The Pawn Stars Spinoffs You Didn't Know Existed
Beginning in 2009, "Pawn Stars" offered viewers a half-hour look into a world they likely rarely — if ever — encountered in their day-to-day lives. The series chronicled what it was like to work in the family-owned Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. The store, already billing itself as "World Famous," had been serving Las Vegas, Nevada, for 20 years at the time of the series debut.
Viewers certainly enjoyed a peek behind the business curtain, but what hooked many was the interpersonal interactions. Fans tuned in for the often comedic tête-à-têtes between three generations of Harrisons — Richard, Rick, and Corey — as well as friends like Austin Russell (aka Chumlee) and the shop's employees. It quickly became the History Channel's top-rated show and the second most-watched reality show of the time, Outsider reports.
The show's popularity proved enduring enough that 10 years later, in 2019, the History Channel expanded "Pawn Stars" to an hour-long format. The series' continued success also encouraged the creation of spinoffs. If you love "Pawn Stars," this list of spinoffs you didn't know existed should give you plenty more material to enjoy for hours to come.
American Restoration
When the time came for spinoffs, the first place the History Channel and Leftfield Pictures looked was to the experts who would periodically appear on "Pawn Stars" since the cast doesn't handle things like appraisals on their own. Rick Dale, who the Harrisons referred to as "a miracle worker," presented as an excellent choice. Dale, who owns Rick's Restorations, is an expert on metalwork and antique restoration. His store typically tackles around a dozen projects at any given time. As with "Pawn Stars," the series divided its focus between the work of the business and the social dynamics amongst the shop's employees.
The show went through a significant overhaul and a reboot in the 7th season. A restoration, perhaps you could say. Instead of focusing on Dale's Las Vegas-based business, the series instead moved on to an entirely different restoration company. The team of Andy Bowman Jr., Steve Hale, Bob Halliday, Bodie Stroud, and Dale Walksler became the series' "leads," with the episodes jumping between the five different shops the team owned across the country.
The change did not land, and Season 7 of "American Restoration" ended up being it's last.
Cajun Pawn Stars
"Cajun Pawn Stars" took the successful "Pawn Stars" format into the bayou for an entirely new pawnshop that had no connection to the Harrisons' Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. However, unlike "American Restoration," this spinoff did not bother building itself on people viewers had already met on the parent show. Still, like both of those series, "Cajun" is a family affair. Jimmie DeRamus is the owner-operator, and his wife Peggy and children Johnnie and Tammie help keep the business humming along. The episode format similarly follows "Pawn Stars" almost minute for minute, including pop-ups with information and a trivia question welcoming viewers back after the second ad break. The show also often enlists experts in the area to discuss especially interesting items and provide appraisals.
The series ran for 52 episodes over four seasons, all but two of which aired in the same year. However, after the 4th season, "Cajun" went on hiatus and did not return before the contract expired, effectively canceling the show.
Counting Cars
For viewers who loved "American Restoration" when they worked on vehicles but otherwise checked out, "Counting Cars" is the show for you. Another expert from "Pawn Stars," Danny "The Count" Koker, headed up the cast at Count's Kustoms, which provided the series' home base. While the show still highlights the interactions between store employees, there is no family element to "Counting." As a result, the "drama," such as it was, is far more business-oriented than its predecessors.
Given the high price tag of most of the items they work on and the cost of their efforts, the show tends to attract people with significant funds, including celebrities. If you've ever wondered what kind of vehicles Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, is into, "Counting" has the answers. With the 10th season having just wrapped, the show is the only still-active spinoff and the longest-running of the family of shows behind "Pawn Stars" itself.
Pawn Stars UK
For "Pawn Stars UK," Leftfield Pictures exported the show format across the pond and selected Regal Pawn in Sealand, Flintshire, Wales, as the series' center. The show returns to the family and friends' format and focuses on best friends "Big" Mark Manning and "Little" Mark Holland, who run the store. Marco Holland, Little Mark's son, and Vicki Manning, Big Mark's daughter, aid them as store employees. The 2nd season sees the addition of 16-year-old Liam, who brings a considerably enthusiastic attitude towards the work and seems especially interested in how the business works.
The series made an effort to focus specifically on "British" items to differentiate it from its American cousins. It seems to have worked because the show proved quite popular at home and abroad during its two seasons. At the end of the 2nd season, Manning suggested in an interview that they and the production company were looking at 3rd season plans. However, instead of that coming to fruition, the shop ended up closing entirely. It evidently caught customers of Royal by surprise, and to date, no explanation has been offered for how the shop went from reality TV success to closed in just a few months.
Pawnography
Hosted by comedian Christopher Titus, "Pawnography" is the most significant departure of any spinoff from the familiar "Pawn Stars" format. Eschewing the reality show format, the series instead delivers a game show that utilizes Gold & Silver Pawn Shop's Rick Harrison, Corey Harrison, and Austin Russell as antagonists to the contestant in three rounds of trivia.
In the first round, the contestant takes on Corey and Austin, who collaborate as a team. If the contestant wins, a pre-selected item from the pawn shop moves on to the next round. If the duo outscores the contestant, the shop re-secures it. This format more or less repeats for two more rounds, with only the only change being the player(s) the contestant has to face. In round two, the player attempts to beat Rick. Finally, in round three, the contestant tangles with all three pawnshop employees at once. If the contestant wins in the final round, they get all the cash and items they secured in the previous two rounds. However, if the trio is victorious, the contestant receives nothing.
Despite being the highest-rated series premiere of the year for History Channel, the game show only lasted 30 episodes spread over two seasons. While the History Channel still hosts the series on its website, there are no plans to make further episodes.
Pawn Stars Australia
The Benes Brothers — Aaron and Ben — decided to jump into the reality television game to dispel some of the negative stereotypes of pawn shops. Joined by their best friend Shanon Folden, the duo opened up their store, Happy Hockers, to cameras for "Pawn Stars Australia." While the more than 20-year business has five locations across the city of Sydney, the series decided to focus on the Bodhi Beach location.
Despite other series' histories of success, "Australia" only lasted for the initial 12-episode order. However, the brothers and their closest mate continue to demonstrate how pawn shops can be legitimate businesses where people need not fear being taken advantage of or hustled. In addition to all the Happy Hockers' locations continuing to go strong, the trio also hosts a YouTube series. While not as expansive as the show, their YouTube channel does offer insight into pawn shops as a business and shows off some of the more intriguing items they have come across.