Fools Beware: Mr. T is Back to Pity You

Alright, so the Gold Chains are gone and the Mohawk is receding, but the no-nonsense, tough guy attitude is just like I remember it. Mr. T is back in the mix with his “I Pity The Fool” Reality TV show on TV Land. And oh man, I haven’t seen this many clenched fists since Fight Club.

The premise of the show is Mr. T dishing out tough love to slackers and people that are “motivationally challenged”. I know what you’re saying, who is Mr. T to share his worldly wisdom with the public. But come on people, this is all about shock value and seeing our 80s icon operate in the now.

In the first episode, Mr. T is hired at a used Car Dealership that can’t seem to gets its business out of neutral. He gives them a challenge to sell 20 cars in 48 hours. Among other challenges are whipping a scumbag car salesman into shape, putting heat on some slackers, and mending a broken father/son-in-law relationship. All of which he handles with cool precision. 
In a way, I felt like I was watching the SuperNanny “Make my life better” formula, just in a different format. But watching Mr. T get down in the trenches and perform the role of a salesman was priceless. I don’t know what was funnier, each time he said “Bidness” instead of “business” or him getting hung up on while making cold calls. BTW, he garners a business suit and a pair of chucks - it was GREAT.

I don’t know if it’s worthy of precious disk space on my DVR, but the shock value is there for the first episode. However, like Punk’d and Pimp My Ride, the novelty factor will wear off pretty quick. But I’m happy for Mr. T. If Flavor Flav deserves a chance at buzz-redemption, then my boy BA Barracus does too.

The first episode, “Motivation”, premieres Wed. Oct 10 at 10PM EST on TV Land. But you can check it out now at Yahoo! TV. Click [here] to watch.