Pawn Stars Cast Expanding; A&E Bringing History Series To Australia And South Africa

“Pawn Stars” will be venturing a little bit further off the Vegas Strip over the next year. A&E Networks and Leftfield Pictures announced in a press release Thursday that they are taking the franchise, which airs on History, to South Africa and Australia to begin two new local productions in the countries. Leftfield will produce “Pawn Stars Australia” for A&E Australia, while local production company, Rapid Blue, will spearhead “Pawn Stars South Africa.”

“Pawn Stars,” which concluded its eigth season in July, has been one of the most popular series on cable for years. The show is the #1 series on History in the U.S. among Adults 25-54, averaging 1.6 million viewers an episode, according to A&E. The show’s expansion comes as no surprise.

It’s also nothing new. “Pawn Stars UK” (also produced by Leftfield) was green lit for a second season on Thursday and the original show is the #1 show on History in Latin America, Japan, Italy and Romania. South Africa and Australia are just the latest shows to receive the “Pawn Stars” treatment.

Brent Montgomery, CEO of Leftfield and executive producer of “Pawn Stars,” says the show’s international success proves a widespread interest in the format. “We’re excited to make these announcements,” Montgomery said Thursday, “because they speak to the universal interest in the ‘hidden treasures’ concept inherent in ‘Pawn Stars.’ It’s our goal to maintain the series’ humor and authenticity as we move into Season 2 in the UK, produce the local format for Australia and provide insight for the South African format.”

A&E has not yet given out any information on which pawn shops or new cast members the shows will focus on. Fans can expect to see “Pawn Stars South Africa” in late 2014, while “Pawn Stars Australia” will premiere in 2015.

What kind of things do you think customers will bring through the pawn shop doors in Australia and South Africa? Tweet your thoughts to @Ja9GarofaloTV.