Hardcore Pawn Television Show offers More Than a Chance to Sell Gold

Cable television channel company, TruTV, premiered staple show, Hardcore Pawn, in August 2010. The show features a pawn shop located in downtown Detroit, Michigan, run by its owner, Leslie "Les" Gold. The owner of the shop, while mostly offering services to buy gold in the pawn shop, buys, trades, or sells a variety of other items local townspeople.

The television show largely features customers who are in desperate need for money, waiting in line for long hours to sell gold, electronics, bicycles, automobiles, or other strange items for cash money. Each episode features various interactions between the owner, staff, and local people attempting to negotiate on a sale or trade, sometimes erupting into dramatic, over the top outbursts by either party. This drama is what creates much of the show's rating base.

When locals are not visiting the pawn store to sell gold jewelry, others are attempting to get rid of other interesting items for cash. Some of the items that have appeared on the show are rather unique: pinball machines, stuffed animals, used clothing, dentures, and prosthetic limbs. Some of these items can of course be used in the shop, while others are quickly turned away. Either way, it makes for great television.

In many cases the owner, Les Gold, would rather spend his time in the shop to buy or sell gold, but often times he cannot pass up a unique arcade machine, obscure golf cart, or creative statue or mold—all things he could not pass up on the show despite advice to the contrary by his children who are co-operators of the shop. On the other hand, there are just as many episodes that show the owner rejecting items—even throwing out troublesome customers who become unruly or impatient. The ensuing drama has helped create a specific character of the show, unique to its owners and citizens of Detroit.

While many pawn shops around the country specialize in services that seek buy or sell gold, these shows are appearing on television to show more than just the daily routines of that industry. In Hardcore Pawn, some of the drama centers on the personal needs and lives of the customers that enter the store looking to sell various items in desperation.

Unlike other shows on television about pawn shops that focus on the history of pawn items, Hardcore Pawn attempts to show the raw grit of pawn life in Detroit, Michigan. The poverty located in the area often means that the shop sees many desperate stories, and sometimes items in the store are found to be stolen or counterfeit.

According to TruTV, the show opened to 2 million viewers, making Hardcore Pawn the most watched show on the network. As a result, TruTV has granted the show several seasons of running time. Hardcore Pawn is currently in its fifth season.