If American Idol can come back to TV less than two years after its original cancellation and "final episode," then there's seemingly nothing stopping any reality series from returning to the small screen, especially other shows with "American" in the name. Such is the case with the unscripted motorcycle-building show American Chopper, which is confirmed for its own future TV comeback. And guess what? The father and son team of the masterfully mustacioed Paul Teutul Sr. and Paul Teutul Jr. will both be back to craft some of the sweetest rides on the road.
While the details surrounding American Chopper's revival aren't plentiful, the new project is being handled by the show's original home of Discovery, and it's expected to get a winter premiere date. So we can probably expect to see the Teutul brothers returning to TV in early 2018, although a late-December launch isn't out of the question.
For the new iteration, both Paul Teutul Sr. and Paul Teutul Jr. will seek to bring their respective brands to lucrative prominence, while also attempting to keep their own relationship from breaking down. Viewers can expect to see major celebrities appearing as clients, as well as internationally renowned athletes and the owners of Forbes 100 businesses.
It's been seven years since the end of American Chopper prime, and five years since the spinoff series American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior came to its close. And apparently all involved are pumped to get the popular series back on the air for the millions of fans that were hooked on not only the talent-driven craftsmanship, but also the interpersonal drama that made later scenes with Senior and Junior as uncomfortable as a motorcycle seat made out of gravel.
Here's what Discovery had to say about why the big American Chopper revival is coming together, according to EW.
The Teutuls have been on a wild ride, and it certainly isn't ending anytime soon. Paul Sr. has revamped Orange County Choppers -- turning it into a complex with a shop, café, bowling alley, restaurant and of course, the showroom -- but all that didn't come without a hefty price tag and he is feeling the burden of a high overhead and a lack of foot traffic. Meanwhile, Paul Jr. has also felt the sting of a rough economy -- with his business built solely on high-dollar custom-builds and commissions becoming tougher to come by, Paul Jr. stresses about the long-term stability of his own shop, Paul Jr. Designs especially now that he has his own family.
One of Discovery's most popular shows, as well as one that helped to usher in the unscripted cable boom, American Chopper made its debut in 2002 as a TV special, and went on to air for four seasons before shifting over to TLC for the next two seasons. Tensions between Paul Sr and Paul Jr led to the latter's firing in 2008, which caused some obvious complications that eventually led to Paul Jr. opening his own company, Paul Jr. Designs. After the initial series' end, TLC announced the American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior spinoff, which later flipped back to Discovery and ran for four seasons. Another iteration of the series, Orange County Choppers, ran for a single season on CMT in 2013-2014.
So remember to keep an eye out for American Chopper's return to Discovery either late this year or in early 2018. In the meantime, hit up our fall TV premiere schedule to see what'll be roaring up on the small screen soon.
