Production history and format
The concept for Pawn Stars was conceived by Brent Montgomery and Colby Gaines of Leftfield Pictures, who were struck by the array of eclectic and somewhat seedy pawn shops in Las Vegas during a 2008 weekend visit to the city. Thinking such shops might contain unique characters, they searched for a family-run shop on which to center a TV series, until they found the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop less than two miles from the Las Vegas Strip.[12] It had been the subject of a 2001 PBS documentary,[13] and the manager and part-owner, Rick Harrison, had been trying unsuccessfully to pitch a show based on his shop for four years.[13][14] Both the shop and Rick had previously been featured in the Las Vegas episode of Insomniac with Dave Attell in 2003.[15]
The series was originally pitched to HBO, which wanted the series to be a Taxicab Confessions-style series taking place at the Gold & Silver's night window. The format eventually evolved into the now-familiar family-oriented motif used in the series.[16] The series was picked up by History president Nancy Dubuc, who was trying to create more mainstream programs to balance out the network's surfeit of in-depth military programming. The show was initially titled Pawning History before a staffer at Leftfield suggested that Pawn Stars would fit better with the locale, and the network agreed, believing that name to be more memorable.[16] The name is an intentional pun on the phrase "porn stars".[11] The show's storyline was tweaked to bring it in line with the network's brand, which included the addition of on-camera experts appraising the items brought into the Gold & Silver, although interpersonal conflicts among the show's stars were not discouraged.[12]
The series is filmed on location at the World-Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas, Nevada. Although jewelry is the most commonly pawned item at the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop,[17] most of the customers featured in Pawn Stars episodes bring in a variety of vintage or antique items to the store, which has 12,000 items in its inventory as of July 2011 (5,000 of which are typically held on pawn).[18][19] Each episode consists of segments devoted to approximately five or six of these items in which one of the staff members, usually Rick Harrison, his son Corey, or Harrison's father Richard (known as the "Old Man"), explains the history behind the object. When the buyer is unable to evaluate an object, they consult with an expert who can evaluate it to determine its authenticity and potential value, and in the case of items needing repair, the cost of restoration or preparing the item for sale. Whoever is evaluating the object goes over the potential value with the customer, including the expert's opinion, if one is given, often interspersed with an interview in which he explains the basis of his decision to the viewer. A price tag graphic at the bottom corner of the screen displays the ever-changing dollar amount as the two negotiate over the item's price. On occasion, Rick will take the risk of purchasing items in need of restoration before determining their restoration costs, as demonstrated by his purchase of a marine chronometer in "Sharks and Cobras", and a barber's chair in "A Shot and a Shave".[20][21]
Also factoring into episode plots are narratives focusing on the relationships and conflicts among Rick, Corey, the Old Man, and Corey's childhood friend, Austin "Chumlee" Russell, who also works at the shop. Common conflicts include how to run the shop, the elder Harrisons questioning Corey's judgment, and aspersions cast on Chumlee's intelligence and competence.
Before the second commercial break, a multiple-choice trivia question related to the shop and its inventory, the cast members, or one of the featured items is shown, with the answer provided after the break; beginning with the Season 8 episode "A Very Vegas Christmas," a trivia question is asked at every commercial break.
In addition to spawning imitators and clones, such as the truTV series Hardcore Pawn, and History's own Cajun Pawn Stars, the success of Pawn Stars has been a boon to the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, which has become a Las Vegas tourist site, and has expanded its business operations accordingly. Originally averaging between 70 and 100 customers per day, the shop's traffic increased to more than 1,000 per day by October 2010.[16] To handle the increased business, the shop hired nearly 30 new employees,[14][22] and underwent a $400,000 expansion of their showroom by two thirds, to 15,000 square feet,[12][16] the shop's tenth expansion since it opened.[23] Rick Harrison also mentioned in the Season 4 episode "Over the Top" that he was building a gym above the Pawn Shop for the staff's use.
In July 2011, Harrison signed a record-breaking 80-episode renewal contract for four more seasons of the series.[2]
After being broadcast during its first four years on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET, the program moved to Thursday nights at 9 p.m. ET on May 30, 2013,[24] replacing Swamp People, which moved an hour later to 10 p.m. ET.[25] The program also received a new opening and theme song, "Winning Isn't Everything," performed by Lynyrd Skynyrd.[24] The opening was replaced again with different theme music from an uncredited artist on June 12, 2014.[26]
