| Hardcore Pawn | |
|---|---|
| Format | Documentary Reality television |
| Starring | Leslie "Les" Gold Seth Gold Ashley Broad |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 51 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | Detroit, Michigan |
| Running time | 30 min. (with commercials) |
| Production company(s) | RDF USA / Zodiak USA Richard Dominick Productions |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | TruTV |
| Original run | August 16, 2010 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Hardcore Pawn is an American documentary reality television series produced by RDF USA (later Zodiak USA) and Richard Dominick Productions for truTV about the day-to-day operations of American Jewelry and Loan, a family-owned pawn shop on Greenfield Road between 8 Mile Road and the John C. Lodge Freeway in Detroit, Michigan.[1][2]
The series premiered on August 16, 2010,[3] delivering 2 million viewers, setting a new record as truTV's most-watched series premiere ever.[4]
On June 22, 2011, the day after Hardcore Pawn's fourth season debut, the series was picked up for a fifth season,[5] which debuted November 15.[6]
Contents |
American Jewelry is owned by Les Gold, a 60-year-old man who is the son of a pawnbroker who once owned Sam's Loans, a now-defunct pawnshop on Michigan Avenue in Detroit.[7] Les first opened American Jewelry at the Green Eight Shopping Center on 8 Mile Road in Oak Park in 1978, moving to its present location in 1993.[8] In 2011, American Jewelry expanded to its second location when it acquired Premier Jewelry and Loan in Pontiac;[9][10] the new location will be part of Hardcore Pawn beginning in the fifth season.[11]
The shop's general manager is Les' son, Seth, who also handles the shop's marketing (he claims that if it wasn't for him, the shop's only marketing would be "an ad in the Yellow Pages").[12] The assistant manager is Les' daughter, Ashley, who, as the series debuted, returned to the shop after taking some time off for maternity leave. The sibling rivalry between her and Seth is a common element of many episodes.
The show has been largely compared to Pawn Stars on History, but in the vein of other truTV programs (Operation Repo and All Worked Up for example), the focus is mainly on the human aspects of drama, conflicts, humor and absurdity between the staff members and their customers, rather than the significance of the items being brought into the shop. Both shows also bear pawn-related wordplay in their titles and, during Hardcore Pawn's first season, aired simultaneously on Monday at 10 PM ET.
Because of the similarities however, Hardcore Pawn has been accused of being simply a knock-off and a capitalization on the breakout success of Pawn Stars.[13] Les has said that Hardcore Pawn is a more-realistic portrayal of a pawn shop than Pawn Stars: "There will be people from all walks of life laughing, crying and experiencing a wide range of emotions. Every item has a story. And some of these stories are incredible, whether you believe them or not... We're a Detroit-made business that represents what real pawn shops do... [catering to a] wide range of real people who need money."[8] Some scenes featured in Hardcore Pawn have also been speculated to have been staged;[14] however, Les defends the show, saying that no part of the program was staged.[8]
According to Marc Juris, executive vice president and general manager of truTV, "Quite honestly, we did absolutely nothing different than we would have done whether or not the other show was on the air... We look for shows that really hit our sweet spot and when they're right for our audience is when we put them on the air." He also noted that Hardcore Pawn was in development for more than a year and two test episodes aired in December 2009. Regarding the initial identical time slot with Pawn Stars, Juris claimed the choice was because Hardcore Pawn fit well with Operation Repo. When the series' second season debuted in December 2010, the show was moved to Tuesdays at 9PM ET, often as part of an evening marathon that includes repeats of earlier episodes.[15]
Nancy DuBuc, president and general manager of History, said she couldn't speak to whether TruTV's choice is truly a coincidence. "I haven't seen [Hardcore Pawn]... There's no mistaking the power of the show that we've launched."[16]
| Season | Episodes | Season Premiere | Season Finale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pilots | 2 | December 21, 2009 | December 21, 2009 | |
| 1 | 8 | August 16, 2010 | September 27, 2010 | |
| 2 | 8 | December 28, 2010 | February 8, 2011 | |
| 3 | 13 | February 15, 2011 | May 24, 2011 | |
| 4 | 13 | June 21, 2011 | October 4, 2011 | |
| 5 | November 15, 2011 | |||
As of January 3, 2012, a total of 51 episodes, including two pilots, have been broadcast.