After a brief hiatus, Season 27 of American Pickers will return this week, just a week before the series premiere of longtime host Mike Wolfe’s new show, History’s Greatest Picks.
In a new interview with TV Insider, Mike opened up about the new episodes of ‘American Pickers,’ while revealing the reason behind the months-long hiatus.
“We were in talks behind the scenes about when we wanted to fire this thing up again,” Mike explained. “The reason we took a hiatus was because [History Channel] had a number of shows that were brand-new and just sitting there. They were like, ‘Let’s just chill out for a little bit. Let’s air some shows and get back at it.’”
On Sunday, Season 27 will return with back-to-back episodes featuring Mike, his brother Robbie Wolfe, Danielle Colby and Jon “Jersey Jon” Szalay, who will kick off their return to TV with a trip to a Tennessee stockpile, followed by a visit to a Kansas boneyard, where the group will uncover dinosaur fossils. Upcoming episodes will also see the cast of collectors discover a rare jukebox at an historical Missouri home and more.
‘American Pickers’ enthusiasts can also look forward to the February 22 series premiere of ‘History’s Greatest Picks,’ an upcoming show hosted by Mike that will feature artifacts including Captain Kirk’s Star Trek command chair and Lee Harvey Oswald’s exhumed coffin.
“Listen, I don’t take lightly this new show [‘History’s Greatest Picks’] is going to air because I struggled for five years to make my show happen and to be on television,” Mike said of the upcoming show. “So, when that happened and I learned so much, what I did learn was there are so many great ideas floating around out there, but so little of them come to fruition when it comes to television. This was a great idea someone had and it was just the right time. I feel so proud to produce content still for [History Channel] after all these years.”
The return of ‘American Pickers’ and the premiere of ‘History’s Greatest Picks’ comes on the heels of Mike and girlfriend Leticia Cline being involved in a serious car accident in September when the pair were hit by a drunk driver. (The driver responsible for the crash was charged with DUI and vehicular assault in December.)
Following the accident, Leticia remained hospitalized, later revealing that she had suffered a broken jaw, broken ribs and sternum, a collapsed lung and swelling on her spine.
Mike noted this week that while the accident in September was “much harder” on Leticia due to her level of injuries, she’s handled her recovery journey “with such dignity and strength.”
“When she puts her mind to do something, there is absolutely no one who can stand in her way,” he added.
‘American Pickers’ returns with back-to-back episodes on February 15, airing on the History Channel. Mike’s new show, ‘History’s Greatest Picks,’ premieres February 22, also on the History Channel.
Watch a clip from the February 15 episode of ‘American Pickers’ below.
(Photos: Instagram; History Channel)
