty, sweaty and sometimes sore as he tries to keep up. Across eleven seasons and 162 episodes the format stays consistent, a one-hour rotating roster of occupations rather than a continuing story. The tone is affable, wry and cheerfully irreverent, with plenty of gross-out detail balanced by genuine respect for workers who keep the country running. Fans of Deadliest Catch, How It's Made and Ax Men will find resonance in its blue collar grit and hands-on curiosity, making it an easy, light watch about work most people never see.

## Shows like Dirty Jobs

- [Ice Road Truckers (2007)](https://ember.film/tv/3595)
- [Deadliest Catch (2005)](https://ember.film/tv/2483)
- [Modern Marvels (1993)](https://ember.film/tv/5779)
- [The Carbonaro Effect (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/54345)
- [Wheeler Dealers (2003)](https://ember.film/tv/9956)
- [Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (2007)](https://ember.film/tv/3884)
- [Penn & Teller: Bull! (2003)](https://ember.film/tv/225)
- [Magic for Humans (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/69876)
- [Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (2003)](https://ember.film/tv/684)
- [Gordon Ramsay's Secret Service (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/194238)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt