Screenhead

The great thing about America is that there are lots of different ways in which to make a buck.  The making of said buck is ingrained in our culture, and when you consider American Pickers, you get a great look at this particular facet of our culture.  And the guys out at the History Channel sent me a copy of American Pickers Season 1 to review, so I got a great look at it too.

American Pickers follows the crew of American Archeology, partners Mike Wolf and Frank Fritz along with office manager Danielle Colby-Cushman, as they go forth throughout the backroads and small towns of America to find all the treasures of America–antiques, mostly.  Of course, American treasures aren’t always precious metals or gems–Mike and Frank tend to favor old advertising material and bicycles.  And some of the things they’ll find are downright amazing.

Seriously, Mike and Frank (who usually go out on the picking expeditions) will find some stuff that’s bizarre, spectacular, and even outright ludicrous.  And the places they’ll go to find it are also bizarre, spectacular, and even outright ludicrous.  A great way to sum up this ENTIRE SHOW is bizarre, spectacular and downright ludicrous.  I’ve seen these guys crawl through barns and basements and boltholes, through hand-dug tunnels twenty three feet underground, and plenty more.   And I’ve seen them emerge with pieces of motorcycles, old tin toys that feature minstrel show characters, anything they think they can move.

Throughout the series, there will often be a text crawl showing how much the pickers paid for an object, how much the item is valued at or sold for, and the difference in the price.  Usually the pickers will make money on their purchases, but on some notable occasions, they’ll lose.  Plus, they’ll regularly consult with experts in the field about their purchases, detailing their historical origins and their value.  So not only do you get to watch a couple guys go forth on treasure hunting adventures, but you also get a package of history lessons in one convenient DVD.

American Pickers does have a way of getting a bit tedious, in that they constantly do the same thing over and over just at different places finding different things, but still, the differences are sufficient to keep a lot of interest. The Screenhead Ten Scale hands this History Channel surprise package a six out of ten for being frequently surprising, and yet, frequently tedious.

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