"Pawn Stars" - Reality Shows Come to the History Channel

"Pawn Stars" on The History Channel is one of my cable TV guilty pleasures. The series takes place in a family-owned Las Vegas strip 24-hour pawn shop, The Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. It was started by 60-something Richard Harrison in 1988. He's affectionately known as "The Old Man" on the show.

The Cast

The other three cast members include two more generations of the Harrison family, the Old Man's 40-something son "Rick" and 20-something grandson "Big Hoss." Rick runs the place.

My favorite "Pawn Star" cast member, however, is Chumlee, Big Hoss's best buddy and co-worker. The Old Man and Chumlee provide the main comic relief on the show. The Old Man is a cranky bastard and Chumlee is a likeable dim bulb.

The Episodes

In each episode, the pawnbrokers assess "pieces of American history," thus the connection to the History Channel. Customers are mostly a cross-section of Vegas "townies." They come into the shop with a bizarre assortment of items such as a 200-year-old German cuckoo clock, a spoon made by Paul Revere, a vintage working gas station pump, a Piper-Cub airplane, a medieval suit of armor, and a pristinely restored 1957 Cadillac Eldorado.

For me, each customer's "back story" is the chief entertainment factor in "Pawn Stars." Do they really need the cash and why?