The Piece Maker
Painter and puzzle maker Eric Dowdle travels around the world to learn from locals and experience environments firsthand. Each story and place he encounters becomes a piece of a new puzzle he creates.
- 2022-2023
- 1 season
- Magnolia Network
- Reality
Painter and puzzle maker Eric Dowdle travels around the world to learn from locals and experience environments firsthand. Each story and place he encounters becomes a piece of a new puzzle he creates.
Season 1 Episode Guide
8 Episodes 2023
Episode 1
Anchorage: The Gateway to the Wild
Sat, Apr 1, 2023 24 mins
Eric traverses the great Alaskan wilderness as research for his next puzzle about people and wildlife. He sails alongside orcas and glaciers, cares for animals at a conservation center, mushes with Iditarod racers, and explores the wilds by seaplane.
Episode 2
Hawaii: The Big Island
Sat, Apr 1, 2023 24 mins
Eric explores the Big Island of Hawai'i to discover the connection between the land and sea. He dives with manta rays, roasts Kona coffee beans, hikes an active volcano, and surfs in an outrigger canoe in order to create an authentic island puzzle.
Episode 3
San Francisco: The Golden West
Sat, Apr 8, 2023 24 mins
Eric arrives in San Francisco to uncover the city's most beloved icons. He operates the cable cars, whips up Ghirardelli chocolate, explores Chinatown's hidden gems with a local, and restores a Victorian home for a nostalgic puzzle that tells a new story.
Episode 4
Outer Banks: Sand and Sky
Sat, Apr 15, 2023 24 mins
Eric adventures over the Outer Banks to experience the story of flight for a risky puzzle. He assembles a Wright Brothers replica, flies a tiny two-seat plane, dives an Atlantic shipwreck, and climbs a lighthouse with a rare caretaker who lives on-site.
Episode 5
New York: City of a Million Stories
Sat, Apr 22, 2023 24 mins
Eric tackles millions of stories for one New York City puzzle. He sails an old-school tall ship through the Harbor, takes a special tour of the Statue of Liberty, bakes bagels and slices lox at Russ and Daughters, and learns to craft real Broadway costumes.
Episode 6
New Orleans: The Big Easy
Sat, Apr 22, 2023 24 mins
Eric revels in the artistry of New Orleans and its unmatched celebrations to make a puzzle. He constructs Mardi Gras floats, uncovers the story of the city's signature colors, bakes traditional king cakes, and joins a famous jazz marching band.
Episode 7
Miami: Where Time Stands Still
Sat, Apr 29, 2023 24 mins
Eric dives into Miami to make a puzzle that captures a vibrant snapshot of the city's past. He cruises through art deco history on Ocean Drive, builds a custom neon sign, learns the secret to the perfect Cuban sandwich, and rescues baby sea turtles.
Episode 8
Wild, Wild West
Sat, Apr 29, 2023 24 mins
Eric travels across Utah to experience the American West by riding a helicopter through red rock mesas, hiking to Pueblo dwellings with a local guide, joining a cattle drive, meeting wild mustangs and creating a folk painting for a new puzzle.