When Were the Storage Wars Auctions Filmed? Uncovering the Original Footage and Timeline
By Robert Thorne
The immediate ratings explosion prompted A&E to supercharge its filming schedule. Between 2011 and 2013, production ran almost non-stop across multiple regional hubs. Rather than waiting for annual cycles, the network commissioned rapid-fire batches of episodes and authorized spin-offs to capture varied regional subcultures.
The first major offshoot, Storage Wars: Texas, originally developed under the working title Storage Wars: Dallas, began shooting in mid-2011 and officially hit airwaves in December 2011. It introduced figures like Ricky Smith and Bubba Smith, operating under Texas self-storage statutes that had distinct lien-sale processes compared to California.
| Series & Production Era | Filming & Air Date Window | Primary Production Hub | Core Production Dynamic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storage Wars (Original Series S1, S3) | Filmed 2010, 2012Aired Dec 2010, Dec 2012 | Southern California (Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange County) | Raw, cash-only format; established original cast dynamics and peaked with over 4.5 million weekly viewers. |
| Storage Wars: Texas | Filmed 2011, 2013Aired Dec 2011, Jan 2014 | Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, East Texas | First localized expansion; captured oil patch surplus, Western memorabilia, and Texas lien-law sales. |
| Storage Wars: New York | Filmed 2012, 2013Aired Jan 2013, Nov 2013 | New York City Boroughs, Long Island, New Jersey | Navigated tight urban multi-story locker facilities; highlighted high-density real estate clearance. |
| Storage Wars (Post-Litigation S4, S12) | Filmed 2013, 2019Aired 2013, Jan 2019 | Southern California, Central Valley | Stricter chain-of-custody protocols following legal scrutiny; revolving cast with Hester returning in 2014. |
| Modern Era Revival (S13, S15) | Filmed 2020, 2023Aired Apr 2021, Jun 2023 | California, regional facilities | Post-pandemic filming dynamics; legacy cast returning to compete against rising online appraisal tools. |
Robert Thorne covers electric vehicle innovations, autonomous driving systems, global mobility trends, and automotive engineering developments.
