Over the last couple of weeks watched both of the American Gladiators documentaries that recently came out (Muscles & Mayhem on Netflix and the 30 for 30 on ESPN).
I thought the Netflix one was better (focused more on the Gladiators) than the ESPN one (which focused more on the creators), but both were an interesting nostalgia trip, and combined give a more thorough overview of the story without too many redundancies.
In a way, found the Gladiators' story very similar to the And1 Mixtape players' story (which also had 2 documentaries released around the same time last year from both Netflix and ESPN). Both were a huge success, but with no money going to the performers, and the performers feeling short changed because of it.
In both cases though, I tend to side more with the company than the performers, as I think the success of both was more because of the marketing/image/packaging/presentation rather than the actual performers. As a kid, I didn't tune into American Gladiators to see Nitro or Laser, I tuned in to see regular people compete against good looking Goliaths in unique contests. Same with And1, I watched that to see the flashy highlights, rather than any particular player. The performers think they're the draw, like Hulk Hogan or Michael Jordan, the stars that drew people to their shows, but really it's more about the brand, like the Harlem Globetrotters or Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, where people go to watch regardless of who's performing.
Topic: What’s the Last TV Series You Watched? (Read 60597 times)