American Restoration

The first three to four seasons were great! Then the History Channel started adding all the scripted drama that killed the show. Most of the folks commenting here are just clueless as to how the world works. They complain that enough of the actual work isn't shown. Well, each show would need to be 10 hours long if you followed each item thoroughly from start to finish. Many complain about pricing. For them, I would suggest they lease a huge property and fill it with a Million Dollars worth of tools and equipment and then hire a solid crew of skilled craftsmen to do restorations. If they can do that and charge bargain basement prices on their restorations, I'll give them a pat on the shoulder. Basically, in this world, you get what you pay for. Wonder how many of the complainers have a $1000 iPhone in their pocket that shatters the first time you drop it? Anyways, it was a wonderful show. I enjoyed the first 6 seasons. I loved watching 'the family' each week and watching Rick teach his son and stepson responsibility and seeing them become productive members of society after learning their skilled trade. Wonderful show! It was like watching a 1960's era family. Sure, people argued and bickered. But, that's life. I spent my life working the oil fields and shipyards around the world. That's kind of the norm for folks in the skilled trade fields.

I was very pleased when American Restoration spun off of Pawn Stars The concept was thoroughly engaging and became a personal favorite. Its decline in quality was subtle until the dramatic and unessisary introduction of the character Leonard. This was a grave and incredible stumble and prompted me to simply stop watching the show. So strong was my reaction and disappointment it compelled me to write this comment while seeing a re-run. As it evolved the show became less technical and more incredible. Obviously staged scenes attempted to keep the audience engaged. It has instead transitioned to being sad with sarcastic characters and plot lines that are insulting. Simply not true to the original concept. The premise was good, the current execution is unacceptable. You have silenced a positive voice for American Restoration and you've lost at least one more viewer.

I used to watch this program and enjoyed it. It showed people working hard, who had great knowledge of restoration. The first couple of seasons were great, but now it's become the same old reality trash that most other shows are. I like watching something that is informative and shows you something you don't see everyday. American Restoration has grown into stupidity. I don't care about who bought a dog, or who gets in trouble at school, and I certainly don't care about any wedding crap either. I thought this was a show about restoration, not picking out a wedding dress. The entire show now focuses on this kind of stuff. I've stopped watching it since you don't see much about restoration. You just see the item as old and rusty, to brand new. I guess if you like watching a bunch of grown men bickering about nothing,then watch it. Maybe TLC will pick up the next season. I think the low point was having to endure Rick crying about moving. Just terrible.

I loved the show when it first started. Rick seems like a genuinely nice guy. There was some contrived shtick, but now (2014) it's getting out of hand. They spend less time showing how the work is done and more time on everybody trying to be an inked-up weirdo and phony conflict scenarios. I don't expect the show to view like a PBS craftsman documentary, but I don't know why History has come to believe that everybody enjoys this fake sitcom garbage. They have introduced 3 new cast members, and all their scenarios and hi-jinks seem utterly scripted. I liked it better when his wife was on camera now and then. I think they need to go back to basics and focus on the history of the items and the details of how they are restored. I'm starting to wonder if the work is even done there. I was in shock the other day when a guy was actually demonstrating a lathe. They need more of that! I know reality TV is anything but reality, but this show is getting hard to watch, especially that kid with the two-tone hair that hasn't seemed to mature at all in 5 years. I'd have thought he'd lose that preposterous dye job by season 3. Honestly, everybody trying to be "weird" on History is getting really tedious and dull.

I used to love this show as the restoration of antiques is a phenomenal thing to do. However, in the more recent shows, it seems the focus is on the 2 dumb kids that seem to be absolute fools.

Please say it is not so. Could these two boys really be that dumb?