American Pickers, the popular History Channel show, has been on a bad roll for quite some time due to its drastically plummeting ratings. Since Frank Fritz’s departure from the reality show, the numbers haven’t gone up for the network. Additionally, the change in time slot has also affected its viewership bringing down the rating further. The show’s current stars, Mike Wolfe and his brother Robbie Wolfe have been doing their best to bring back their lost audience with exciting guest appearances on the show. However, the ratings don’t seem to go up. Now, the duo is feuding with the network over their odd decision. What is this decision that has been causing a rift between the network and the Wolfe brothers? Keep reading to find out the details!
American Pickers Season 24 Saw Big Drop In Ratings
Ever since Season 24 aired in January 2023, the reality series has experienced a massive drop in ratings. While the previous seasons saw an upside of 1 million views per episode, the Season 24 premiere only had 918000 viewers. Yet, this was only the start of a big downfall. The consecutive episodes that aired on July 12 and July 19 brought a mere 803000 views & 713000 views respectively.
Ratings did jump a bit for the subsequent episode on July 26 standing at 885000 views, it ultimately dropped to 778000 views for the next. Sources claim that the stars of the show feel the popularity of streaming platforms might be a big reason for the drop in ratings. Moreover, the new episodes of American Pickers aren’t available on streaming platforms and fans can only watch the old ones for now.
As per reports, both Mike and Robbie Wolfe disagree with the network on their arrangement regarding the release of new episodes. The stars feel new episodes should be released each week. This will ensure that a full season is available for viewers to watch within a month or two. However, the network airs 10 episodes in a go and waits almost a year to air the rest of the season.
Robbie Wolfe Disagrees With American Pickers’ Broadcast Schedule
Robbie Wolfe feels this broadcast schedule irks the viewers. They do not wish to wait almost a year to watch the rest of the season. The duo feels the network is experimenting with options to determine what works and what doesn’t. At the moment, the reality show is set to air its 25th season on December 27, 2023. Moreover, it has been renewed for two additional seasons.
However, fans feel the biggest reason for the show’s drop in popularity is due to Frank Fritz’s departure. The former reality show star was last seen in the March 2020 episode. However, he took a break from filming due to his health issues. Yet, the network let him go and he was never called back to resume his role on the show. Additionally, the star also suffered a life-threatening stroke last year in July. Ever since American Pickers started filming without Frank Fritz, fans have started boycotting it.
So, what do you think of the network’s current broadcast schedule for American Pickers? Share your thoughts in the comments and check back with Urban Matter for the latest news!