30 Days

30 Days

2005
30 Days
30 Days

30 Days

7.9 | TV-MA | en | Documentary

30 Days is a reality television show on the FX cable network in the United States, created and hosted by Morgan Spurlock. In each episode, Spurlock, or some other person or group of people, spend 30 days immersing themselves in a particular lifestyle with which they are unfamiliar, while discussing related social issues. As in Spurlock's film, Super Size Me, there are a number of rules unique to each situation which must be followed during each such experiment. At least one episode each season has featured Spurlock as the person spending the month in the particular lifestyle. Season one premiered on June 15, 2005, and its respective DVD set was released July 11, 2006. The second season premiered on July 26, 2006. Season 3 of 30 Days premiered on June 3, 2008. FX said on November 6 that it would not be renewing the series for a fourth season, effectively canceling the show. The show has recently been picked up for re-air by Planet Green, though no new episodes have been ordered. In the United Kingdom, the program is broadcast on More4 and Channel 4. In Australia, the program is broadcast on Network Ten and Lifestyle Channel. It currently airs in Canada on Independent Film Channel and Canal Vie. It also airs on FX in Latin America. In Norway it airs on TV 2. In Sweden it airs on TV4 and Kanal 9.

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Seasons & Episodes

3
2
1
EP6  Life On An Indian Reservation
Jul. 08,2008
Life On An Indian Reservation

Series creator Morgan Spurlock returns for his second installment this season to discover what life is like for America's most indigenous people: Native Americans. As he heads west to Navajo Nation near Window Rock, New Mexico, Morgan will realize just how little he knows about the issues facing this tribal culture. For 30 Days, Morgan will live with Deborah and Karl Dennison and their children: son Kyle, 25 and daughter Cassidy, 15. Deborah holds a PhD in education and is the superintendent of the Ganado School District; Karl is a physical education teacher at the tribal Dine College and is a renowned rodeo competitor. Despite living on a remote desert ranch, the Dennison family has many of the conveniences of the modern world, yet make great efforts to preserve the ancient traditions and culture of their ancestors. While on the reservation, Morgan will live in a traditional Navajo dwelling called a Hogan, work at a tire shop and spend several grueling hours in a sweat lodge as part of a "Coyote Ceremony." He will also experience the economic hardships and social crises that are common to reservation life while exploring many misconceptions about Native Americans.

EP5  Gun Nation
Jul. 01,2008
Gun Nation

After Pia learned that her friend had been killed by a schizophrenic man wielding a gun in 1996, she became a gun control advocate who has fought to pass stricter gun laws in the U.S. Pia believes that the world would be free from gun violence only by prohibiting the sale of guns to anyone outside of law enforcement and armed services. For 30 Days, Pia will live in the heart of gun culture in the rural town of Leesburg, Ohio with gun enthusiast Ken Ekermeyer, 39, and his 15-year-old son Zach. Ken is an avid gun collector and rarely leaves home without his gun strapped to his side. Ken believes carrying a gun is his right guaranteed to every American by the Second Amendment. As Pia struggles to understand the Ekermeyer's beliefs and somewhat isolated way of life, she will work at a local gun store and experience what it is like to carry a gun in public, learn to handle and fire weapons and will introduce Ken to other gun control activists who have lost loved ones to gun violence.

EP4  Same Sex Parenting
Jun. 24,2008
Same Sex Parenting

Kati believes that children should be raised by a mother and a father and not by same-sex parents. As the mother of two adopted sons Kati believes that she has ample experience to determine what kind of environment is conducive to healthy, successful adoptions. In fact, Kati was adopted as an infant herself. For 30 Days, Kati will live in Ypsilanti, Michigan with domestic partners Dennis and Thomas Patrick and their four adopted sons: Josh, 11; Paul, 8; Joey, 8; and Raul, 6. The Patrick's have been together for 10 years, and in 2001, Thomas legally changed his last name to Patrick. Kati will attend church with the family, help the boys get ready for school each morning and talk candidly about her views on parenting and gay adoption as she observes how the Patrick's parent their boys. Kati will volunteer and travel to the state capitol with the Coalition for Adoption Rights Equality (CARE), a children's advocacy group lobbying for legislation to legalize dual-parenting rights for same-gender couples. She will socialize with women from the Lesbian Mom's Network, a group that connects lesbian mothers and their children with families like their own. She will also meet with former foster children who talk about what it's like to grow up without parents or a permanent home and the need for more foster parents.

EP3  Animal Rights
Jun. 17,2008
Animal Rights

George Snedeker is an avid hunter who considers it much more than just a sport; to George, hunting is a way of life. George hunts mainly for deer meat and tries to use the entire animal in order not to be wasteful. For 30 Days, George will live in Los Angeles with vegan Melissa Karpel, 29, and her vegan family: parents Don and Madeline Karpel and her sisters Stephanie and Kimberly, who are 25-year-old twins. Melissa is a Los Angeles Campaign Coordinator for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), a non-profit organization that fights for animal rights on factory farms, in laboratories, in the clothing trade and in the entertainment industry. George will participate in PETA initiatives including a demonstration at a popular fast food chain, work at a local farm animal rescue center and meet with various organizations such as Last Chance for Animals, a non-profit group dedicated to animal rights.

EP2  In A Wheelchair
Jun. 10,2008
In A Wheelchair

Ray played football for Baylor University from 1984-88 before his NFL draft in 1989. He won two Super Bowl rings in 1998 and 1999 as a starting member of the Denver Broncos. During his fourteen years in the NFL, he also played for the Detroit Lions and the Kansas City Chiefs. Today, Ray and his wife April have three children, a 20-year old daughter named Joi and two sons, 13-year-old Ray Junior and seven year old Darryl. Ray now works as a real estate developer and coaches his older son Ray Junior. In 1991, Ray was on the field with the Detroit Lions when his teammate and friend, Mike Utley, was involved in a play that left him paralyzed from the chest down - an event that has not dissipated from Ray's memory. In fact, it is this incident that made Ray want to participate in 30 Days. For 30 Days, Ray will live in a wheelchair and will rely on his mental discipline to keep his legs immobile. His home and his car will be retrofitted to accommodate his needs. Coaching duties for his son's football team will continue and Ray will join the Texas Stampede, the wheelchair rugby team featuring players made famous in the documentary film Murderball. He will attend a weekly support group for paraplegics at the Baylor Institute of Rehabilitation and meet with a physical therapist to monitor any potential side effects. Throughout his 30 Days experience, Ray will be under the medical supervision of Dr. Robert Bruce in order to track any muscle loss, blood clots, pressure sores or other side effects that could occur while he is wheelchair-bound.

EP1  Working In A Coal Mine
Jun. 03,2008
Working In A Coal Mine

To kick off the third season of 30 Days, series creator Morgan Spurlock returns to his home state of West Virginia, to work as a rookie apprentice coalminer known as a "redhat" for 30 days. Morgan goes to Bolt, West Virginia and lives with Dale and Sandy Lusk. Dale, the supervisor of the mine where Morgan works, has mined coal for 35 years and introduces Morgan to a miner's way of life. Morgan gains an understanding of the financial benefits that draw people to coal mining, but also learns, first hand, the dangerous conditions that miners must face every day. As a new miner, Morgan is assigned much of the grunt work, including plastering, building wooden roof supports, shoveling coal and hauling heavy equipment. On his days off, Morgan leaves the mine to examine some of the bigger issues surrounding the coal industry. He meets with Peggy Cohen, 36, the daughter of a miner killed in 2006 in a Sago, West Virginia mine explosion. Morgan also talks to both coal industry executives and environmentalists about surface mining and mountain-top removal to gain perspective on the pros and cons of an industry that provides the U.S. with the raw materials for 50% of our electricity. electricity.

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7.9 | TV-MA | en | Documentary | More Info
Released: 2005-06-15 | Released Producted By: , Country: United States of America Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website: http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/30days/
Synopsis

30 Days is a reality television show on the FX cable network in the United States, created and hosted by Morgan Spurlock. In each episode, Spurlock, or some other person or group of people, spend 30 days immersing themselves in a particular lifestyle with which they are unfamiliar, while discussing related social issues. As in Spurlock's film, Super Size Me, there are a number of rules unique to each situation which must be followed during each such experiment. At least one episode each season has featured Spurlock as the person spending the month in the particular lifestyle. Season one premiered on June 15, 2005, and its respective DVD set was released July 11, 2006. The second season premiered on July 26, 2006. Season 3 of 30 Days premiered on June 3, 2008. FX said on November 6 that it would not be renewing the series for a fourth season, effectively canceling the show. The show has recently been picked up for re-air by Planet Green, though no new episodes have been ordered. In the United Kingdom, the program is broadcast on More4 and Channel 4. In Australia, the program is broadcast on Network Ten and Lifestyle Channel. It currently airs in Canada on Independent Film Channel and Canal Vie. It also airs on FX in Latin America. In Norway it airs on TV 2. In Sweden it airs on TV4 and Kanal 9.

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Cast

Morgan Spurlock

Director

Carmen Cuba

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Reviews

lrademac08 I started late in the game with the show. I only recently seen some of Morgan Spurlock's movies. Its now 2011 and there is a glut of Documentary Reality TV Shows out there. And most are pretty bad. Of the 3 episodes of 30 Days I've seen on Netflix I gotta say its a pretty decent show. I wish this show was out right now, because it would be better than most of the garbage that's out now. I agree with other reviewers that 30 Days waters down the subject theme so 30 Days is shown in 1hr so regular Americans get a sample of what the individual goes through. Of the first 3 episodes I would complain that the Individuals do not fully go through a full 30 Days. They start Day 1 or 2 or even 3 showing a Lead In of whats gonna happen. Then if lucky the person has started the journey by Day 4. Its cheating in my book. the 1st episode of Minimum Wage hit the closest to home for me. Because I have worked Minimum Wage jobs and tried to live on them. To the reviewers who say Its not a reflection of Real Life I say boo to you. My wife and I feel just because I was earning only $150 a week working full time doesn't mean you have to become a monk. If a person works hard, saves money, makes sacrifices and uses the resources that are out there in the world then YES you can go 1 time a Month to go to the Movies or Out to Dinner. Instead of paying $30 for 4 people to go to the movies, you go to the Cheap Show... Even in 2003/2004 when that TV Show was aired I am sure there were a Cheap Movie night somewhere. Its now 2011 and in Michigan Unemployment is terrible. Minimum Wage is higher at about $7.50 an hour or so But a person cannot survive on much. Gas for my car runs about $40 a week. Utility bills can be harsh with easily $80 to $100 a month for gas and another $120 a month for electricity. The 30 Days episode made some cheats... Spurlock & his GF Alex, were not living on Minimum Wage for a long enough time. They did not have to sacrifice much. If Spurlock would do it again I'd say try for 6 months and tell me how you feel... For Me working at a Grocery Store full time making Minimum Wage where THERE IS NO BUS service and If you don't have a working Car then you are SOL.The 2nd episode of the guy trying to do this Anti-Aging thing was the episode that bugged me the most. First the guy didn't begin his experiment until about Day 5. Second the guy and his wife were whiny stupid annoying spoiled cry babies who had 3 beautiful kids already and all the damn wife could think about was what if her husband couldn't have any more kids. They were both 30 somethings already with 3 kids! WTF Try being in your 30's and all you WANT IS ANY KIDS???? My wife and I have been trying to have kids for 10 years. Third the guy was placing Unrealistic goals to Become youthful again. HE Was maybe, just maybe 30 pounds overweight. All He needed was to take a Multi-vitamin, Drink Water, Eat healthy, Exercise. That's all He needed to do. Popping 40 plus pills a day is b.s. and poking yourself with Testosterone and HGH was just ASKING for trouble.The 3rd episode I saw was very interesting to me. Because I LIVE IN Michigan, I'm In DETROIT and I drive in and around Dearborn 3-4 times a month. I did not like the guy Dave, the so called Faithful Christian at first because He's feeling conflicted claiming he didn't want to be Worshiping another God. UH DUDE, If he did Any Reading at anytime and Understood the History of his Own Faith It wouldn't have been too harmful to accept. How many people are afraid of Jews? Why Not? I do commend the guy Dave for making an effort to learn more of the Muslim culture. He never fully gave it his all though. A couple times I wanted to slap the crap out of him for his attitudes. But I guess that's why 30 Days is a decent show. However There is a lot that is Missing. You can feel that Its been severely Watered down.I wish 30 Days was still around, It's better than a lot of these other Doc style reality shows In my opinion. I plan on watching the Rest of the episodes as time allows.
Michael DeZubiria Given the sheer brilliance and immediate importance of Super Size Me, I was eager to see Morgan Spurlock's next project, the unscripted documentary series "30 Days." Within a few minutes into the first episode, it becomes clear that he is going to use the same structure as he used in his feature documentary, but it also becomes clear that there are a great many subjects and issues in the country and in the world that could use the old Spurlock treatment, if not to solve them, to at least call people's attention to them.In that way, I would say that the series is already a success. Sadly, I doubt his documentary (or even the far superior book - and upcoming, almost surely inferior movie - Fast Food Nation) has had the impact that he had hoped for and America (and our health) really need, but it is certainly a step in the right direction.The basis of this series is that each week someone is taken out of their daily lives and placed into the lives of someone else, someone either polarly different from them, or who leads a lifestyle that is morally, politically, religiously, or some way abhorrent or unacceptable for whatever reason.The Binge Drinking Mom, for example, was abhorred by her daughter's kamikaze-style partying, as was the straight guy by all of the gays that he was surrounded by for a month, and the Christian found himself unwilling and unable to follow many of the customs of the Muslims with whom he lived in his episode. Many of the episodes are astonishing in their ability to illuminate the plight of some of the people in this country, such as the first episode, about our nation's ridiculous minimum wage, as well as to really change and heal uninformed and prejudicial feelings and beliefs, such as the episode where the straight man lives with a gay man for a month. There are true differences and real friendships made, not some contrived piece of claptrap staged for the passing cameras.Then again, some episodes reveal something of a lack of ideas, or at least a failed experiment. The Binge Drinking Mom episode, for example, is stunning in its pointlessness and absurdity, almost as if it belonged in a different series. There is absolutely no sense of realism or positive change anywhere in the episode. If anything, it is the mother whose weakness should be focused on, given the pathetically wan behavior she exhibits when confronted with her daughter's belligerent behavior. She hangs her head in submission as her daughter puts her hand in her face to shut her up about her partying as she answers her ringing cell phone and complains to one of her friends about her pain-in-the-ass mom.Had mom calmly reached over (as mine surely would have done), taken the phone out of her daughter's hand, snapped it in half and laid the pieces onto the table, and then laid down the law, she would have gotten her daughter's attention, at least for the remainder of the time that they spent at the table. Instead, the mother's ensuing drinking experiment comes off as a tired plea of desperation which neither the daughter nor the audience can ever take seriously.Nevertheless, the series as a whole has a lot of good points to make about everything from drinking to religion to sexual orientation, and it is lucky in that it has a pretty open-ended premise. As long as there are problems in America, theoretically it could go on forever. Although given the problem of the diminishing American attention span, much of America, myself included (although not for lack of interest), may soon be on the lookout for what Morgan's got up his other sleeve.
S.R. Dipaling The phrase "reality show" has been stretched so far that it would snap even if it were taffy. Whether it's pseudo-documentary style trash or endurance competitions that seem like game shows on steroids,it seems like there are very few true "reality" programs. Sometimes,these reality shows can have something constructive or vaguely positive about them(I'm thinking of "Nanny 911","Super NAny","Project MAkeoever:Home Edition" as examples)or actually seem like they are following the trek of a realistic situation,or as close as they can get to having one(The Restaurant or Tommy Lee Go to College come to mind),but rarely does a reality show--in my mind--aim to AND create positive results,showing opposite sides of an issue or opposite lifestyles and portray them with some respect,instead of merely breeding conflict. "30 Days" does that,and for the most part,it's effective.Host Morgan Spurlock,whose Supersize Me from 2004 was a surprise break-out hit of a documentary, employs the same type of tactic here as he did in his film. Using a month's time to introduce someone to a different philosophy and/or culture. Whether it's the white American Christian trying to live as a Muslim,a macho Marine living in a Gay neighborhood and house,a member of the Minutemen group(a group of border citizens who try to stem illegal immigrants at the U.S./Mexico border)living with a family of illegal immigrants from Mexico,an Atheist living with Christians,an American working in India where call-centers train natives to "sound more American"(as per outsourcing) and a pro-choice woman living and working at a pro-life birth and counseling center. I know there are other shows,I haven't sen all of them,but I've sen enough of this series' episodes to say that I am quite impressed with this show and its aims. The "fish-out-of-water" concept for a television reality show is such a delicate endeavor:basically,it seems like a set-up for either showing up the participant or showcasing the group the participant has joined as being rubes,fanatics or a combination of both. But this show takes great pains to explain and document both sides of the issue,with Spurlock interviewing members of both sides and giving those involved(And in some cases,those allied with both sides)as much time as possible in front of the camera to vent misgivings,discoveries and feelings. Very similar to other reality programs,but--as alluded before--it's the outcomes and the intent of this show is what pleases me.To those who don't believe reality shows can be used to evoke interest,educate and make attempts to build bridges as opposed to burning them,I would point them to this show and hope that more people(as well as FX network)give this a chance.
liquidcelluloid-1 Network: FX; Genre: Documentary, Reality; Content Rating: TV-PG - MA (occasionally strong language); Perspective: Contemporary (star range: 1 - 4); Season Reviewed: 2 seasons At this point, after "The Shield", "Nip/Tuck" and "Rescue Me", I am putty in the palm of FX's hand. HBO and Showtime - look out. This is the network that is poised to become the new home of quality television. "30 Days" is the network's first step away from scripted dramas and it is a generally successful addition to the line-up.Created and hosted by Morgan Spurlock, this reality series and something of a spin-off from his entertaining, well made obesity exploration documentary "Super-Size Me". Each week Spurlock finds somebody who is willing to immerse themselves in someone else's life for 30 days - somebody who, like the ABC British remake "Wife Swap", is their polar opposite or is someone the media has told us that person should dislike. A Christian lives as a Muslim, a Christian lives as a gay man, gas-guzzling SUV lovers live off the grid and a man who lost his job to outsourcing takes takes one in India. See the pattern here? Even when we do meet an atheist, who wants "God" taken out of the pledge, living with a peaceful religious family (did Spurlock read my season 1 review?), the show flips its formula around and takes her side. We didn't need to see Spurlock's ACLU card to know where he stands.But like in "Super-Size Me", Spurlock is fair and he doesn't look down on the participants or lecture to us too horribly. He comes off like more of an "awe shucks" inquisitor then a pit-bull hell bent on proving a hypothesis. Even his human subjects are sympathetic, if only because of how hard they are trying to make this unenviable situation work. That fairness and authenticity makes "30 Days" almost indistinguishably from every other "reality" show. It isn't trying to put something over on us or humiliate the participants. That is refreshing - which is quite the commentary on the state of reality TV.The effect Spurlock's perspective does have on the show is that many of the experiments really only make sense in a vacuum. There is no explanation as to why people are on minimum wage or why Americans believe what they do about Islam, just that it happens and we need to fix it somehow. All episodes end with the same bleeding-heart message of tolerance and diversity and the two opposites becoming close friends - which is predictable. I'm not asking for "balance" here, just a little more imagination in the topics.In the best episodes, the experiments put us into a squeamish fear for the health of the subjects - such as "Outsourcing", "Binge Drinking Mom" and the best, "Minimum Wage" where Spurlock and his fiancé, Alex, themselves hit the streets of Detroit in what becomes a real trial for survival. "Minimum Wage" is exceptional TV. It was my hope that the rest of the season could match its intensity. But in the 2nd episode, an experiment to debunk hormone therapy, the concept is changed up all together and becomes more like "Penn & Teller: Bullshit".With many of the results predictable, "Days" isn't about how it ends,but about the process - and actually getting to see how this life change slowly effects people is a quite a bit of fun. It is here when the show makes the same fundamental mistake that every other reality show does. As exceptional as the packaging is, the fact remains: real people aren't very interesting. The participants are admirable in their guts and Spurlock finds fairly interesting people to go through this, but even they are unable to carry the show for the whole hour.Fortunately, Spurlock has planned for this. He uses the old documentary stand-by of animated sequences to move through quick educational vignettes and history lessons. Nothing profound, but they are informative enough to get everybody up to speed. Spurlock himself also pops up intermittently amid the experiments to do little experiments of his own, like going down to Mexico and trying to buy his own HGH or interviewing a parent whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver. The show comes back to life when Spurlock, or his fiancé (a game gal if there ever was one), appear back on the screen. Spurlock is a great host/tour guide: energetic, creative, funny, clever - all the things Michael Moore isn't. He pokes fun at his own mustache in the single funniest line of the season."30 Days" should be taken with a grain of salt and has clearly been sanitized for our politically correct protection (his depiction of media sacred cows as the gay man and the American Muslim is strictly by the book), it achieves what is no doubt the goal - to spark debate and discussion at home or at work and have a little fun in the process.The show is restrained emotionally. On one hand it never degrades into sap, on the other hand Spurlock doesn't go full force and give us an emotional punch in the face some stories probably need. On the other hand it isn't manipulative. This is a slight show, but Spurlock makes it work. Plug it back into the reality/documentary genre it belongs in and it looks even better. I hope the show returns and would like to see Spurlock given the chance to really get creative with the experiments. Twist the knife a bit. The potential is there for a great product.* * * /4