'Pawnography' review: Same old 'Pawn Stars,' new game show
From left, "Pawn Stars" Rick Harrison, Corey Harrison and Chumlee on their game show, "Pawnography." Credit: A&E Networks / Richard Knapp
GAME SHOW "Pawnography"
WHEN|WHERE Premieres Thursday night at 10 and 10:30 on History
WHAT IT'S ABOUT America can't get enough of those "Pawn Stars" guys -- owner Rick Harrison, son Corey and dimwit pal Chumlee -- so here they are for another weekly hour, doing what they do. Rick knows all, Chumlee's dumber, Corey tries to keep up.
Out from behind the counter and into a TV studio with host comic Christopher Titus, the guys match trivia wits with two challengers eager to win some of Rick's shop stash -- vintage pinball machine, NBA championship ring, Soviet high-altitude suit. Fastest ringer-in answers multiple-choice queries about swords, landmarks, Scout badges, Caesar salads or magazine swimsuit models. There's also an isolation booth for a 60-second final round of top challenger vs. Rick. Then there's negotiating -- gotta have that "final offer" -- over who goes home with what.
MY SAY Brand extension. That's "Pawnography." I had to write down the rules to get them.
But the low-budget gameplay is hardly the point. Rick drops historical facts. The guys goof. The host reacts and riffs. (Nice to see fleet-tongued Titus back on TV.) And the contestants exploit their own 15 minutes of (minor) fame. This week, meet "a mean Asian Elvis."
BOTTOM LINE Build the brand, boys.
GRADE B