American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior

Let’s start by saying that conflict is the fuel that propels many reality series, and this one’s no exception. There’s no love lost between father and son here, and both spend a good portion of each episode deriding the other and trying to explain their side of the argument. That’s too bad, because the motorcycles are more interesting than their fight. Yes, tension is key to making reality TV interesting, but this fight seems to have gone massively awry.

It seems as if the two Teutuls no longer have much in the way of substantive issues to discuss, or simply can’t find a way to let proverbial bygones be, well, bygones. The most important on the issue now appears to be who’ll give in first, a sight that’s frankly depressing. It’s no fun watching them air so much of their dirty laundry. Fortunately, there are the bikes. And what wonderful bikes they are. Once they get into the shop, these men are skilled artists, and watching them turn a pile of metal into a unique two-wheeled creation is a treat. It almost makes up for having to spend the rest of the show listening to them insult each other.