After enjoying Wicked Tuna, I decided to give its spin off, North vs. South, a try. I didn't enjoy it as much due to several outstanding reasons.
First of all, although it still focuses on the same topic: bluefin tuna fishing, there is less respect for these fish because the whole show centers in on the competition aspect too strongly. In the original Wicked Tuna, you saw fishermen who were fishing for a living and trying to survive and provide for their families. Here, you see fisherman from the South who fish for a smaller amount of time and act like it's some sort of game. Of course, it's still a method of income for them, but their respect for each other and the fish are less palpable than expressed in Wicked Tuna.
Secondly, this spin-off is based on the competition between the northerners from the original Wicked Tuna who have come to the south to fish after they've had a bad season up North. The kind of bullying and disrespect shown to them by the southerners isn't the kind of reception that is comfortable for world-wide viewing.
It seems like in N vs. S, all they care about is betting and competing against each other, while in Wicked Tuna, there is a stronger sense of providing for family and compassion for others. With N vs. S, the Southerners seem to view bluefin tuna fishing as more of a sport than a method of living. Another key difference is that they seem to really enjoy the killing aspect of it more than portrayed in the original series.
Although still entertaining at times, I prefer the original Wicked Tuna much more.
