Fans of the PBS hit “Antiques Roadshow” will be smitten with the new series “Market Warriors,” premiering July 16 at 9 p.m. (8 p.m. central and pacific) on PBS channels nationwide. Fresh from a day filming an upcoming episode, California’s Long Beach Antique Market manager Lynn Moger had a busy day getting up close and personal with the show. “The PBS crew got here at 4 a.m., set up their equipment and started shooting as the gates opened at half past five,” Moger says. “PBS doesn’t do things off the cuff, they had a plan and knew exactly what shots they needed.” Moger notes that one producer was exceptionally pleased with the Long Beach location because he had spent 15 years as a market regular while living in Los Angeles. “We sell no new merchandise and are strictly a vintage, antique and collectible flea market,” Moger points out. “Everything needs to be vintage or collectable to be sold, so we were a great fit for the PBS show.”
A Cast of Characters
“Market Warriors” traverses flea markets across the country and details the adventures of the Warriors, for whom there is no such thing as an average market day. Pitted against each other in each episode, the Warriors receive one hour and a tight budget to search for items to sell at auction. The show stars Miller Gafney, a southern blonde with pricy taste and an abundance of art expertise, Kevin Bruneau, a Rhode Islander who goes for profitable products over interesting ones, John Bruno, owner of one of the largest promotion companies in the Northeast, and Bob Richter, an interior designer who specializes in vintage treasures. Once the quartet reconvenes, they discover how much cash their purchases earn with as much anticipation as viewers watching the show from the comfort of home.
“I would definitely invite ‘Market Warriors’ and the PBS team to return in the second season because they were a pleasure to work with and it was wonderful to have them here,” Moger expresses. From the producer of “Antiques Roadshow,” “Market Warriors” has been compared to a sleeker, trendier version of its predecessor. The competitive edge created between four pickers makes for a sharper hour of entertainment than the typical appraisal show. For more information about the show, visit PBS.org. “This show celebrates flea markets,” Moger says. “It shows the wonderful opportunity for the public to repurpose and recycle items and keep history alive, and everybody likes to collect something.”