‘American Gladiators’ Good for Second Season
Surprise, Surprise, Surprise
Is anyone shocked that, enthused by huge ratings for just two episodes, NBC has already ordered up a second go-round of its new reality revival American Gladiators? If so, those people clearly haven’t been paying attention to the television landscape lately.
The new American Gladiators, while not the stuff that makes great minds, is a perfectly mindless hour of semi-engaging TV. In other words, you don’t even need anyone to explain the rules of the competition to understand or enjoy it. Just sit down and watch for a few minutes and you’ll know all there is worth knowing: contestants, gladiators, separation by gender, the Eliminator. That’s it, folks.
As a result, another highly beneficial aspect of American Gladiators is that it’s 100 percent disposable. As soon as this writers strike finally ends—and not a moment too soon, I’m sure many agree—the millions upon millions of viewers who normally wouldn’t bother watching can go right back to their favorite scripted shows, entirely secure in the knowledge that absolutely nothing will be lost.
I’m glad NBC is giving TV fans another season of Gladiator because I’m really curious to see how the show will end up when, instead of a bunch of repeats, it has to compete against first-run scripted fare for ratings. Something tells me that will be a battle worth watching, too.
Related Review: American Gladiators: Good, Simple Fun
American Gladiators currently airs Mondays on NBC at 8pm EST
American Gladiators photo courtesy of NBC
