What do ya think?
Top Gear USA
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I don't think they could have hired a worse trio for the job.
But that's just me.
But that's just me.
I thought after they did the viper/helicopter i thought it got alot better, its not as funny, but not so bad, i liked it.
I tivo'd it and have yet to watch it. It's probably bad but whatever.
Bad casting is bad
skip the viper vs helicopter, the rest is alright
they put it on opposite the walking dead by AMC. Zombies vs. bad car show, zombies win.
Oh good, they're doing drifting next week. Yay.
Oh good, they're doing drifting next week. Yay.
Yeah the helicopter bit definitely put me in a negative mind set for the rest of the show. It was all around terrible, bad acting on top of bad filming.
I'm just not convinced any one of them could pick out a connecting rod from a push rod. A better cast would be Jay Leno with Tim Allen and that mustache guy from car crazy. But of course History Channel probably couldn't afford that..
I'm just not convinced any one of them could pick out a connecting rod from a push rod. A better cast would be Jay Leno with Tim Allen and that mustache guy from car crazy. But of course History Channel probably couldn't afford that..
The problem is that Top Gear isn't a car show.
It's a show about the hosts, and it just happens to be about cars. That makes it a little tough to replicate.
It's a show about the hosts, and it just happens to be about cars. That makes it a little tough to replicate.
Silver wins the thread!
I won't be watching, so I won't participate in the thread, though I'm curious to see what others say.
straight from the horses mouth....Clarkson
Yes, Silver closed the thread.
Ugh, the more I think about it, the worse I'm thinking that the new Top Gear is. I might actually want to change my vote from "Worse" to "Bad". Take the review of the Viper, and compare it to any of the original Top Gear car reviews:
UK Top Gear: Almost all of the top gear reviews are a mix of positives and negatives. Cars could be 95% positive and yet still have certain negative issues like being impossible to figure out the Traction Control/Stability Control settings (BMW?), price (Lexus LFA), value (Boxster Spyder), too many nanny-controls, not enough nanny-controls, etc. Yes, there are 100% positive reviews, but they're few and far between, and that makes each one that much more unique (Ferrari 458 for example). Even when they test out 3 cars on road trips, they're thoughtful, introspective, and usually come up with various positives and negatives of whatever they're driving (and their cohosts).
US Top Gear: Their "review" of the Viper was almost as if I were reviewing it having never sat in a super car before. Giddy. Giggling. Glossing over the "it'll try to kill you" aspect. There was no seriousness to it, no bringing up it's lack of electronic controls, no discussion on price/value, no..... anything. I'm trying to think of any negatives (AT ALL) about any of the 4 cars that the crew brought up over the 44min show. I can think of 1, the fact that a cupholder in a Lambo is $650. And there was almost no review of the 3 lambo's, aside from the fact that they did a standing mile to see how fast each one would go. Ugh.
I'll give it another couple episodes, but I'm guessing this isn't going to last unless it gets a LOT better.
edit: Ooops, forgot there was one "plastic" comment as well as the $650 cupholder. My mistake.
UK Top Gear: Almost all of the top gear reviews are a mix of positives and negatives. Cars could be 95% positive and yet still have certain negative issues like being impossible to figure out the Traction Control/Stability Control settings (BMW?), price (Lexus LFA), value (Boxster Spyder), too many nanny-controls, not enough nanny-controls, etc. Yes, there are 100% positive reviews, but they're few and far between, and that makes each one that much more unique (Ferrari 458 for example). Even when they test out 3 cars on road trips, they're thoughtful, introspective, and usually come up with various positives and negatives of whatever they're driving (and their cohosts).
US Top Gear: Their "review" of the Viper was almost as if I were reviewing it having never sat in a super car before. Giddy. Giggling. Glossing over the "it'll try to kill you" aspect. There was no seriousness to it, no bringing up it's lack of electronic controls, no discussion on price/value, no..... anything. I'm trying to think of any negatives (AT ALL) about any of the 4 cars that the crew brought up over the 44min show. I can think of 1, the fact that a cupholder in a Lambo is $650. And there was almost no review of the 3 lambo's, aside from the fact that they did a standing mile to see how fast each one would go. Ugh.
I'll give it another couple episodes, but I'm guessing this isn't going to last unless it gets a LOT better.
edit: Ooops, forgot there was one "plastic" comment as well as the $650 cupholder. My mistake.
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Yeah, the Brits love eccentricity.
America likes weird Brits. They don't like weird Americans.
I like the pasty white English version better.
They should just skip the celebrity interview part. HOLY BAD.
The best part of the show was the cursing during gear shifts in the superlagerra towards the end.
The best part of the show was the cursing during gear shifts in the superlagerra towards the end.
It really wasn't bad. The original is much better but what do you expect, you can't beat an original. I do think they could have picked better hosts. I still liked it.
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Thing is though this show honestly doesn't stand much of a chance of being liked even if it were good, at least in the first season.
If they try to be more original and different from TGUK then fans of the old will be all "WTF IS THIS ****? THIS ISN'T TOP GEAR AT ALL!"
If they try to clone TGUK then fans will say how it's "Just not the same." and honestly what's the point of having two identical shows with different accents?
Hopefully either the current hosts start meshing together better and some better scripting.
Also I hope every episode doesn't turn into a blatant advert for some **** tier car company like suzuki.
If they try to be more original and different from TGUK then fans of the old will be all "WTF IS THIS ****? THIS ISN'T TOP GEAR AT ALL!"
If they try to clone TGUK then fans will say how it's "Just not the same." and honestly what's the point of having two identical shows with different accents?
Hopefully either the current hosts start meshing together better and some better scripting.
Also I hope every episode doesn't turn into a blatant advert for some **** tier car company like suzuki.
They should have either simply done that or faked the British accents.
Well right now it seems like they're trying to copy it right down to how episode is structured.
The main difference would be the TGUK crew can actually set around and talk about cars and make it entertaining, where the TGA hosts just sound like your typical high school kids hanging out in wal-mart parking lot.
DUDE BRO 180mph! OH MY GOD BRO!
whatever, watching a car go in a straight line is boring as hell, I'd rather have watched the stig drive each around the track sans the commentary.
Here's the way I see it: TGUK has had nearly a decade to be tweak and refine the Top Gear "formula". Clarkson, Hammond, and May have had that same amount of time to develop their own styles as well as their relationships. Their personalities and interactions are what make the show great.
I see tons of people shooting TGUSA down after watching ONE episode. The entirety of the crew: hosts, camera men, editors, etc. are all new -- It's not as though they packed the TGUK crew into a plane to make TGUSA. Sure, everyone here can reference TGUK, but they still need get the feel for things themselves. Go back and watch the very first episode of the UK version. Same story: stiff dialogue, mediocre filming/editing, and so forth. It doesn't really get good until season 3.
While yeah, I agree this first episode is not without its problems, it certainly was entertaining and I might go so far as to say it was better than the first episode of TGUK. I know I had a few good chuckles, and when I hopped in my car after watching it, I found myself a little heavier on the throttle than usual. It's pretty clear all of the hosts have a genuine appreciation for cars and are incredibly excited about doing what most of us can only dream about. They managed to get that that excitement across (to me, anyway) to some degree or another and I think that is the most important aspect -- If they can convey that feeling of, "Holy crap! I'm driving a $300k supercar though mountain twisties and it's AWESOME!" then I can't see why it won't be an excellent show. I'm going to give it at least a season or two to develop and I really do hope it won't get taken off the air before then. I mean, what else are we supposed to watch while TGUK is on break?
I see tons of people shooting TGUSA down after watching ONE episode. The entirety of the crew: hosts, camera men, editors, etc. are all new -- It's not as though they packed the TGUK crew into a plane to make TGUSA. Sure, everyone here can reference TGUK, but they still need get the feel for things themselves. Go back and watch the very first episode of the UK version. Same story: stiff dialogue, mediocre filming/editing, and so forth. It doesn't really get good until season 3.
While yeah, I agree this first episode is not without its problems, it certainly was entertaining and I might go so far as to say it was better than the first episode of TGUK. I know I had a few good chuckles, and when I hopped in my car after watching it, I found myself a little heavier on the throttle than usual. It's pretty clear all of the hosts have a genuine appreciation for cars and are incredibly excited about doing what most of us can only dream about. They managed to get that that excitement across (to me, anyway) to some degree or another and I think that is the most important aspect -- If they can convey that feeling of, "Holy crap! I'm driving a $300k supercar though mountain twisties and it's AWESOME!" then I can't see why it won't be an excellent show. I'm going to give it at least a season or two to develop and I really do hope it won't get taken off the air before then. I mean, what else are we supposed to watch while TGUK is on break?
why even have a TG USA???? why cant we get TG UK like the other 250mil people of the world that watch it???
Discovery tried this. However, they were airing shows at least one season behind the current TG UK. I really dont see why this is such an issue considering the BBC-Discovery partnership. BUt you're right there really is no reason to have TG USA when the original is perfect.
BBC America does this exact same thing now. 5-6 months after the episodes originally air, they play it.....i can never wait that long and download the episode the night it airs
I thought it was alright. I was surprised at how much they really tried to copy everything EXACTLY. Same theme song, same editing (even the same filter with the dark corners), same segments. The previews even showed them doing some of the exact same challenges that TGUK has done.
The difference is that TGUK usually has me "LOL" every episode, this first episode may have had me smile once or twice. I think its going to take the hosts some time to build chemistry. Like someone else said, the UK guys have had over a decade to "bond".
Ill keep watching it, but I'm taking the time to watch the UK versions first.
The difference is that TGUK usually has me "LOL" every episode, this first episode may have had me smile once or twice. I think its going to take the hosts some time to build chemistry. Like someone else said, the UK guys have had over a decade to "bond".
Ill keep watching it, but I'm taking the time to watch the UK versions first.
i only caught bits and pieces (zombies ftw) but I was kind of appalled that they had all the same everything....we know you have a race car driver, no need to call him the stig. same elements, same everything. Reminded me quite a bit of the UK vs. Mercan Office sitcom.
I haven't seen the whole thing, so I can't comment on its quality really, but what I did see felt very forced.
IT SUCKS....enough said. It's like if John Denver would have been a rapper....just does not work!
have any of you seen Tanner Foust in some of the other programs he's been in, that should have told you just by itself how bad this would be
Watching Season 1, Episode 1 of TGUK right now. Perfect? Nope. As good as the current show? Nope. Better than the first episode of TGUS? Oh, absolutely. Sure, parts sucked, and Jason is absolutely worthless, but overall it was far more entertaining, at least in my opinion, than the show I just watched on History Channel....
Fair enough. Admittedly it has been a while since I've watched the first season. I just distinctly remember cringing at some parts. That's not to say that I didn't cringe multiple times at the TGUS episode...
Bottom line for me is that I'm going to give it at least a season to come into its own before I pass any serious judgment on it.
Bottom line for me is that I'm going to give it at least a season to come into its own before I pass any serious judgment on it.
Adam Corolla made a US Top Gear pilot a few years ago. They should have picked it up then with him, he would make a great Clarkson.
He actually would have worked well with Foust.
Then they just would have to find a James May. Maybe Kyle Petty?
i dont even know what to say to that....
Bad.
It seemed, well... very "Americanized". Not like "made in America", but more like made "for" America on purpose. And shallow. Cool to see Lamborghini and the Viper, but c'mon, that's almost too easy. Not sure I trust any of their opinions after watching them drive - it seemed like their first times in car that wasn't Ma & Pa's.
Was hoping they would go more in their own direction. The UK hosts all have a certain level of class which the American hosts all lack. Severely. Whoever pointed out that they acted like high school kids hit the nail on the head.
Leno would be a great host for the show. Not sure who to put with him - Adam Corolla (sp?) is a good idea... and maybe have Batman be the test driver. Better yet, ditch the show, and just broadcast the UK version in a more timely manner...
It seemed, well... very "Americanized". Not like "made in America", but more like made "for" America on purpose. And shallow. Cool to see Lamborghini and the Viper, but c'mon, that's almost too easy. Not sure I trust any of their opinions after watching them drive - it seemed like their first times in car that wasn't Ma & Pa's.
Was hoping they would go more in their own direction. The UK hosts all have a certain level of class which the American hosts all lack. Severely. Whoever pointed out that they acted like high school kids hit the nail on the head.
Leno would be a great host for the show. Not sure who to put with him - Adam Corolla (sp?) is a good idea... and maybe have Batman be the test driver. Better yet, ditch the show, and just broadcast the UK version in a more timely manner...
yup. i was thinking the same. he can drive a car sideways, i will give him that. but on camera, he comes off pretty douchey (i've never met him, so it isn't totally fair of me to say). all i could think about was his patronizing attitude and blunt arrogance. sorry gang, TGUSA needed to "wow" right from the start and all it did was make me wonder who green-lighted the cast, editing and all the other BS.
Spent his entire career being Captain Slow, that's all.
It was a kick to Petty's ribs, not a serious suggestion
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I'm not a friend or anything, but I've spent some time with Foust, and he is really nice in person, actually. Very low key and laid back.