American Pickers

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American Pickers
AmericanPickers2.jpg
Also known as The Pickers
(outside the US, Canada, UK and Australia)'
Genre Reality
Created by Mike Wolfe
Developed by Mark Poertner
Stephen Pettinger
Directed by Anthony Mastanduno
Starring Mike Wolfe
Frank Fritz
Danielle Colby
Lauren Wray
Robbie Wolfe
Dave Ohrt
Theme music composer Jingle Punks Music
Composer(s) The Dark Studio
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 8
No. of episodes 182 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Charles Tremayne
Mark Poertner
Mike Wolfe
Producer(s) Simon Lloyd
Stephen Pettinger
Julie Cooper
Cinematography John Chiappardi
Editor(s) Julianna Borg
Max Cherpitel
Charles Montany
William Shaw
Camera setup Multiple (Casey Marucci, Jennifer Tsai)
Running time 45–48 minutes
Production company(s) Cineflix (AP2/AP3/AP4/AP5) Inc.
A&E Television Networks, LLC
Release
Original network History
Original release January 18, 2010 (2010-01-18) –
Present
External links
Website

American Pickers is an American reality television series that premiered on January 18, 2010 on the History channel, produced by A&E Television Networks in collaboration with Cinefix Productions. The series' eighth season premiered on May 6, 2015.[1]

Overview

File:American Pickers Antique Car.jpg
The Nash Statesman Super in front of the Antique Archeology building in Le Claire, Iowa

The show follows antique and collectible pickers Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz, a couple that travels around the United States. Originally travelling in a Mercedes Sprinter van, and later a Ford Transit, they buy or "pick" various items for resale, or sometimes for clients or for their own personal collections.

Danielle Colby runs the office of Wolfe's business, Antique Archeology,[2] from their home base in LeClaire, Iowa, and later at a second, newer location in Nashville, Tennessee, while Fritz sells his acquisitions at his shop (and on his own website),[3] Frank Fritz Finds, upriver in Savanna, Illinois.[4] The men go on the road, not only following up leads that Colby has generated, but also "free-styling" - stopping at places that look like they might hold items worth buying. They also pick some places more than once.

The series introduction is narrated by Wolfe and Fritz. The first three seasons used the complete opening. Beginning with season 4, a shortened version is used, with the portion in italics below removed:

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I'm Mike Wolfe. And I'm Frank Fritz. And we're pickers. We travel the back roads of America looking to buy rusty gold.

We're looking for amazing things buried in people's garages and barns. What most people see as junk, we see as dollar signs. We'll buy "anything" we think we can make a buck on. Each item we pick has a history all its own. And the people we meet? Well, they're a breed all their own.

We make a living telling the history of America...one piece at a time.

Wolfe and Fritz explore people's homes, barns, sheds, outbuildings, and other places where they have stored antiques and collectibles. They call upon casual collectors, hoarders, and occasionally people who have inherited overwhelming collections of apparent junk. Wolfe, who has been picking since age four,[5] has a particular interest in antique motorcycles, air-cooled Volkswagens, old bicycles, and penny-farthings, while Fritz has a fondness for antique toys, oil cans, and old Hondas.[6] They have purchased old advertisements and commercial signage, film posters, a rare 15-gallon visible gasoline pump, and a Piaggio Ape (pronounced: ah-peh) that one of their friends told them is probably the only one of its kind in North America.[7][8]

In December 2011, American Pickers revealed that Antique Archaeology had leased a former 1914 car factory in Nashville, Tennessee, which originally made the Marathon automobile, for a second business location to decrease the distance required to haul their finds from the southern states.[9]

Reception

The series debuted on January 18, 2010. The premiere episode of American Pickers had 3.1 million viewers, making it the highest rated History channel debut since Ice Road Truckers in 2007.[10] The September 8, 2010, episode "Laurel & Hardy" garnered Nielsen ratings as high as 5.3 million viewers in the 25–54 age group. As of that episode, the show retained the title of #1 new non-fiction series of 2010 among all viewers and adults 25-54.[11]

Episodes

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Main article: List of American Pickers episodes

See also

  • Canadian Pickers / Cash Cowboys (2011-13), a similar TV series featuring two pickers in Canada; produced by Cineflix for the History channel in Canada
  • Aussie Pickers, a similar TV series featuring two pickers in Australia on the A&E Australia channel, beginning in 2013
  • Picker Sisters, a 2011 TV series about two female pickers/designers
  • Picked Off, History's 2012 reality competition series, also produced by Cineflix

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ http://frankfritzfinds.com/The-Store.aspx
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ "Mike's Breakdown" (season 2, episode 12)
  7. ↑ "American Pickers": The Inside Story of the History Channel’s Surprise Hit River Cities' Reader Quote: "The episode "Super Scooter" shows how the pair works together. Wolfe is nearly drooling over a Vespa Ape scooter."
  8. ↑ "Big Bear" (season 1, episode 1)
  9. ↑ Antique Archaeology web page about Nashville location Retrieved 2012-01-03
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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