It follows Mike Rowe as he travels across the United States in search of people who are giving back to their communities.

Facebook's vice-president of media partnerships Nick Grudin has said that the show has worked well on the platform because Rowe is "a very engaged creator, thinking through how to participate in natural ways with the audience in order to make and develop the storyline.

"[5] Between the first and second seasons, Returning the Favor released seven short videos, labeled as "Micro Editions", that ran between 6 and 7 minutes in length.

[6] On July 25, 2018, it was announced during the Television Critics Association's annual summer press tour that Facebook had renewed the series for a third season.

[1][9] In November 2017, Returning the Favor was one of five shows cited by Got Your 6, an entertainment industry-affiliated veterans organization with a Got Your 6 certification.