# How Stuff Works (2008)

> A factual series that follows the raw materials of the world, from rubber and iron to salt and wheat, on their journey into everyday products.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/62637

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 12
- Status: Ended
- Genres: documentary
- TMDB rating: 7.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1352532/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: curious, upbeat, appreciative, wondrous, informative

## Synopsis

How Stuff Works (2008-2009) is a United States factual documentary series, a single-season run of twelve episodes with no named host or cast in the provided material. The engine of the show is curiosity about the physical world: each episode follows raw materials such as rubber, iron, corn, wheat, water and salt as they are pulled from the earth and turned into everyday goods. Viewers trace these substances through the extraction methods people devise and the products they become, moving from the ground toward a dinner table, a car, a closet or a medicine cabinet. The format is explanatory rather than narrative, built from concrete processes, industrial locations and the surprising variety of things a single raw ingredient can become. Its tone is curious, appreciative and upbeat, admiring human ingenuity without drama or conflict. Fans of Mythbusters, Bill Nye the Science Guy and Connections will find the same accessible, hands-on pleasure in seeing how familiar objects come to exist. Set in the present-day United States and the wider world, it suits anyone who enjoys learning how everyday things work.

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