Since acquiring MGM, Amazon’s Prime Video has been carefully making its way through that storied library for titles that can get rebooted and rebranded for a modern era. The 2024 reboot of Road House was one of the first to get off the ground and find major success, with Doug Liman’s revival of the 1989 film doing well enough to warrant a sequel. Over the next year, even more will debut, including the Michael B. Jordan revival of The Thomas Crown Affair (which he directed and stars in), plus Mike Flanagan’s TV reboot of Stephen King’s Carrie that will debut just in time for Halloween.
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This weekend saw another reboot from the MGM library debut on Prime Video, one that many may not have realized, with the long-awaited reboot of American Gladiators debuting. A revival of the iconic ’90s series, the new American Gladiators debuted with three episodes on Friday and, as of this writing, has climbed the charts on Prime Video. Right now, American Gladiators is #4 on Prime Video’s TV charts, sitting behind three certified hits with Young Sherlock at #3, Invincible at #2, and The Boys at #1. That may seem like American Gladiators isn’t taking off, but in the big picture, it’s not a bad place to be in.
American Gladiators Reboot Climbs the Prime Video Charts
Just like the original version of American Gladiators, the new series takes larger-than-life athletes from around the country and pits them against each other in games of skill and wit that measure their abilities. Hosted by WWE’s The Miz, the series takes a page from the classic version by giving its “gladiators” grand stage names, but does include plenty of familiar faces for fans to get attached to, including AEW wrestler Kailey Latimer, The Titan Games‘ winner Dani Speegle, former WWE wrestler Eric Bugenhagen, Big Brother & American Ninja Warrior contestant Faysal Shafaat, and Former TNA World Tag Team Champion Jessie Godderz.
As noted, American Gladiators sitting at #4 on the charts in its first weekend is not a bad thing in the slightest, considering the, ahem, competition that is standing ahead of it. The Boys is one of the biggest hits to come out of the Prime Video streaming service since its inception, spawning multiple spinoffs along the way, and is currently in the midst of releasing its final batch of episodes, so a lot of eyes are on it. Second only to The Boys in terms of streaming success if Invincible, which has managed to earn years of renewal in advance thanks to its audience. On top of that, Young Sherlock was just renewed for a second season on top of stellar reviews. All that said, the real tell for American Gladiators will be in the weeks ahead. Though it will continue to compete with new episodes of Invincible and The Boys, it has the chance to climb the ladder.
The Prime Video version of American Gladiators marks the latest reboot of the concept domestically (the series has long spread internationally, with a UK equivalent just called Gladiators already on its fourth series). Premiering in 1989, American Gladiators would be a major success in the ’90s, running for over 200 episodes across seven seasons. The first revival happened back in 2008, hosted by Hulk Hogan, but only lasted two seasons. It’s worth noting that the Prime Video reboot was given a two-season order from the jump, so another batch of episodes are already in the pipeline to arrive down the road.
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