Title: Dog The Bounty Hunter
Stars: Duane “Dog” Chapman, Beth
Smith, Leland Chapman, and Justin Bihag,
Approximate Running Time: 22 minutes per
episode without commercials
Media: A&E Original Reality Television
Series (NTSC VHS Screener)
Premiere Tuesday, August 31, 2004, at 10pm
(ET/PT)
Network: A&E (Check your local
cable/satellite listings for channel)
TV Rating: Not Available At Time Of Review
Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera
I am not a big fan of
reality television series. If I were to make documentary in the “Fall Of
Western Civilization” feature film series, I’d call it “The Reality
Television Years.” Yet I would be a liar if I did not admit to getting hooked
on a few reality TV shows. I watched the first “Real World” TV series when
it aired on MTV and think the “Las Vegas” season was truly “guilty as
sin” must-see television when I reviewed the DVD set last year. I even got
into watching “America’s Top Next Top Model” because it followed “Star
Trek: Enterprise” on Wednesday nights back in February of this year. So while
I may not be a proponent of reality television, there is no denying that I’ve
watched my share of it. To my pleasant surprise “Dog The Bounty Hunter” is
not a retread of “America’s Most Wanted” or “Cops,” but actually a
refreshingly inspirational reality television show about a world famous bounty
hunter and his family. Duane “Dog” Chapman has made over six thousand
captures in his 27-year career. Chapman was released from a Texas penitentiary
in 1979 and set out to be a father to his children and to help the system that
had rehabilitated him.
What makes Mr. Chapman
so interesting is that he truly is a “bad-ass” bounty hunter, but that is
only half of his job. If he can he will try and help the convict straighten out
his or her life because he understands where they are coming from on some level
and through his own motivational style, he truly practices what he preaches by
“never tearing a man down without rebuilding him.” He is recognized as a
charismatic motivational speaker by various agencies and public figures
including “Personal Power” guru Tony Robbins. He is also a born again
Christian with a 34 year old wife who also is in the business that includes his
son Leland, brother Tim, and nephew Justin. All in all Dog has 12 children and
lives in Hawaii.
A&E will premiere
“Dog The Bounty Hunter” with two back-to-back episodes at 10pm (ET/PT) and
10:30pm (ET/PT) respectively. New episodes will follow there after on Tuesdays
at 10pm (ET/PT). Ozzy Osbourne wrote and performed an original theme song for
the TV series too. It is nice to see something that is not about people
competing for some prize or trying to act out to extend their fifteen minutes of
fame. “Dog The Bounty Hunter” works for me because it presents a healthy
family unit and a group of upstanding people that successful manages a tough
business without losing their humanity and without dehumanizing the people they
capture.
© Copyright 2004 By
Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.