Family will always be family on Hardcore Pawn: Chicago

Hardcore Pawn: Chicago is enough like the original to bring in viewers, but different enough to give viewers a reason to stay.

Hardcore Pawn fans recently had a new addition to their Tuesday-night line-up on truTV: Hardcore Pawn: Chicago. And, thus far, the show seems to be heading in the right—and expected—direction.

Like the original, Hardcore Pawn: Chicago is a family business. Unlike the original, Hardcore Pawn: Chicago is a small operation—no computers, no shiny showrooms, no multi-tiered levels of employees. The tickets are handwritten; the showroom is part of the shoved-in-a-row storefront on a Chicago street; and the employees, well, for the most part, it’s family, although “security,” such as it is, comes from non-related hires, most of whom have been with the store for years.

The Boss is Still the Boss

Of course, the time invested did not change anything when lax security led to a TV being taken right off the floor while security was—well, who knows where security was, but they weren’t at Royal Pawn Shop. And, arguing with the boss in such a situtation does not help.

“You don’t like it?” Randy asked Rogers. “One more screw-up and you guys are fired.”

So, the boss is still the boss, and however long you’ve been with the company, you still don’t get that family pass.

But, when you ARE family, you can suddenly become “chief of security” for a day.

Dad's the Boss

Elyse decided that she should be chief of security—and she got her shot. And, did she take charge.

“This is very ridiculous to me,” Rogers said as he cleaned the shop.

“Not my job, man. I don’t understand this,” said Carlos as he vacuumed the floor.

Perhaps Elyse is the woman for the job after all. She does have a winning philosophy:

“You gotta keep people on their toes. If there’s nobody in the store, there’s plenty of stuff Carlos and Rogers can do.”

Of course, her ability to keep the employees moving doesn’t a security chief make. But, it did get the guys moving. When they proved to Wayne and Randy that they had gotten their act together, Elyse got the security axe.

“As much as I want Elyse to learn everything about this shop, security is just something my baby girl shouldn't be messing around with,” Randy said in a camera cameo.

Simply a Family Business

In the end, family is just family at Royal Pawn Shop—and family will always make a difference.

Stay tuned.

Hardcore Pawn: Chicago airs on truTV on Tuesday nights at 9:30 p.m., following the original Hardcore Pawn.

Image: truTV

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