Muscles & Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators

As "Muscles & Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators" (2023 release; 5 episodes ranging from 36 to 46 min each) opens, we are reminded that American Gladiators ran from 1989 to 1996, and that it was a different world then (no smart phones; no streaming, etc.). We then go to "1987" as Johnny Ferraro comes up with the idea, but the transition from idea to actual TV show is easier said than done, as the pilot show is borderline disastrous... At this point we are 10 minutes into Episode 1.

Couple of comments: the mini-series comes on the heels of ESPN's The American Gladiators Documentary. "Muscles & Mayhem" is co-directed by Tony Vainuku (Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist) and Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite). Here they reassess the TV ratings success that was American Gladiators. Not that the early years made it inevitable. In fact, American Gladiators was an "overnight success 4 years in the making" (my own words). The film makers were able to get a lot of the gladiators to participate including Nitro, Blaze, Gemini, Laser, etc. Ample attention is given to the many injuries the gladiators kept incurring. And then there are the steroids. And let's certainly not forget the mayhem that was the American Gladiators live tour in 1991-92. As American Gladiators was filmed in Los Angeles, we get a lot of footage from the late 80-early 90s and I could not believe how sleepy and unbusy the city looked in those days (30+ years ago). Bottom line: the episodes are quite short and it all breezes by quickly. This mini-series was entertaining for sure, but it really doesn't bother to dig to deep. So with this mini-series and the recent ESPN documentary, I>'m still not sure that we've heard the definitive American Gladiators account.

"Muscles & Mayhem" premiered on Netflix last week. I just caught up on it. If you were a fan of American Gladiators, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

Amerian Gladiators was a neat sports competition/game show I used to watch, but like every other competition, it is bound to have some dark secrets.

A five-part documentary mini-series looking into the original incarnation of the American Gladiators that aired for seven seasons from 1989 to 1996, the series feature some of the original Gladiators like Michael Horton/Gemini, Danny Lee Clark/Nitro,and Ray Hollit / Zap, to even some of the show's staff and crew, as they talk about the history of the show, from the troubles filming the pitch pilot, to the struggle with the first season,to even some other behind the scenes stuff and incidents on the show.

To me, this is a neat documentary, as a fan of American Gladiators, as the interviews with Gladiators and crew members shed some new insight on the show. The documentary stays on topic, showing scenes from other media in order to prove that American Gladiators was made in an era where bodybuilders were popular stars, and even went into details with the show's various controversies, from the steroid use that led to the show's downfall to some of the Gladiators from the first season being let go after suffering horiffic injuries as well as controveries and bad behavior.

But in the end, it did just that. The fun, light-hearted nostalgia-filled romp through the late 80's and early 90's carries the first few episodes. I enjoyed these as much as any, but the shining star of the series for me was saved til the last.

I couldn't help but smile as names and faces of original Gladiators floodes back to memory and left me reminiscing of lazy Saturday mornings. Sure the TV only went up to channel 13 and the only other options were fishing or cartoons, but it's hard to express just how special and unique this idea was for it's day.

The doc does a great job of taking a cast of characters who were obnoxious, egotistical, and somewhat laughable on the show and captures everything great (and at times dark) about the real people behind the characters. By the end, I was tearing up by myself in the dark as gladiators shared personal struggles and victories to wrap up a surprisingly loveable series.

For those of us who grew up during the era in which this show aired, the nostalgia comes rushing in whilst watching this new series documenting American Gladiators.

I'll admit I was smiling through and through whilst watching this series. Initially, I hadn't even noticed my facial expression till the moment I happened to glance over at the mirror near the television and that's when I had decided I should actually write a review.

This is only my 2nd review ever -despite being on IMDb for 10+ years. Now was the original American Gladiator my favorite show? Not even close. Is this series my new favorite? Nope. But all-in-all, the telltale sign was that I enjoyed it so much that I was actually smiling and wasn't dreadfully checking to see how much longer till it's over (we all know how disappointing that feeling is when you realize something you're watching has let you down).

This series was made with the viewer in mind, which isn't so common nowadays. It's fun and exciting. What you'll really enjoy is that the episodes are short and sweet.

Too many productions have been packing shows and documentaries with fillers and B-roll just to extend them which leaves the viewer annoyed. This series, however, did the right thing, which was to get to the point but to tell the story in a fun way.

Give it a go!

This is worth watching just from the 90's nostalgia as theres lots of clips of commercials back then and it really brings you back into that time. As a kid who watched this show I think on re-runs in the mid to late 90's on saturday mornings...I loved the nostalgia. But even better is getting to know who the characters were behind the camera which was probably the most interesting thing about it. It also shows you how the show was made and all the funny stories that go into that, as well as the drama that happened as well. Excellent doc, and the pacing is extremely good and keeps you watching.