Comment c'est fait

What a joy it is to walk into the living room in the morning and see the kids watching something educational, ON THEIR OWN! Not only that, but I actually enjoy sitting with them and watching too because it's so interesting. We store multiple episodes on TiVo, read the descriptions, and decide which products we'd like to learn about. In this day and age we take everything for granted but How It's Made does a great job of taking everyday products and making the story of their creation interesting. I will never take cornflakes for granted now that I know what they go through. Ditto fire extinguishers and Wellingtons. But most important, I absolutely love the fact that my kids would rather watch this than cartoons.

This show is extremely well done. The range of products showcased is broad and interesting, and the amount of detail presented for each segment strikes the right balance between thoroughness and conciseness -- particularly given the short attention span of today's TV audience. The finished product is slick and technically excellent, which is particularly remarkable given just how few people put this show together (take a moment to watch the end credits sometime -- you'll be surprised!) I was unimpressed by the work of the male narrator they used in some early episodes, but apart from that I've found little to fault and have been a devoted watcher pretty much since day one. Unreservedly suitable and entertaining for all ages, and superb for family viewing.

The wide variety of the many excellent shows give an interesting view of your everyday products from the factory to your uses, each segment gives a detailed view on how it all goes down. As one of the very popular shows on The Science Channel and Discovery Channel, many people learn about the complex techniques and processes used to produce ordinary and extraordinary products. Most segments teach everyone watching a interesting process. The music is also great, accompanying the narration , I always jam to the background, even in the most uninteresting (to me) segments, there is always something good on in How It's Made.

I think those who are critiquing the lack of intimate details aren't paying attention to the idea of patent infringement. This show gives a great overview of the making of everyday objects we take for granted. From CDs to barstools...even beer! My oldest son was mesmerized by the wine making episode and has become a fount of information, lol. I love to watch this show with my kids!

My only critique is that the voice over is occasionally too bland; other than that, its terrific! If you are a fan of learning, you will probably enjoy this show.

Give it a try; if its not for you, no worries. But perhaps your children might enjoy it, so let them give it a shot!

I can't get enough of this show. The simple, straightforward delivery really allows the viewer to focus on the manufacturing processes without dealing with any drama or attempts at humor.My kids thought it was boring at first, but they are now "addicted" to the show. VERY educational. I only hope the show keeps its current format and does not switch to a flashier one as the show's popularity grows.I have seen shows on the manufacturing of everything from Cricket bats to vinyl records disks and dinosaur skeleton reproductions. If you are curious about the fabrication process involved in the manufacturing of everyday devices, you will also find "How it's Made" hard to turn off.