Miami Ink and Inked: Worth Watching?

Being a tattoo fan, I was pretty excited when I saw that there were going to be two new shows featuring tattooing. The first one I saw advertised was Miami Ink, which airs on Tuesday at 10:00 pm on TLC. The second one is called Inked and can be seen on A&E on Wednesdays at 9:00 pm. I imagined they would be very similar - so much so that it would become repetitive to watch both of them.

My expectations were of small parlors with seasoned artists and I hoped that these shows would dismiss some of the negative opinions that people have on tattoos and those that sport them. Although they are both related to the world of tattoos, they are very different shows.

Miami Ink is an hour long show that chronicles the experiences of four friends who open a custom tattoo shop in South Beach. From the beginning you see the close friendship that these men have and how it helps them work so well together. The show shows a little of their off-duty lives, just enough to give you some insight to who they are.

The artists are Ami James, the main narrator of the show; Chris Garver, a highly regarded artist among the tattoo world; Chris Nunez, who honed his skills as a graffiti artist; and Darren Brass, also with a history of graffiti and the most endearing of the bunch. And lets not forget Yoji Harada, the apprentice of the shop, who can be seen doing various chores around the shop while also learning the intricacies of tattooing.

Inked, which is set in a shop in Vegas's Palms Casino Resort, has a completely different feel to it. The shop appears to be more flashy and has a view of slot machines outside its glass doors. There are a group of regular cast members for this show also.

They are co-owners Carey Hart and Thomas Pendelton; Clark, the one-eyed tattooer; Eric Pele, or Big E, who has been in this profession since 2000; Monica, who was the manager of the show, but has taken a leave of absence since her break up with Thomas; Quinn, the ditsy receptionist; and Dizzle, who apparently is an apprentice, but really doesn't do a whole lot.

The main difference between these two shows is the amount of the show that actually deals with tattooing. On Miami Ink, it is a fairly large portion. They show you new clients entering the shop and discussing what they want to get with the artists. They also get a little background from them on the reason behind their idea.

Sometimes their reason is deeply personal, other times it is just for the beauty of the work. Miami Ink also shows the artists at work. They go from the idea, to the drawing, to the stencil, to the application and tattooing of the customer. They explain some of the technical aspects of tattooing and show the work in progress.

At times, when the customer's story rings true to something the artist went through in his life, the artist may share a story from his past and explain how having a connection with the customer helps him come up with the appropriate design.

Inked, on the other hand, does not show much of this. Most of what you see on Inked is the drama of the employees. One episode revolves around whether or not Quinn will be fired for her antics. On a similar show, the question is whether or not Dizzle will be fired for the lack of work he does.

And on yet another episode, you see the soap opera of Thomas and Monica's relationship unfolding and wonder if she will continue to work with him at the shop or not. Occasionally someone might even come in and ask if they can get a tattoo. Maybe if Inked was an hour-long show like Miami Ink, they might be able to squeeze some tattoo related activities in, but it really doesn't seem like they are too concerned about that.

I wouldn't go as far as saying that either show is bad, but whereas Miami Ink is a show about a tattoo parlor where you happen to get to know the people involved, Inked is a show about the employees that just happens to be set in a tattoo parlor.

Depending on what kind of show you are actually looking for, one might be worth watching and the other might not be. If you are looking for a reality show that focuses on adventures of it's wacky staff, then tune in to Inked. But if you are looking for actual tattoo related material, stick with Miami Ink.