I saw this recently on Looper – Mike Wolfe Admits To Difficulties Filming American Pickers Amid Ratings Decline: https://www.looper.com/872057/mike-wolfe-admits-to-difficulties-filming-american-pickers-amid-ratings-decline/. Longer article. I used to watch this show when I still had cable. I gave up cable years in early January 2015.
BY JASON CONNOLLY/MAY 23, 2022
At this point, it’s clear that History’s “American Pickers” just doesn’t feel the same without longtime co-host Frank Fritz. Throughout the series’ first 21 seasons, Fritz and series creator Mike Wolfe each became an essential staple of the History line-up, as their unique dynamic (and shared love of antiquing) helped make “American Pickers” one of the most popular reality series for the network.
Perhaps that is why it was so shocking to learn that Fritz would not be returning for Season 22. Fritz’s abrupt and dramatic departure from the series was further complicated when the former reality star revealed that he and Wolfe are no longer speaking to one another. Fans quickly rallied to Fritz’s side at the beginning of the next season, promising that they would not watch the series again until Fritz returned.
Indeed, it appears that many of those fans have kept their word, as viewership has notably decreased throughout Season 23. Even Mike Wolfe himself seems to have taken note of this decline in ratings, as he commented on the immense pressure he’s been feeling in a recent Instagram post.
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