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08-24-2007, 04:01 PM
| #1 (permalink) |
| Thizzelle Washington  Join Date: May 2002 Location: Central Valley, Cali
Posts: 3,017
 | American Gladiators Did a quick search and didnt see a thread. Variety.com - NBC pumps up for 'Gladiators' redo NBC pumps up for 'Gladiators' redo Competition show revived for midseason By MICHAEL SCHNEIDER, JOSEF ADALIAN Talk Back - post a comment 'American Gladiators' The original 'Gladiators' Craig Plestis Plestis NBC is getting into the ring with "American Gladiators," which has been revived by the Peacock for midseason. The competition skein -- which featured players with names like Nitro, Turbo and Laser in its campy, early '90s syndie incarnation -- will be updated for the 21st century with new technology and twists. MGM TV, which was behind the original hit, is producing along with Reveille. Peacock's interest in the revival actually predates the arrival of NBC Entertainment/Universal Media Studios co-chairman Ben Silverman, who began developing the project while still in charge of Reveille. Net confirmed last month that "Gladiator" was a priority at the net (Daily Variety, July 16). "We've been circling around this property for a long time now," said Craig Plestis, exec VP of alternative programming, development and specials at NBC Entertainment. "It's truly what's not in the TV landscape right now. While everyone's zigging, I'm attracted to doing a zag." Net wouldn't confirm the episodic order, but at least six segs are believed to be in the works. NBC could opt to launch the show as a one-week strip -- similar to how it bowed "Deal or No Deal" -- or as a weekly skein. Airing in syndication from 1989-96, "American Gladiators" focused on physically fit amateur athletes who competed against the show's regulars (action stars, stunt professionals and pro athletes) in various physical strength and endurance competitions. The show hit it big by showcasing David vs. Goliath-style battles in events such as the Joust, the Wall, the Eliminator and Hang Tough. Coincidentally, the original "Gladiators" shot its first several seasons at Universal Studios. Plestis said he was particularly interested in the original U.K. version of "Gladiators," which focused even more on the characters and the behind-the-scenes stories of common folk going up against the show's powerful stars. The new "Gladiators," he said, "will have the scale, scope, different characters and family drama that the U.K. version had." "We're not going to completely reinvent the wheel here," he said. "But we're making it better, faster and stronger." Show will follow eight gladiators -- four men and four women -- as they take on contestants both male and female. This time, in a new wrinkle, the players will be given the opportunity to train for their match -- and viewers will be given a glimpse of their personalities prior to the actual competish. MGM Worldwide TV co-prexy Jim Packer said reviving "Gladiators" was part of a strategy to mine the company's library and revive franchises for a new generation of TV viewers. Repeats of the original show are currently posting decent ratings on ESPN Classic, he noted. "The timing to bring the franchise back is perfect, and NBC is the ideal home," Packer said. "It's a very big, grandiose type of show." In the 10 years after "Gladiators" went off the air, Reveille managing director Mark Koops said, shows like "Fear Factor" raised the bar for stunt-driven shows, and thus it's more important than ever to find contestants with compelling backstories. Producers are currently scouting for new gladiators and hosts in addition to contestants. Koops will serve as an exec producer. "Gladiators" marks the first co-production between MGM TV and Reveille. Under their arrangement, MGM Worldwide will handle international sales of the show, while Reveille will be in charge (with MGM's assistance) of selling new locally produced editions around the world. Koops said Reveille is close to making several international deals, including co-productions in Australia and the U.K. Besides Koops, exec producers include Reveille's Howard Owens, as well as "Fear Factor" alum David Hurwitz and original series creator Johnny Ferraro. |
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08-24-2007, 07:49 PM
| #4 (permalink) |
| Productive, fully-charged, cocked and pointed  Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Houston
Posts: 8,383
+19 Internets  | Show could be awesome if they don't bring back the retarded names and the long haired blonde dudes as gladiators. Still watch the shit on classic sometimes
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08-24-2007, 08:00 PM
| #6 (permalink) | |
| Axis of Evil  Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Axis of Evil
Posts: 2,167
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08-25-2007, 10:18 AM
| #12 (permalink) | |
| Unlicensed Vaginoplasty Surgeon  Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 3,200
+2 Internets | Quote:
If they don't keep it campy it will suck. I *NEED* the lame gladiator names. There absolutely has to be an atlasphere. If they try too hard to modernize it we'll get some lame generic bullshit show. Also, they need to make sure the contenders are like the early ones. IE: They get waxed. As the show went on and got more popular they got more and more legitimate athlete type contenders. Which meant more often than not the gladiators got worked over since they were just roided up bodybuilders. I guess they'd hafta cast it more like Fear Factor or something, where they make sure it's not just a real straight up competition to get in, but also hafta be entertaining/pretty.
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08-25-2007, 03:23 PM
| #13 (permalink) |
| Productive, fully-charged, cocked and pointed Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Houston
Posts: 8,383
+19 Internets | Well and the Gladiators were at the disadvantage most of the time. Like the 'stop the guy from scoring a touchdown' game. Lame names I can deal with but I think they have to modernize some of the games, the people who couldn't beat them earlier were some of the scrawniest unathletic people ever. Watching the reruns on classic I feel like I'm in better shape than most of the contestants I see.
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08-25-2007, 03:33 PM
| #14 (permalink) |
| You People?  Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Hawaii
Posts: 4,733
+5 Internets | Blade Laser Blazer I loved the ball cage one and the joust. Loved watching the women get up there because the gladiators would just knock them the fuck off. My only fear is they'll turn it into a WWF kind of drama shit, where the gladiators are making their own little dramatic shows and it's not really about the contenders. Or they do like 15 minute exposeys (sp?) on the little guy and his hopes/dreams of a rise to power. Stay true to the original format. Big buff guys knocking little guys the fuck out. That show wasn't even remotely fair, but if you watched it enough and that rare occasion when one of the Ice/Glacier/Freeze guys fell off, it was gold. |
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