In reality TV, popular formats never really die — think the frequently revived Candid Camera — they just go into hibernation. Next to awaken is American Gladiators.
Executive producer Arthur Smith (Hell's Kitchen), who has turned the competition series American Ninja Warrior into a summer smash for NBC, is giving the 1990s syndicated hit (briefly brought back in 2008 by NBC) a modern makeover.
"It's a little darker, more intense, more serious," says Smith, who's producing the show through his A. Smith & Co. banner with MGM. "It's a little less red, white and blue. And there's no spandex. Spandex has left the building."
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