The 3 Most Successful Las Vegas Reality TV Series
April 27 2024, Published 3:56 p.m. ET
Over the years, Las Vegas has found itself known for many different things. Including the Las Vegas strip, its huge bustling casinos home to jackpot slots, some of the best arenas that play host to the world's biggest performers and much more. And it’s this popularity that has also seen it home to some of the most successful reality TV series, not just in the USA but in the world. Today we are going to take a look at three of the most successful TV series to have come out of Las Vegas and the success and influence they delivered.
Pawn Stars
There’s probably no doubt at all that you have seen an episode of this reality TV series set in a family-run pawn shop in Las Vegas. Ran by the Harrison’s, the World Famous Silver and Gold Pawn Shop sees people from all walks of life come into the shop hoping to get the best prices and fast cash for their items. It first started being aired in 2009 and is still going strong to this day, with the show celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. Though in 2018 sadly the Harrison family saw the passing of the Old Man, the eldest of the family who starred in the show.
What sets the show apart from other pawn shop TV shows is some of the remarkable items that come into the shop. Some of which of course are Vegas-related such as the sale to the shop of a blackjack table. However, some items belonging to some of the biggest names in showbiz, music and even past presidents have been featured in some of the episodes. Such as a coat worn by the rockstar Elvis, a box of cigars that belonged to John F Kennedy and much more. The show has seen no signs of slowing down so we can expect to see this on our screens for many years to come.
Counting Cars
This is a spin-off of Pawn Stars which focuses and revolves around a vehicle restoration unit called Count’s Kustoms, owned by Danny Koker (who is also known as the ‘Count’). Danny has appeared in numerous episodes of Pawn Stars as one of the experts that the Harrison family calls in to give their appraisals on the value of items. It is the third spin-off following American Restoration and Cajun Pawn Stars and debuted in 2012, three years after Pawn Stars launched and has since gone on to be a hit on our screens for over 10 seasons.
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The show follows a similar format to that of Pawn Stars whereby the cast and crew follow Danny and his team around as they both restore and also modify classic cars and bikes. But as you might imagine, these aren’t just the run-of-the-mill classics. Instead, you see staggering and beautiful transformations of some absolute classics.
American Restoration
Also a spin-off of Pawn Stars, American Restoration is filmed in Las Vegas. It focuses on an antique restoration unit called Rick’s Restorations, owned by Rick Dale. He appears in Pawn Stars to assist Rick Harrison and the pawn shop team in prices before, for and after the restoration of items that are brought into the shop that have seen better days and deserve to be restored to their former glory.
It was first aired in 2010 the year after Pawn Stars hit our screen and went on to cover over 7 seasons before it eventually ended in 2016. However, since then we still see Rick Dale on Pawn Stars helping his fellow namesake with valuations and pricing. Alongside Pawn Stars and also Counting Cars, American Restoration has been a huge franchise that has brought Las Vegas to the forefront of reality TV and has seen the transformation of some of the most beautiful and amazing historical
Summary
The three reality TV series we have looked at today are of course interlinked, however, these are only a few of the many successful TV series out there that have Las Vegas to thank in part for their success and also to call home. There are many other series out there that focus on other areas of life in Vegas including multiple reality TV series that focus on the casinos within Las Vegas, the day-to-day life within the casinos and some even following some of the cities ‘high rollers’. Las Vegas is rich in both its historical and also present culture, a diverse mix of excitement, rich history and a fantastic range and mix of personalities.