First things first. The third season of the popular History Channel program “Pawn Stars” is being listed here on Amazon as The Complete Season Three (as of 10/8/11). To clarify the contents of this 2 disc set, it is NOT the full season. It is being marketed as Volume Three not Season Three–just look at the DVD cover if you have any doubts. It is a bit misleading as both of the first two seasons were packaged and sold in their entirety, so if you bought one or both of them–you might be fooled into thinking this was similar. “Pawn Stars: Volume Three” consists of the first sixteen episodes of the year dubiously labeled as Fan Favorites (there were 28 episodes in the complete season). As a completist, this sales ploy is disheartening. If you want to release Season Three on DVD then release all of Season Three on DVD! Here are the titles included:

(1) Trail Breaker, (2) Top Secret, (3) Whale of a Time, (4) Gold Diggers, (5) Aw Shucks!, (6) Deals From Hell, (7) Chumlee’s Dummies, (8) Strike, Spare, Boom, (9) Message in a Bottle, (10) Rough Riders, (11) Phoning It In, (12) Moon Walking, (13) Peeping Pawn, (14) Ace in the Hole, (15) Double Trouble, and (16) Getting A Head.

Now a little about the show in case there are any newbies. As the History Channel has evolved to include reality programs with only a tenuous link to actual history, its slate is filled with a number of reality shows (American Pickers, Top Shot, Larry the Cable Guy). “Pawn Stars” is the highest rated show in the network’s history. Many of the items traded may or may not have historical significance (that is its link to the history format), and often times we’ll be treated to some type of informative discourse. Set in a popular family pawn shop in Las Vegas, the three generations of the Harrison clan (as you might imagine) make daily deals with customers seeking a quick buck. As this is an instant cash business, sometimes they strike a great bargain for themselves and sometimes they back the wrong horse. I know some people can find the show exploitative as the Harrisons are actually trying to make money–buy low, sell high–but really isn’t that just the nature of the retail arena? And there is an element of risk on their side. They are giving out cash without really knowing an item’s true valuation or whether they can sell it.

The show is entertaining for several reasons. Of course, some intriguing merchandise passes through their hands and you just might learn something. But as in any reality show, this one is as much about interaction and conversation as it is about the art of the deal. The Harrison guys are a colorful crew–real old school Vegas. Perhaps the biggest scene stealer is Chumlee (like an adopted son) who plays village idiot, but can surprise you as well. It’s comical and engaging for the most part. All in all, it is rather like the unsavory and confrontational cousin to the classic “Antiques Roadshow” with more grit and edge. If you’re unsure, check out a sample episode. They air pretty consistently on the network and are available on-demand here if you want to sample one before investing in the DVD. KGHarris, 10/11.

Pawn Stars, regardless of the episode, just plain rocks. Interesting, informative, and entertaining as hell. You get to learn quite a bit of trivia and random facts about a wide range of things including antique firearms and other random weapons, classic cars, Americana, pop culture, memorabilia, etc. while being exposed somewhat to the family dynamic of the Harrison family and sidekick Chumlee in this family owned Las Vegas pawn shop. This shop takes in quite a few unique items not typical to a pawn shop, always consulting a never ending parade of colorful character-experts to authenticate and value items. The only complaint I have is that I’ve watched all of the episodes and they don’t make new ones fast enough.

Great Show. Educational and Awesome Classic Antiques. Funny and cool stuff. Great way to learn the classic stuff and more historical items.

This is a great show and is never boring! The constant traffic and historical things are awesome. I wish we could see a bit more diversity, but over all we are watchers.