American Restoration

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 like seeing the items that are brought to Rick Dale go from old and rusty to new. Its fun learning about things that I never knew existed. Rick Dale seems to know a lot about the things he restores.

Let's get the negatives out of the way first. Yes, I do agree with the critic who noted that, as the series progresses, they are spending less time on the actual restorations and more time on the lives of the characters, who invariably get into dramas that may be real, or may the result of the writer's over-active imaginations. Were I more cynical (and I can be, on demand) I might start to question this magical world where every restoration turns out perfectly, every customer loves the result, and nothing ever goes wrong, except when Tyler (Rick's son) does something that you'd except to see on LEAVE IT TO BEAVER or DENNIS THE MENACE. OK, so much for the negatives. This show could be, bar none, the most upbeat production on the air. Rick Dale should run for office. He genuinely seems to find the good in every situation, every job, every client and he generates a palpable longing for the days when Americans made things by hand, by themselves, and they lasted. 30 minutes hanging out with Rick is the rough equivalent of listening to the STAR SPANGLED BANNER 78 times, give or take. As a warned you, this is a guilty pleasure. Ultimately, the real joke will be that Tyler does not actually have to learn his dad's tricks of the trade, he will likely be able to retire on the residuals.

I started watching random episodes in the background in my home office TV on Quest over 2 years ago and I must admit, I'm hooked.

This show has everything in it, family dynamics, customer satisfaction, creative suspense, humor, drama, etc. Even the LV backdrop is amazing. Everyone has their unique abilities and quirks and it all comes together pretty much flawlessly. The before and after project results are astonishingly jaw-dropping. A well deserved 9/10 from me!