The Daily Star - Stay Tuned
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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, January 6, 2012 2 coverstory This means 'War' A&E profi les truckers in new series By Dee Wright TV Media I t seems that every profes- sion has some kind of reali- ty series profiling it -- cake shops, restaurants, bounty hunters and even hoggers. And networks even battle for viewership when they have similar series. For example, TLC's "Hoarding: Buried Alive" vs. A&E's "Hoarders." Despite the number of similar shows out there, it must mean that there is an audi- ence who is interested in the industry. In 2007, History premiered "Ice Road Truckers" as part of a bigger series about danger- ous jobs. The segment was such a hit that it spun into its own series, following a truck- ing company as its drivers navigate ice-covered roads and snow drifts with all kinds of cargo in the trucks. The se- ries encapsulated action, ad- venture and drama as it took viewers along for the ride, and they got to know the drivers and their stories. The series opened a pletho- ra of story lines within the in- dustry. On Tuesday, Jan. 10, A&E will premiere "Shipping Wars," which introduces viewers to the world of auc- tion-based shipping. Ten half- hour episodes have been filmed, but if past A&E suc- cess has set any kind of prece- dence, we can be sure that Jennifer Brennan in "Shipping Wars" "Shipping Wars" will be around for longer than that. In a nutshell, clients go on- line and post a description of the item they need shipped, including the size, weight and destination. Shippers then bid to win the auction, and the lowest bid gets the shipment. Underbidding opponents is important, but shippers need to be sure that they cover their costs, including insur- ance. Some of the packages are very large, very delicate, and sometimes even alive -- so they need to make sure they're covered. As with all reality series, the show would be nothing without a well-rounded cast of characters. "Shipping Wars" follows six indepen- dent shippers as they battle each other for packages. Married couple Scott and Suzanne Bawcom have put their entire life into their small shipping company, which Scott inherited from his father. Scott isn't one to turn away from a challenge -- a skill he learned while defus- ing bombs for the Marines in Iraq. With Scott at the wheel and Suzanne at the computer putting in bids, they always keep their trailer full. Roy Garber is a former handyman who uses his knowledge of tools and con- struction to help him move his loads. He's only been in the business for two years, but he's got hundreds of suc- cessful deliveries and thou- sands of miles on his truck. The rest of the shippers are inexperienced rookies who are trying to prove their worth in the industry. Marc is trying to use his business knowl- edge to make a successful company, but he has limited experience with shipping or big rigs. Jennifer is the only solo woman in the series, but don't let that fool you. She started out by lugging live- stock across the country for farming companies, and she has had everything from buf- falo to Ferraris in her trailer. Jarrett takes on any job he can get, hoping just to make ends meet. Size, shape and destination aren't factors in his business, but sometimes he just can't fight with the more experienced shippers. "Shipping Wars" is the third series on A&E with "Wars" in its name, following A/Auto Boutique B/The Green Giraffe 2 x 2 "Parking Wars" and "Storage Wars." "Parking Wars" follows parking enforcement officers in Philadelphia (and in later seasons, Detroit and Hobo- ken, N.J.) as they struggle to get drivers to follow the park- ing laws. Customers get irate when they get tickets they be- lieve they didn't deserve, and no one is happy when their vehicle gets towed and they're forced to fill out tons of paperwork. But after five seasons, "Parking Wars" is still a huge hit. "Storage Wars" has be- come so successful that it just spawned a spinoff. The origi- nal concept followed a group of bidders as they went to auctions that sold off unpaid storage lockers. Bidders in- clude collectors, gamblers and thrift-store owners, but, as always, the real drama is between the people them- selves. While all physical fights have been avoided, the bidders are quite sneaky in the way they manage to win the auctions. "Storage Wars: Texas" fol- lows the same concept, but viewers met a whole new set of bidders and a brand new idea of what could be in the lockers. The original series was held in California, and lockers have contained Holly- wood memorabilia or collect- ibles. In Texas, however, col- lectibles include rodeo wear, horse-riding gear and guns that no one has ever seen be- fore. Chirstopher's Coins 2 x 2 hollywoodQ&A By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: Have you heard anything about "The Protector" on Lifetime coming back? We're missing it. A: Positive early reviews and supporting-role great Miguel Ferrer couldn't protect this one from cancellation, with Lifetime pulling the plug on it a few days before airing what was supposed to just be its first-season finale. "The Protector" starred Ally Walker as a Los Angeles ho- micide detective who has to juggle her obviously demand- ing career with the demands of being a single mother. It seemed like a perfect premise for Lifetime's audience -- sounding an awful lot like a series version of one of the channel's bread-and-butter telefilms -- but it failed to get any traction in the ratings, reportedly losing nearly half of the viewers who tuned in to its lead-in, the network's smash-hit series "Army Wives." There's no word on Walker's next move -- though with a strong film and TV career behind her she'll surely get a new series before long. However, Ferrer seems to have landed on his feet. The actor, who played Walker's boss on "The Protector," began a recurring role on "Desperate Housewives" in Octo- ber, less than a month after "The Protector" left the air. He also recently inked a deal for a recurring role on "NCIS: LA." A/Crazy Tom's B/Allstar Auto Wash 2 x 3 Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. P not be provided. ersonal replies will