Review: 'American Gladiators' documentary wrestles with the hit show's past

"American Gladiators" doesn't trigger the kind of nostalgia you have for "Friends" or "Cheers." You may even consider it a joke. But the syndicated phenomenon, which ran from 1989 to 1996, holds a special place in the pop culture landscape, laying the groundwork for "American Ninja Warrior," "Wipeout" and more trash TV that brought sadistic fantasies to life.

"Muscles & Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators," a docuseries streaming on Netflix, has a lot of fun looking back at the show's ragtag origins, including a pathetic pilot co-hosted by Vikings legend Fran Tarkenton, who was quickly benched for Joe Theismann when it got picked up for a full season. It's a kick to see how much the show had a grip on the country, despite hammy acting and games that looked like they were designed by a 12-year-old bully.

But "Muscles" has a more serious agenda. Through emotional interviews with six of the show's regulars, we learn the price of fame, especially when it comes with high risks and low wages.

The dangerous repercussions of steroids were only touched upon in "Arnold," the recent documentary on Arnold Schwarzenegger. In "Muscles," director Jared Hess ("Napoleon Dynamite") goes much more in-depth about how the drugs can ravage lives. The only thing more menacing in the five-part series are TV executives who cared more about ratings than their employees' safety. The cast testimonials are heartbreaking. If you thought you'd never want to hug a dude named Nitro, think again.

The show has already inspired at least one reboot — and there's talk of another. If that happens, let's hope producers learn from past mistakes and give future gladiators a fighting chance.

Also this week ...

'Extraction 2'

Chris Hemsworth looks fit enough to hold his own against any gladiator. But his physique isn't the main reason to check out the further adventures of Tyler Rake, his commando with a death wish. As he did in the 2020 film, the character blows you away with the ability to take on a ridiculous number of villains at once (well, maybe not so ridiculous, considering he seems to have a bottomless arsenal of bullets, hand grenades and knives). But the real star of this sequel is director Sam Hargrave, a former stuntman who orchestrates long, seemingly uninterrupted fight scenes that are as dazzling as they are bloody. One 20-minute sequence that moves from a prison riot to a runaway train will leave you breathless. Netflix

'Anthem'

Composer Kris Bowers and producer Dahi seem well aware that their assignment to write a new national anthem was never going to lead to Congress replacing "The Star-Spangled Banner." But they weren't about to pass up the opportunity to do the research, which consisted of hobnobbing and jamming with musicians across the country. It's a fascinating journey — and the resulting song isn't half-bad. Hulu

'Brandi Carlile: In the Canyon Haze'

This intimate outdoor concert originally aired last September as an Imax livecast. The red-hot singer's reinterpretation of her "In These Silent Days" album is capped with a cover of Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock" (which fits perfectly) and David Bowie's "Space Oddity" (which doesn't). 7 p.m. Saturday, HBO