Tattoo-themed shows — once considered a stepchild of the reality TV genre — are now viewed as mainstream for young viewers, many of whom are sporting ink themselves.

Shows like VH1’s Black Ink Crew, A&E’s recently launched Heroes Ink and Paramount Network’s Ink Master are drawing up sizable audiences with character-driven stories of tatted-up people — from celebrities to law-enforcement officials — as well as the unique professionals who wield the ink and needle..

“At one time, the perception of someone getting a tattoo was that they were low-class,” said Marc Berman, editor of TV industry website Programming Insider. “It’s not like that anymore. It’s very up-and-coming and prevalent in today’s society, particularly if you’re young.”

The genre has come along way since such shows as Tattoo Girls, Bad Ink and Tattoo Rescue permeated cable-network lineups with often wild and outlandish stories and images of tattoo parlors and the characters that frequented them, network executives said.

“When unscripted cable emerged some 20 years ago, tattoos were still considered somewhat taboo and more associated with outlaws and fringe culture,” said Dan Cesareo, founder of Big Fish Entertainment, which produces VH1’s Black Ink Crew and MTV’s How Far Is Tattoo Far?

“Today that has changed dramatically — tattoos are mainstream, fashionable and have become iconic, in a way,” Cesareo said.

Ink Is Spreading

Indeed, four out of 10 people age 18-69 have at least one tattoo, according to a 2017 Statista survey, up from 21% five years prior.

“Years ago, tattoos were niche and few people had them, and now everybody’s grandmother is getting an anchor on their arm,” said Glenda Hersh, co-CEO and co-president of production company Truly Original, creators of tattoo competition show Ink Master. “It’s become much more common, relevant and connected to pop culture, art and fashion. I think that as that grows, so does interest in tattoo shows.”

Ink Master, which launched its 12th season this month, features tattoo artists competing in various challenges to assess their tattoo and related artistic skills. The franchise is so popular — season 11 finished as the most-watched reality series on ad-supported cable among men 18-49 and as a top 10 reality series among adults 18-49 — that Truly Original and Paramount Network have already green-lighted a 13th season.

Launch plans are also set for a spinoff series, Ink Master: Grudge Match, to premiere this fall on Paramount Network, as well as an Ink Master YouTube channel.

Ink Master has thrived through the years because of the appeal of its stars and their unique talents, Hersh said. “They’re colorful, they’re creative, they come from different backgrounds and are fun to watch,” she said. “Also, a lot of people watch for the game-play strategy. It’s not all about the art but also how you play the Ink Master game, what alliances you form as well as the rivalries.”

Also driving the appeal of tattoo shows is the intersection of art and celebrity. A significant number of celebrities and athletes, both men and women, are wearing tattoos, making the body art a fashion statement and part of the pop-culture scene.

Shows like VH1’s Black Ink Crew — and spinoff Black Ink Crew Chicago — have featured celebrities getting inked in the showcased African-American owned tattoo shops, including rap artists Jadakis and Nicki Minaj, as well as NBA star DeMarcus Cousins.

“[The stars] are not just coming in to make an appearance — they are getting something permanently etched onto their skin, which is obviously a much more significant commitment,” Cesareo said. “That helps draw in the younger, more elusive demographic of viewers that all these cable networks are fighting to get to show up and watch their content.”

With Black Ink Crew not only driving the highest African-American viewership of any show on VH1 but also one of the highest male viewership numbers on the predominantly female-skewing network, Cesareo said Big Fish is developing another spinoff of the series, but would not reveal further details.

From Stars to First Responders

Rather than celebrities, A&E explores law-enforcement officials’ affinity for tattoos in Hero Ink. The series, which launched on June 6, follows the work done at Prison Break Tattoos, a Houston parlor that specializes in creating meaningful tattoos for first responders.

Elaine Frontain Bryant, executive vice president and head of programming for A&E Network, said the tattoos created in the series serve as the entry point for these professionals to tell their own personal stories.

Through the first two telecasts — including reruns — A&E said Hero Ink has reached nearly 8 million viewers since its debut on a Nielsen live-plus-3 basis.

“I’m interested in the artistry, but I’m also interested in why people choose a particular image that’s going to stay with them for the rest of their lives,” she said. “Usually there’s a story and a reason behind the tattoo. It’s a great way to get to know people better and see some great art at the end of it.”

Added Berman: “It’s no longer just about getting a tattoo, but it’s about the people coming in and telling their backstories. Shows that work in the reality genre are those that showcase people that we can relate to or those that we want to be, and right now people are relating to these tattoo places.”

VH1 vice president of original programming Daniel Rogge said the Black Ink Crew franchise has not shied away from showcasing the authentic trials and tribulations of its unpredictable and complicated stars. He pointed to a situation from last season’s Black Ink Chicago, in which a featured cast member temporarily left the 9Mag Ink Tattoo Shop after revealing he was dealing with depression and suicidal thoughts.

“We used his story as a pro-social opportunity to provide resources for people who may be experiencing the same thing,” he said. “On the one hand, the show focuses on the entrepreneurs who are trying to run a successful business, but then there’s also a mother working to raise a family, and there are others dealing with friends, family and personal issues. It has a core of relatability to situations that viewers can see themselves in.”

As the tattoo industry moves further into the mainstream, network executives say shows that profile the people that create and receive tattoos will continue to prosper.

“There is a mainstreaming of [tattoos] that is a good thing,” said VH1’s Rogge, adding that he is a client of the 9Mag shop himself, having had one of the show’s artists tattoo his child’s name onto his arm.

Added Big Fish’s Cesareo: “If you were to pull out the staples of unscripted programming that will never go away, tattoos will always be one of those staples.”

Season 12 of Ink Master premieres on Paramount Network June 11. This season, it is “Battle of the Sexes.” The tattoo world has long been dominated by men, executive producer Glenda Hersh said, but women are finally getting their due.

“Battle of the sexes couldn’t be more timely subject matter,” she said.

Paramount Network ordered two seasons last month, which Hersh said “really speaks to Paramount’s commitment to the franchise” and helps the producers sleep at night.

There’s also a new Ink Master YouTube channel, which Hersh said is “a way for people to scratch their Ink Master itch 24/7.”

The show will have regular coaches, and Dave Navarro, guitar guy for Jane’s Addiction, continues to host. Hersh said he knows a ton about tattoos, and has solid credibility among tattoo artists. “He’s a rock star in so many ways,” she said.

Hersh’s Truly Original produces. What has enabled Ink Master, on Spike TV and now Paramount, to exist for so many seasons? She compared the series to a cooking show. A poorly prepared meal gets tossed in the garbage. A bad tattoo is there for life. “The stakes are really high,” she said.

Hersh is, shall we say, enthused about the new season. “I want to say it’s the best season ever,” she said. “But I don’t want to jinx it.”

And the guys behind Just Roll With It don’t want to jinx their new show, a funky mix of improv comedy and family sitcom that previews on Disney Channel June 14. The studio audience votes on the next scene, with the actors backstage.

Adam Small and Trevor Moore, both formerly of Disney XD’s Walk the Prank, created the show and executive produce it. Moore always loved those moments on Saturday Night Live when Horatio Sanz and Jimmy Fallon would crack each other up, and sought that kind of vibe throughout Just Roll With It.

Tobie Windham and Suzi Barrett play the parents, and Ramon Reed and Kaylin Hayman the step-sibling kids. “The show constantly pulls the rug out from under our actors,” said Moore, who refers to the audience voting as “crowd-sourcing a sitcom.”

Moore likens the audience to a fifth character on the show. In fact, the studio crowd is treated pretty well. There’s a DJ on set, and games and prizes are given out.

Just Roll With It “lifts the curtain” on a traditional sitcom to get behind the scenes, in Small’s words.

Producing a show like this is an awful lot of work, and casting it is no easy feat either. “We were hoping for lightning in a bottle,” Moore said. “And we got it.”

Paramount Network will expand its Ink Master franchise both on linear and in digital as part of a deal announced Tuesday.

The network has renewed the tattoo-themed series for two additional seasons, with season 12 -- Ink Master: Battle of The Sexes -- set to debut June 11 and season 13 premiering in 2020, according to Paramount officials. In addition, Paramount Network has ordered an Ink Master spinoff -- Ink Master: Grudge Match -- which will debut this fall and provide former Ink Master contestants the opportunity to settle vendettas with their biggest rivals against whom they previously competed, said the network.

Ink Master finished its 11th season as the top reality series on ad-supported cable for men 18-49 and a top 10 reality series among Adults 18-49, according to Nielsen.

Paramount Network also announced it has launched an Ink Master-themed YouTube channel based on the series that will feature past and future content from the series.

“The popularity of tattoo culture is at an all-time high, so I am thrilled to expand the incredibly successful Ink Master franchise across multiple platforms and touchpoints for our fans,” said Keith Cox, president, Development and Production for Paramount Network and TV Land in a statement. “Each new season of Ink Master brings forth heightened interpersonal drama and the stakes will be raised yet again in season 12’s Battle Of The Sexes and the fall premiere of Grudge Match. Additionally, the new YouTube channel will feature the most infamous moments from past seasons, content from upcoming seasons and exclusives that fans won’t want to miss.”

Spike has inked an eighth season of its tattoo-competition series Ink Master, the network said Monday.

Spike in 2016 will begin filming 15 one-hour episodes as well as a live finale, said network officials. The recently completed season six of Ink Master generated a series record 2.4 million viewers.

Season seven of Ink Master debuts next spring and will feature returning show favorite contestants.

“Ink Master delivered yet again a compelling and entertaining season packed with incredible artistic expression and creativity mixed in with big drama,” said Sharon Levy, Executive Vice President, Original Series for Spike. “The record ratings are a testament to our partners at Original Media and our phenomenal hosting/judging trio of Dave Navarro, Oliver Peck, and Chris Nunez. We are thrilled to this great team back for Season 8.”  

Spike TV has renewed tattoo series Ink Master for a seventh season and ordered a spinoff, Ink Master: Redemption.

Season seven will feature 16 one-hour episodes and will debut in spring 2016.

In Redemption, guests from previous Ink Master seasons who left unhappy with their tattoos return to the shop for a chance at new ink. The spinoff series, featuring six half-hour episodes, goes into production this summer and will debut in September.

“With Americans spending more than $1 Billion annually on tattoos, Ink Master has definitely hit a chord with viewers and has continued to grow as one of our most gender-balanced original series,” said Chachi Senior, senior VP, original programming, Spike TV.

Tattoos are making a mark on the reality-TV genre.

For decades, “tats” or “ink” carried a stigma as deviant marks worn by criminals, bikers and rock musicians, an unambiguous sign of a person’s wild side.

But these days, tattoos are coming out of the sleeve: One out of every five Americans sports at least one tattoo on their bodies, according to a 2012 Harris Interactive report.

The tattoo industry is now a $1.65 billion dollar business with more than 21,000 parlors operating in the U.S., according to the online Tattoo Statistics website. People from virtually every demographic are proudly displaying their tats with few inhibitions. Tattoos were once an automatic disqualification for most jobs. Now cops, bankers, executives — and writers — are showing off their body ink.

And it’s not even mostly men. An Oxygen Media survey in 2012 revealed that 59% of tattoo-wearers are women, with the most popular images those of hearts and angels. Tattoos are also prevalent with young people: About 36% of all adults 18 to 25 have at least one tattoo, while 40% of adults 26 to 40 are inked, according to the Pew Research Center.

Getting “inked” has become a trend in large part due to changing social standards, particularly among young people. In a Harris poll, the number of people who said adults with tattoos are more likely to do something most people consider deviant has dropped to 24% from 29% in 2008, and the number of people who said it makes no difference whether someone has a tattoo has gone up to 74% from 69%.

Millennials see their favorite celebrities sporting animals, kids’ names and other images on their backs, arms and legs. In today’s entertainment world, it’s rare to find a celebrity who doesn’t wear some form of tattoo, while performers such as R&B singer Rihanna, movie star Angelina Jolie and singer Chris Brown sport nine tattoos or more. The biggest sports athletes are also sporting multiple tattoos, from basketball’s LeBron James to baseball’s Josh Hamilton to soccer’s David Beckham.

Naturally, tattoos need to be shown to be appreciated, so many are ending up on reality television. “The proliferation of tattoo shows corresponds with the growing popularity of tattoos in our culture,” Shelly Tatro, senior vice president of development and programming for A&E, said. Her network was one of the first to jump into the tattoo-based reality series genre with Inked in 2005. The network currently airs Epic Ink, which follows the exploits of the charismatic staff of the Oregon-based Area 51 Tattoo parlor.

“Series like Epic Ink are successful, not just because of the incredible talent of these artists, but also the characters and the stories behind the tattoos they create,” Tatro said.

More than a half-dozen tattoo or body-painting shows are currently on network schedules, ranging from intense and dramatic competition series (GSN’s Skin Wars, Spike TV’s Ink Master and Syfy’s Face Off) to shows focusing on charismatic owners and workers at tattoo parlors (Oxygen’s Tattoos After Dark and Epic Ink). At least one show explores correcting or removing unwanted body ink (Spike’s Tattoo Nightmares Miami.) And Ink Master was Spike’s second-highest-rated show in 2013.

Viewers are fascinated by the subculture and mystique of the tattoo and body-painting industry, and that interest is inking strong ratings for cable networks, programming executives said. “The genre has become a huge trend, and it’s been very successful for us with Tattoo Nightmares (and spinoff series Tattoo Nightmares: Miami) and Ink Master,” Chris Rantamaki, senior vice president of original series for Spike, said. “That’s part of the trend — not only is the artwork amazing, but we search for the best of the best.”

Tattooed Americans seem infatuated with permanent body art, even if it means running the risk of getting a less-than-flattering result. In a recent casting call for Ink Master, Spike drew some 15,000 applicants as well as dozens of people lining up to be “human canvasses,” according to Rantamaki.

“It always amazes me that people will line up to get specific tattoos that we commission for the series,” he said. “For a guy with no tattoos, I can appreciate the art, but when it doesn’t go well [those people] are walking away with tattoos that will probably be with them for the rest of their lives, so the stakes are big.”

Rantamaki said the network’s tattoo shows also draw an even split of male and female viewers, which may seem unusual considering that the tattoo phenomenon is perceived to be more targeted to males. A poll conducted by Oxygen Media in 2012 said that 85% of those surveyed believed that more men sport tattoos than women.

BODY AS CANVAS

Nonetheless, female-skewing Oxygen pulled in female viewers to a pair of series, Tattoos After Dark and Best Ink. Tattoos After Dark, which chronicles a Los Angeles-based tattoo parlor and the unique characters that frequent it late at night, averaged 546,000 viewers during its freshman run earlier this past summer. Competition series Best Ink drew 613,000 viewers in its third season, which ended this past February. Both series were above the 415,000 total viewers the network averaged in primetime last year, according to Nielsen.

The tattoo craze has spawned another genre that has caught the attention of viewers: body painting.

The genre, in which creative artists use the human body as a canvas to paint designs, has been showcased recently in Hollywood through Rebecca Romijn and Jennifer Lawrence’s portrayal of blue-colored shapechanger Mystique in the popular X-Men film franchise. “There is a subculture of body painters out there and people are really interested in subcultures,” GSN executive vice president of programming Amy Introcaso-Davis said.

Viewers have recently taken interest in GSN’s Skin Wars body-painting series. The competition series, hosted by Romijn, pits body painters against each other in a series of creative skill tests. Its Aug. 6 premiere drew a network-series record 700,000 viewers.

Introcasco-Davis said the competitive nature of the series, combined with the painters’ artistry and skill, has also drawn a record number of young viewers to the channel, which also features reruns of such classic game shows as The $20,000 Pyramid.

“The [genre] is appealing to an audience that’s at the younger end of the spectrum and much younger than our audience,” she said. “It definitely has a much younger appeal.”

The tattoo and body-painting genres won’t fade too fast, Introcaso-Davis said. She said she expects more networks to jump on the bandwagon.

“There’s more room for competition shows in the genre like this,” she said. “The interesting thing about body painting, unlike tattoos, is that you can use the whole body. It makes the artwork much more extraordinary because there’s a bigger canvas to cover.”

Networks that were initially reluctant to look at that tattoo culture because it was too niche-oriented will soon realize that ink is more mainstream than people think, Spike’s Rantamaki added.

“We don’t want to oversaturate the genre, but we’ve had success where others have not,” he said. “We’ve really respected the tattoo culture.”