Alright TNT, We'll Watch the 'Girls Gone Wild' Documentary About Founder Joe Francis
By The Big Lead
'Tis the season to watch an unreasonable amount of NBA playoff action and wake up bleary-eyed in the morning to an episode of Charmed stretched to fit today's high-definition televisions. Live sports remains the crown jewel of traditional cable because a captive audience is forced to consume commercials during stoppages in play. This year that has resulted in getting blasted in the face with advertisements for Rich & Shameless: Girls Gone Wild Exposed, which chronicles the seedy empire of founder Joe Francis.
Our analytics department is still crunching the numbers in regards to just how many times a full commercial or in-game read has brought this content to the forefront, but we feel safe saying that it's been impressively ubiquitous. And you know what, credit where it's due. The repeated spots have bludgeoned us into submission to the point we will be tuning into the premiere on Saturday night.
Why? Because there was a time where Francis' name was plastered all over the internet. Yet years have passed and we've entered that rich, fertile Whatever Happened to That Guy phase.
Francis released his first Girls Gone Wild video in 1997 and the series would go on to sell millions of copies. This turned into $25 million enterprise before momentum stalled and the the company ultimately filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy before selling to Bang Bros.
The Sun has a pretty thorough accounting of his trials and tribulations over the past two decades, which include trouble with the IRS and allegedly spitting in a woman's face to give her COVID. Plus, some ongoing drama with his former longtime partner Abbey Wilson, which is quite salacious.
Put simply, there's a lot of source material to make something interesting and Francis' unique blend of personality and niche place in the zeitgeist. So you win, TNT. We're in for week one. As the playoffs continue there will be more installments. God help us, we're probably check those out too late one night. Not proud of it. Just being honest.