The show has received 6.6/10 ratings on IMDb. It has received 7.9/10 rating on TV.com. The first-season premiere episode drew 2.1 million viewers and the show was A&E's top-rated non-fiction show for 2010, with an average of 2.4 million viewers. The season two premiere consisted of back-to-back new episodes of the show; the second show drew 5.1 million total viewers and was the highest rating for an episode of a series in A&E history. The combined season premiere outperformed competing original episodes of NBC Love in the Wild and ABC's Primetime Nightline.
A spin-off of Storage Wars titled Storage Wars: Texas made its debut on A&E on December 6, 2011. This series features a different auctioneer and group of bidders, and takes place at various self-storage locations in the state of Texas. A second spin-off called Storage Wars: New York premiered January 1, 2013. As of late 2014, neither spin-off is airing on the network or in production.
In December 2012, Dave Hester filed a lawsuit against A&E and Original Productions, claiming that the producers staged entire units, planted items in lockers after having them appraised weeks in advance, and funneled cash to weaker teams to buy lockers that they could not have otherwise afforded. The suit claims that Hester and other cast members met with network officials to express concerns that those actions were in violation of federal law intended to prevent viewers from being deceived when watching a show involving intellectual skills.
On September 3, 2013, Hester had one of his claims approved by Los Angeles Superior Court judge Michael Johnson. The court ruled that Hester "can move forward with the wrongful termination portion of his wide-ranging lawsuit against A&E and the producers of Storage Wars."
On July 15, 2014, it was announced that Hester and A&E came to a settlement, setting the stage for his return to the show on August 12, 2014.
Brandon Sheets, also known as The Sidebet (Seasons 1—9): Darrell Sheets' son, who often accompanies him to the auctions. In later seasons, Brandon attended auctions on his own and also bid against his Father for the same units. Brandon tweeted on December 20, 2016 that he will be leaving the show after the ninth season due to budget cuts. Brandon now works as a real estate agent in Arizona.
