Antiques Roadshow

I love the American version of "Antiques Roadshow" that is shown on PBS. It's very, very interesting and even my daughter loved it when she was a tiny kid. Why? Because the stories are so interesting and the appraisals so enlightening. Think about it--folks bring in their knickknacks and treasures to discover if they are actually worth something--and that's most of what the show is all about other than a visit in each episode to a museum or collection for a short interlude in the middle of the show.

Although the British first came up with "Antiques Roadshow", I find that I prefer the American one (though I watch both). That's because, for me, much of the excitement of the show is watching the reactions on the public when they get their appraisals--and the British reactions are, in general, much more muted.

In all the episodes, I never saw any real action or drama or comedy.

The plot is so repetitive.

****Somebody gets something old and then somebody else tells them a little bit about it and how much it's worth and who made it and where it comes from and how much it could sell for and if there was any work done to it.

Sowhile I watched about 30 of these, i realized...there is no drama....nobody ever loses a limb or life or gets divorced or hit by a car or air-plane.

There are no car chases or explosions- not even a horse race with old carriages.

All those guns and swords and nobody goes on a violent killing spree...what gives? No pshycos, no axe-murders, no-gun-totting old Englishmen in bad suits...just yap yap yap...you have an old tea set and it came from the country of Germany back in 1602 - blah blah blah...

I'm still waiting for somebody with a time machine to go on screen and ask about it, but no...it never comes to be and the only thing that happens is that some stuffy Englishman or woman serves up some crap about something old being sold in Boston or China during the Ming Dynasty - big EFFIN deal.

Can't anybody ever kidnap one of the leads and hold them for ransom? Is there no alien spacecraft that will obliterate the entire floor? Who the hell writes this stuff as a series and expects us to stay awake? This is about as entertaining as watching paint dry - only with commentary.

There's no sex, there's no comedy or romance, no action, no suspense, no action, no drama, no mystery or martial arts.

This show sucks! What ever happened to supermodels wearing thongs and spewing lasers from a futuristic weapon? Antiques Roadshow - More like grab a blanket and pillow and go to sleep show...

Let's face it, we are all trying to make money in these tough times or invest it in antiques. In this series, the appraisers travel around the country to appraise various items. There are always interesting items that pop up at the road shows. There are thousands of willing guests praying that they hold a treasure among their prized possessions. One guy brought Gale Sayers football jersey with marks and all that his wife was going to throw out. The appraiser valued it at 20,000-30,000 easily. The jersey was priceless anyway because of the history during his season. Of course, some people like myself look around for my most valuable piece whether it's furniture or a book. One lady retrieved a book from the garbage which was an actual screenplay to an early film with autographs from the director, writer, and major cast members. She saved it from near destruction. Now, not everything is going to be valuable unless you pay a lot of money or go treasure hunting. I think this hobby is better suited for adults. Check around to see if you have a valuable painting etc. that could pay the bills or if not. Keep looking, and watch and learn from the show itself.

It's funny that the same review fits here as the one I wrote for the British original: A nice little show about antique objects and their value. But it could have been presented better, more beautifully, more comfortably. The German version "Bares für Rares" is a lot better positioned here.

The fun bits of this show that gives you a free appraisal of that thingamajig that you got out of Aunt Mabel's attic is when 1) it turns out to be very rare and/or valuable, 2) when it has an interesting history even when the monetary worth is minimal, or 3) it is a complete fake and the viewer learns, "Buyer Beware!", and the owner is (we hope for his sake) thankful that he only paid a few dollars at a flea market for it.

The appraisers always seem very happy when they are able to deliver good news to the person and quite consoling when the occasional fraud turns up.