"Gladiators" is the peak of televised sports entertainment. Sorry WWE and pro-wrestling in general, I'm not doubting what those people put their bodies through, but let's face it: the outcomes are fixed, and all those involved are pros. In "Gladiators", there are the pros but there are also the everyday regular people (in great shape, of course) facing them and each other in a wide variety of competitive events where the outcome is uncertain and there are no givens; every success has to be earned with sweat and (figurative) blood. Plus, it is "Gladiators" and not WWE which pioneered women's athletics (and bodybuilding) in mainstream weekly television. The American version may be a notch below the British one in production values or even the personalities of the gladiators, but it still offers countless hours of easy entertainment. And it still holds up. 8/10.
Review of American Gladiators
