Why Is Pawn Stars So Popular?

Since its 2009 debut, the reality television series Pawn Stars, which follows the business dealings and interpersonal conflicts at a family-owned Las Vegas pawnshop, became the History Channel’s highest-rated show and the second most popular reality show on television, behind Jersey Shore.

The show’s primary setting, the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, was opened in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1989 by Pawn Stars patriarch Richard “Old Man” Harrison and son Rick Harrison, who jointly operated the store until the elder Harrison died in 2018 at the age of 77. Since the show’s inception, Rick has been joined on the show by Rick’s son, Corey, and Corey’s childhood friend, the lovably buffoonish Austin Russell, better known as Chumlee.

Despite being based in Las Vegas, the global popularity of Pawn Stars has enabled the show to be filmed around the world and has turned the show’s cast members into international celebrities. The success of Pawn Stars has also spawned a stream of imitators and spin-off shows, including American Restoration, Cajun Pawn Stars, Counting Cars, Hardcore Pawn, Pawn Stars Australia, and Pawn Stars UK.

Approximately 15 years after its debut, Pawn Stars remains a compelling viewing experience primarily because of the thrill of the unknown, in which viewers can never be sure of what or who will enter the pawnshop at any given moment in time, even as the show itself is scripted and staged.

Pawn Stars Has an Irresistible Combination of Comedy and Drama

Pawn Stars

Release Date

July 19, 2009

Main Genre

History

Seasons

22

Since Pawn Stars debuted in 2009, cast members Chumlee, Corey, and Rick have continually developed as colorful, distinctive characters who have generated a level of audience affection and identification comparable to that of the most beloved sitcom characters in television history.

After 22 seasons, the show’s relationship dynamics have become embedded in the public consciousness. Prior to the 2018 death of patriarch Richard “The Old Man” Harrison, Richard regularly clashed with Corey and Rick over how the pawnshop was run. Corey sought tangible equity in the business, while the well-meaning but seemingly incompetent Chumlee continually struggled to prove that he was capable of performing even the most basic of tasks without causing disaster.

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However, while the comedic interplay among Chumlee, Corey, and Rick has long been a staple of Pawn Stars, which was initially described as being a crude version of the venerable British television series Antiques Roadshow, Pawn Stars has always been most compelling when the show focuses on the daily process of operating a pawnshop, specifically in terms of the interactions between the cast members and the disparate customers and items they encounter in the pawnshop.

Pawn Stars is at its best when it combines commerce and history. It becomes an especially interesting combination on the show when the cast members enlist one of their various experts to analyze a given item to determine its age, importance, and value. The series is at its worst when it appears as a lackluster sitcom that sometimes descends into parody, in which the show’s celebrity cast members sometimes seem like they’re hosting a game show instead of running a business.

Chumlee Became the Breakout Star of Pawn Stars

When Pawn Stars debuted in 2009, the charming and humorous Chumlee, who worked at the pawnshop for five years before the show’s debut, was introduced on the show as a comedic foil for childhood friend Corey, who seemed to regard his friendship with Chumlee as an inexorable burden, and Rick, who has regarded Chumlee as an unruly son and expressed grudging acceptance regarding Chumlee’s various eccentricities.

However, just as Corey has become an increasingly prominent figure on the show since Richard Harrison’s death in 2018, Chumlee has transcended his comedic identity and blossomed into an intelligent and trusted figure on the show. Besides being increasingly featured behind the store counter in recent seasons and handling negotiations outside of Corey and Rick’s presence, Chumlee has emerged as an expert on various genres and subjects, such as the Pokémon franchise and rare sneakers.

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With Rick Harrison having taken an increasingly less prominent role on the show in recent years, especially given the January 19, 2024, death of son Adam Harrison, Chumlee seems poised to become the face, the unquestioned main star, of the Pawn Stars franchise, if he isn’t already.

Pawn Stars Has Become Too Popular for Its Own Good

The heightened level of mainstream popularity that Pawn Stars has achieved over the past 15 years is reflected in the show’s strong celebrity following, as evidenced by the numerous celebrities who have made cameo appearances on the show, including Steve Carell, Bob Dylan, and Dennis Quaid.

Another celebrity Pawn Stars fan, Russell Crowe, expressed his affection for the show following Richard Harrison’s death in 2018. Following the announcement of Harrison’s death, Crowe paid tribute to the Pawn Stars patriarch on social media, where he extended his condolences to the Harrison family.

However, the aura of celebrity that’s engulfed Pawn Stars over the past decade has weakened the sense of authenticity with which the show was created. This is especially evident in the show’s pawnshop scenes, which have become increasingly contrived and implausible, especially in terms of the performances of Chumlee, Corey, and Rick, who have long ceased working in the pawnshop on a regular basis and whose fame has so completely transcended the pawnshop that they now look and seem more like actors than pawnshop operators. Pawn Stars is streaming now on Hulu, Disney+, Tubi, Pluto TV, Sling TV, Netflix, and more.