How America Works

A team of modern-day lumberjacks take to the forests of coastal Alaska to harvest the cornerstone commodity that frames our lives. But with a last-minute order to fill, they're working overtime to cut, haul and ship out a record amount of lumber.

A team of roughnecks show what it takes to bring the lifeblood of modern society out of the ground and into our everyday existence. But harvesting their latest haul of oil will hinge on a new $100,000 well that'll make or break their small company.

A crew of waste management workers bring cameras along for a day in the life of taking out our trash. But with a staff Longage upon them and the same tight deadlines as ever - keeping America's streets clean today will be a taller than usual order.

The employees of the Hoover Dam work day in and day out to bring electricity to the masses. But when a heatwave hits in the middle of maintenance season, the race is on to get all seventeen generators online before the demand for power skyrockets.

The men and women aboard a massive fishing boat toil 24/7 to harvest America's sustenance from the sea. But after coming up Long on their last trip, the pressure is on to fill their quota this time out and get the whole operation back in the black.

The hard-working men and women of America's entertainment industry in Las Vegas ramp up for post-COVID masses; and at Circus Circus Casino, that means bringing all operations back to full capacity for the first time in over a year.

A team of sewer technicians work out of sight to keep the guts of the nation flowing as they should; in the wake of a storm, with another on the way, they're racing to clean up the aftermath before more rainfall floods their whole system.

It takes a small army of airport workers to keep Americans and their cargo moving about the country; on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the busiest day of their year, they're all working overtime to keep passengers and parcels alike in transit.

Salt workers brave a barren landscape to bring this all-important mineral to the American public. But with a cold front sweeping the northern states - and icy roads in need of salt - they're racing to harvest and send off as much product as possible.

Steel workers labor around the clock to forge the bones of the nation's roadways, buildings, bridges and beyond; with record highs in steel demand, they're doubling their efforts to reclaim, smelt and ship more product than ever.