I felt like a kid again last night when one of my favorite shows growing up made its return to television, albeit in a much more reality-tinged, 21st-century form.

American Gladiators, which used to be part of my Saturday afternoon tube-watching routine years ago, premiered Sunday night on NBC , with a two-hour episode that — at least for me — gave me a jolt of nostalgia but also reminded me why I’m not much of a reality show fan.

For those who’d never seen the original version, which aired in syndication from 1989 to 1996, you’ll probably think this is just another way to use up air time by having athletic Americans do strenuous tasks in hopes of winning money.

For me, though, getting to see some of the old events — oh, how I missed Assault! What’s better than watching people dive out of the way of rapidly fired tennis balls? — was probably the best part of the experience.

Though, based on everything else, it’s probably not enough to get me to keep watching.

Too much of the new show is like any other reality show, complete with an overstylized competition arena (most of the events are played over water, instead of rows of squishy mats like in the past), over-the-top hosts (Hulk Hogan!) and both competitors and the Gladiators mucking it up for the camera.

My favorite: a Gladiator named Titan, portrayed by Michael O’Hearn. He’s the pretty-boy-looking one that’s on all the commercials and advertisements. And he somehow manages to keep that same overzealous smile on while throwing a dude off a giant foam pyramid.

I guess, if you’re a reality show junkie, you’ll like the fact they tell you a lot about the contestants, and try to make them more than just a red- or blue-clad potential victims.

It was interesting to hear that competitor Jeff Keller had tried out for the original version in 1994 and was called to be on the show, but somehow managed to miss his taping because he was stuck in Los Angeles traffic.

It was also noteworthy that, unlike at any time on the first version that I can recall, there were injuries.

A woman appeared to blow out her knee in the first event while trying to avoid a Gladiator in Powerball, and she had to be replaced by an alternate.

And that woman, a doctor named Venus Ramos, ended up winning her competition when she made a massive comeback at the end of the final event obstacle course, known as the Eliminator.

Actually, her “interview” after winning was probably the funniest part of the show.

Bent over, gasping for breath, and in obvious agony, show co-host Laila Ali sticks a microphone and asks how she’s feeling.

The reply: classic reality TV.

“This is the most incredible feeling in the world! I’m in so much pain, I can’t breath, but I’m so frigging excited to be here!”