Review: 'Sons Of Winter'

The last time I checked there were more than 30 docu-reality U.S. television shows set in Alaska and far Northern Canada. For all of the numbers, the shows basically fall into one of two categories. There are the "look how exciting this job is in Alaska," and that covers everything from DEADLIEST CATCH to ALASKA STATE TROOPERS. The second category are the shows that offer some glimpse into what it's like living in such a cold, hostile environment. Think LIFE BELOW ZERO or ALASKA: THE LAST FRONTIER.

The problem with both categories of shows is that there's a temptation to try and tweak the story to make it more interesting. Conflict is created in the editing, participants are encouraged by producers to try things just because it will look good on camera. There are a hundred ways a show can be manipulated and if the producer is good enough, the "scripting" won't be apparent to the viewers.

All of which is a way of saying that I approach shows like the new Discovery series SONS OF WINTER with more than a bit of skepticism. I'm looking for ways I might be getting fooled and end up spending more time than I should making calls to see what I can find out about the participants and the show. I don't mind if the story isn't a 100 percent accurate portrayal of the participants lives; after all, cameras are involved. I just don't want to begin enjoying a show that has about as much to do with real life as a completely scripted network drama.

Luckily for me, SONS OF WINTER turns out to be a very entertaining series which also seems to be free from a lot of the heavy-handed editing you'll see in other shows in the genre. Like NatGeo's LIFE BELOW ZERO, the participants apparently set down ground rules ahead of time agreeing to allow the cameras be present only if they didn't overtly interfere with what they were filming. The results are a show that is compelling, with small moments that are as exciting as anything that could have been slapped together in editing.

SONS OF WINTER follows the lives of the Barks family, homesteaders who live off the grid and mostly by themselves in Northern Saskatchewan, a far Northern province of Canada. The show is about the five member family and how they live in such an unforgiving place. But the season will also focus on 20-year-old Dale and 19-year-old Shane, who decide to set off on 90-day journey to test their survival skills. The result is that the show (at least for now) is split between the two eldest boys and the homestead, where father Randy, mom Tara and 15-year-old Kole try and prepare for the winter.

On the face of it, the show might not seem that unusual. You've certainly seem some of the hunting scenes in other shows.

What ultimately makes SONS OF WINTER worth watching are the Barks, who are articulate and thoughtful about their lifestyle and the decisions that keep them there. The family doesn't have the aggressive quirkiness of ALASKAN BUSH PEOPLE's Bush Family or the oppressive solitude that's often present in LIFE BELOW ZERO. The Barks choose to live often solitary lives, but they are not solitary people. And that makes the conversation a lot more interesting than you'll find in most shows set in the Great North.

Family patriach Randy is especially impressive on camera. He was a teacher before he and Tara moved to Saskatchewan and he still retains a lot of those teaching skills. He's an articulate and often funny man who manages to make his family's very unusual life seem like the most logical of choices. He and Tara have made a family and great life together in a very harsh place and after only watching one episode of the show, it's difficult for me to imagine them living anywhere else.

The premiere episode of the show hints at some upcoming problems for Dale and Shane during their quest and it's enough of a tease to make me want to watch the rest of the season. Some of Discovery's recent efforts haven't grabbed me (yes, BIG GIANT SWORDS, I'm looking at you). But SONS OF WINTER is another solid addition to the network's lineup and one I'll be watching even when I don't have to write about it.