Black Gold
Upcoming episodes
May 4th
600p
Blood and Guts
Big Dog Driller Justin has his first doubts about Derek, the rig’s worm. Driller Wayne and the brand-new Viking rig struggle to reach total depth. Gerald rides his Longhorn crew hard during a rig move and one of his roughnecks is injured.
May 4th
700p
Enough is Enough
Two roughnecks are injured during Viking’s rig move. Justin and his Big Dog crew are struggling to finally finish their first well, but unreliable worm Derek is holding them back. And on Longhorn, Driller Gerald pushes his roughnecks past their breaking point.
May 4th
800p
An Accident Waiting to Happen
Big Dog moves to its new home, but old tensions still flare between Derek and Justin. The Viking rig overcomes killer snakes and killer hangovers to reach oil. Josh and his young crew take over on the Longhorn and oilman Mike LaMonica isn’t happy about it.
May 11th
600p
Hitting Bottom
Big Dog’s Driller Justin is losing patience with Derek, the rig’s worm. Josh and the young Longhorn crew drill into poison gas. Oilman Mike LaMonica rushes to the Viking rig when Wayne’s crew faces a crisis that could cost them the well.
May 11th
700p
The Big Strike
On the Longhorn rig, young Driller Josh’s unsafe performance puts both his crew and his job in jeopardy. Tensions between Big Dog's Driller Justin and his worm, Derek, finally come to a head. Wayne’s Viking rig makes an unexpected find and oilman Mike LaMonica might have discovered a new reservoir of Black Gold.
May 11th
800p
A Race Against Time
Big Dog’s owner, independent oilman Autry Stevens, is racing to save 4 expiring leases that will be worth half a billion dollars in oil production “lose the leases lose the company.” On the rig, the pressure of 4 holes in 50 days has the roughnecks at each other’s throats. To make matters worse the day crew finds is forced to train a worm. Cheston has never set foot on an oil rig, and he soon finds out that working on a drill site is somewhere between joining a fraternity or a prison gang. You have to earn respect or get run off… or worse. Cheston’s main tormentor is the driller, Pee Wee. At 5’7” this Napoleonic powder keg rules with intense energy and a clenched fist. Within minutes, he’s ready to send Cheston scurrying down the road with his tail between his legs. But soon Pee Wee has another roughneck to worry about… oilfield veteran Gerald Williams in joining Big Dog 28… when he finally passes his drug test. Gerald and Cheston are friends and Gerald’s supposed to be the worm’s mentor on the rig…if he can get there. Even though shifts change, the rig never stops and neither does the drama. Ron is the driller on the night crew and his main job is wrangling roughnecks, Josh, Travis, and Brandon. But when Travis is late hot head Brandon wants to fight him on the rig. Tensions ratchet even higher when the rig finally finishes its first well and has to move the massive rig 1 mile to the next drill site.
May 18th
600p
Rookie Mistake
Gerald’s finally working on Big Dog 28…but he’s working as derrickman. He’s second in command and has to take orders from driller Pee Wee, a kid half his age. But Gerald has his sights set on Pee Wee’s job. When Gerald gets caught up yelling at Cheston the veteran forgets about his job and lets the pits go dry… a rookie move that could cost everyone their jobs. Pee Wee doesn’t notice because he’s too busy trying to get Cheston to quit. When Pee Wee pushes Cheston to his breaking point it looks like Cheston’s roughneck career may be over. When the night crew takes over the rig Brandon makes a rookie mistake that brings drilling to a screeching halt and puts everyone’s jobs at risk. When driller Ron threatens to demote Brandon, the roughneck explodes in Ron’s face. Tool pusher Freddie has no use for a hand that costs him time and money so Brandon may be hitting the unemployment line. Travis is worried for his buddy Josh’s safety because Josh doesn’t have his mind on the rig. He’s thinking about his girl Sydney… who eventually shows up at the drill site and drags Josh away.
May 18th
700p
Rig Inspection Nerves
Big Dog Rig 28 is racing to finish the 2nd of 4 wells in 50 days when tool pusher Freddy, the on-site rig manager, learns about an upcoming rig inspection. The crews are already on edge, but Freddy fuels the fire when he begins telling everyone how to do their jobs as he tries to get the rig ready for inspection. Driller Pee Wee is at odds with his two new crew members. Worm Cheston makes a mistake that threatens the life of everyone on the rig and veteran Gerald schemes to take over as a driller.
May 18th
800p
The Hole from Hell
The roughnecks of Big Dog 28 are on schedule to make their goal of 4 holes in 50 days… something no one thought could be done. But the third hole is proving to be much harder than the first two. The crews dub it “The Hole from Hell.” Pee Wee’s daylight crew takes the brunt of the problems. Equipment fails, injuries slow the crew, and tempers flare as hot as the west Texas sun. Pee Wee continues to struggle with Cheston. Even Gerald turns on the worm. And Ron’s evening crew isn’t immune to problems on the rig. He loses a good hand to another company and must break in a new guy who calls himself “Tank,” but Tank’s brawn is rendered unless when he forgets his boots on the first day. Things go from bad to worse when the drill pipe “twists off” and drilling comes to a standstill. Then, it’s a race to repair Big Dog 28… and with every passing minute, the roughnecks get further from their goal of “4 in 50” and closer to losing their jobs.