I have recently subscribed to cable TV after not having it for about 10 years. It can be rather addictive but I am also intrigued by the the shows on cable now about how Americans collect junk and can sell almost anything.
Its also interesting that for the most part these shows are not on the old mainstream networks but on the cable based networks.
Having said that, I want to start with one show that is on a mainstream network and was probably the first of the trend. The popular show 'Antiques Roadshow' has been on PBS for a number of years. This show is different from the others I will list in that it travels around the country and is not regional or location based. On 'Roadshow' people bring their items in for appraisal by experts and find out that they have treasures or trash, so in this sense it is like the others. However this is different from the others in that while people find out what the items are worth, they don't get offers to buy the items. 4 Saguaros
So that brings me to the other current shows. Pawn Stars, Auction Kings, American Pickers and Hoarders.
Pawn Stars is set in Las Vegas. A family owned pawn shop the people who make up the 'cast' are three generations of a family, the 'Old Man', the son Rick in his forties and Corry in his 20s. People bring in random items to be appraised to sell or pawn and we get to hear the history of the items, sometimes an outside expert is enlisted. The people have a great rapport and they keep it light and funny. 4 Saguaros
Auction Kings is set in Atlanta, or around there and is an auction house owned by a guy who grew up around auction houses as his father owned one. The owner is also bringing in his teenage son to the business. Again people bring in random items to be auctioned and we get to see the vagary of what things are worth, or at least how much people will pay for items. 4 Saguaros
American Pickers takes a slightly different tact on things. Here we have two guys who go out in their van and actively look for stuff. Usually finding people who have been collecting junk for years, they make an offer for items that they can resell. Since they are going to people's homes and storage barns or garages we get a different look at things. 4 Saguaros
Another show with a nice twist is Storage Wars. This show is about storage lockers that people rent. When people do not pay their rent they forfeit what is in the storage lockers. The people who own the storage facility then hold an auction for the lockers. For the auction, the locker doors are opened and potential bidders can look in the lockers, but cannot go inside the lockers and actually see what is there, they have to guess. So the bidders are kind of doing a blind bid, but they can end up with stuff worth a fortune or worth nothing. 4 Saguaros
And finally Hoarders. This one is the most extreme and disturbing of the shows. This shows follows people who have not only been collecting things but doing so in an obsessive way. The real people on this show have been keeping so much stuff that some parts of their homes are unlivable. They often just have paths through their homes for navigating. The show treats this like a disease, which I think it is, and show the effects it has on the families and children of those involved. 3.5 Saguaros
