Welcome to Thunderdome

Posted: **Thu Aug 23, 2007 6:23 pm**

Article

I loved this show. We used to watch it in high school. We made our own AG event, even. Two people would stand on opposite corners of a driveway with size-3 basketballs (or whatever the hand-sized ones were called). They would then run to a 8 1/2" basketball court, and try to simultaneously a) score and b) keep the other person from scoring.

How no one ever got hurt, I have no idea.

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.

Posted: **Wed Dec 19, 2007 6:56 am**

Coming January 6th.

Posted: **Wed Dec 19, 2007 9:16 am**

Yeah, I remember the first series pretty well.

It's cheesy dumb entertainment.

I just hope they keep it heavy on action and light on the "player background" crap.

Posted: **Wed Dec 19, 2007 9:25 am**

Me too, but with how reality TV has changed... I have my doubts.

Posted: **Wed Dec 19, 2007 10:20 am**

I remember watching a Marine Gunny on that show, once... obviously he couldn't hang with the steroid monsters on that show.

Posted: **Wed Dec 19, 2007 10:59 am**

This show was so stupid I couldn't even watch it.

Posted: **Wed Dec 19, 2007 11:47 am**

I remember watching a Marine Gunny on that show, once... obviously he couldn't hang with the steroid monsters on that show.

Did you ever notice that the lanky dudes were the ones who had the most success? Speed was the key to offsetting the roid factor. When the gladiators went toe to toe with another roid head it was like they all took it as a personal insult.

Posted: **Wed Dec 19, 2007 11:54 am**

The 5 minutes I watched was... the pugil sticks, or whatever they were called. The big heavy sticks and they stand on a tower and hit each other. The roid monster just launched the Marine.

Posted: **Wed Dec 19, 2007 11:58 am**

Well damn, you don't think the producers'd stack it in favour of the normal folk, do you? & yeah, speed helps. That's why it's one-half mass times velocity squared. & no matter how much iron you pump, it won't make you balance or weight distribution much better, so you're still plenty vulnerable.

Edited By Malcolm on 1198083652

Posted: **Wed Dec 19, 2007 11:59 am**

I vote for a non-lethal version of The Running Man.

Hosted by Bob Barker.

Posted: **Wed Dec 19, 2007 12:01 pm**

GORDON wrote:I vote for a non-lethal version of The Running Man.

Hosted by Bob Barker.

Why nonlethal? Put some of them otherwise unemployed condemned prisoners to use. & have our steroid abusing professional athletes hunt them down.

Posted: **Wed Dec 19, 2007 12:05 pm**

Well, I have a lingering sense of "humanity."

Maybe if it were completely voluntary? But peeps aren't even allowed to sell an extra kidney, I can't see the Depart of Justice and Entertainment allowing peeps to sell their lives so their families can get $10k for every hour they live.

Posted: **Wed Dec 19, 2007 12:10 pm**

That's one of the hitches always pissed me off about the Bill of Rights. It appears that those rights are shoved down your throat whether you want them or not.

Posted: **Wed Dec 19, 2007 12:14 pm**

You know, I always laughed about The Running Man because they had to make Richard Dawson the evilest man alive to get people to root against that concept.

Think about it:
1. Arnold was innocent.
2. Ditto for his girlfriend who Dawson had thrown into the game.
3. The show was a tool of an oppressive government.
4. The show's workers faked evidence to make the crowd hate Arnold.
5. Richard and his hunters cheated.

Now, pretend Arnold was guilty and the evidence wasn't faked. It changes the movie a LOT doesn't it?

That's one of the hitches always pissed me off about the Bill of Rights. It appears that those rights are shoved down your throat whether you want them or not.

That sounds so stupid, but it's very true.

I remember a murdered here in Ohio on death row who brutally murdered some folks. He confessed. He gave full descriptions of what happened, said he was a monster, and he wanted to die.

The ACLU came in and sued HIM so they could keep him from waiving his right to an appeal. They went out of their way to try and keep the guy alive so he could prove his innocence, even though he wanted to die for the crimes he admitted to...

Edited By Leisher on 1198084672

Posted: **Wed Dec 19, 2007 8:58 pm**

Leisher wrote:I remember a murdered here in Ohio on death row who brutally murdered some folks. He confessed. He gave full descriptions of what happened, said he was a monster, and he wanted to die.

The ACLU came in and sued HIM so they could keep him from waiving his right to an appeal. They went out of their way to try and keep the guy alive so he could prove his innocence, even though he wanted to die for the crimes he admitted to...

Similar thing happened in Arkansas a few years back by a guy named Gene Simmons (I kid you not) who went on a rampage and killed his entire family one Christmas.

Got the death penalty and by state law was supposed to have an automatic appeal. He fought that and won and was executed in 1990. I always suspected that the lack of fighting his lack of fighting the appeal by members of the state's government was to give Bill Clinton a "tough on crime" image.

Posted: **Wed Dec 19, 2007 9:40 pm**

I just want them to bring back assult and that upside down track that they would run on.

Posted: **Wed Dec 19, 2007 10:03 pm**

I'd love a version of Running Man.

The move was more game showy than the book.

Posted: **Tue Mar 01, 2016 10:23 pm**

Hawk.

Welcome to Thunderdome

American Gladiators Returns!