Jack Baruth’s prescient preemptive strike against the American incarnation of everyone’s favorite car show leaves little room for more full-length opinion on the new Top Gear USA. Which is a good thing considering I’ve only watched the first installment online (why get cable when you have the internet?)… and as far as this anglophile originalist is concerned, once was enough. But it’s certainly possible that I’ve missed signs of improvement. So now that we’re two episodes deep, let’s hear it from you: is Top Gear USA irredeemably mediocre, or is there reason top look forward to future episodes? And if your opinion leans towards the former choice, how the hell do we as Americans successfully combine our two great cultural loves, cars and TV? Because, as a nation, it’s hard to deny that our TV-shows-about-cars track record thus far is just plain embarrassing.
We could make our cars a lot more expensive, double or triple our fuel price, and make our roads more interesting. That would surely create a lot more interest in cars, right? ;)
Thanks for the heads-up…I need to watch this online tonight!
As someone who’d only seen a few clips of the original (and found them very well done, interesting, and fun to watch), I don’t have too much to compare this to. This being said, I find the US version OK – there are some hits and misses and it is clear that they are making some changes just from the first episode to the next. I will continue to watch, and bet it will improve over time.
I also suspect that watching the first 2 episodes of the original version would not be a fair comparison to their most recent episodes. So, let’s give the US version some time to grow and find its rhythm.
i went to a taping of top gear us and i can tell you everything with the cars was shot 2-3 months ago and everything else was done over a month ago so nothing is being changed from one episode to the other. it’s all been filmed long ago.
i happen to be a top gear addict and have seen every single episode of the current top gear uk and can tell you the first 2 seasons were just so-so and us s01e01 is better then uk s01e01. i’d say the american show is about as good now as the uk show was in it’s 3rd or 4th season but with that being said i’d say top gear uk peaked in season 8 and they’re shooting their 16th season as we speak.
top gear aus. is fairly good tho, they’re in season 3 and seem to be getting into a rhythm.
I completely agree with KGrGunMan.
I’ve seen every UK episode, and watched many seasons multiple times (especially the early ones).
The US version is better than S1 of the UK, but it’s had the last 15seasons of the UK version to learn from.
To be honest, my biggest issue, which became apparent in the first episode, is that the show is too short. The UK version usually runs well past 44minutes, sometimes as long as 60, and the loss of this extra time is quite apparent in the US version, everything feels rushed.
It appears the US show will take time to develop. The interplay between the hosts is a bit stilted but at least they got their British digs in. The cars and the stars will be more relevant to the US market. I used to fast forward that part on the British show. I am surprised they are attempting an almost exact replica format. Perhaps that will evolve over time also.
A lot of what JB says has to be filtered and placed in context. Recall he reads email at night while pulling a trailer on the highway.
I’m waiting for when they do the cheap car challenges ($10k supercar or $2,500 Porsches, etc.) – those are by far my favorite episodes (I don’t really care about $100k+ cars I won’t ever want to own (not that I could not put myself into irresponsible debt to buy or waste my savings). Though I did see them go off script more in this episode especially with the dog taking a leak on the set. I’m not a big fan of the Adam Ferrera as he is trying to act like Jezza.
To be fair I don’t think we should compare it to the current season but instead find the season 1 TK TG episodes and watch them – same complaints of it being boring and scripted. These had another guy before James May came on and he was terrible.
I bet the US Stig is none other than Boris Said!
Since it is a US show, it should have a US flavor. Instead of Porsches, they should be given $1,500 to buy the best examples of muscle cars they can find and drive them from somewhere like New York to Detroit. Better yet, they could be given $1,000 to find the best examples of Detroit economy cars from teh 80s…
Said is a tall guy. If he were The Stig, it would be hard to conceal.
The examples I gave are from Top Gear UK but I like your ideas for US centric challenges. And from most of the Stig sightings and him in the cars on the show so far – he seems to be pretty tall. I’ll keep the Said Stig rumormill going as I’m a “said-head”.
I was excited to see it, but I have not seen any of the US version as it airs during The Walking Dead…..
I have to say that -although I am aware of its existence- I haven’t watched the show, and don’t currently intend to do so. This is mostly because I have been a big fan of the original English version, and I have previous experience in the witnessing the Americanization of a foreign concept (Iron Chef) which I did not care for.
Part of the charm of the original version in each case has been the exotic foreign ingredients be they octopus arms or Peugots, and a different perspective on how those items are best used.
Perhaps the American version will take on its own personality after a season or two, if it survives that long, but for the moment a successful American version seems as unimaginable as a successful version of Monty Python.
The show has no personality. Rather watch the British version. It’s a cheap imitation. They need to start over. Why not just show us the British one.
In a word: relevance. The original has loads of personality, but between all the supercars, uninmportant regulatory stuff, unrelated news, and unavailable vehicles (in the US), I just don’t imagine it working for the sponsors and people making it available here.
I didn’t care for the first season and a half of the US Office, but 4-5 seasons into it, the show was fantastic. Lots of other shows are franchised across many different countries with great success, and I hope this is one of them.
@ash78
I think you make a good point. Those of us in the US who enjoy the Brit Top Gear do so for more than just the cars. Because it’s not a US show, it has a certain “exotic” quality. That said, it may not be the most attractive venue for US advertisers. The US version, no matter how good, is going to lack that “exoticism” — at least for a US audience. So, it has to come up with something else if its to have more than just a gearhead audience.
BTW, one of the most successful US shows of all time (by any measure) — “All in the Family” was based on an English show, whose name I have forgotten. Obviously, the success of “Family” was due largely to the quality of the scripts, the actors and the production . . . and very little to whatever it cribbed from its British ancestor.
I think the same will be true for the US version of “Top Gear.”
Give it time to evolve. Compare a relatively recent episode of the UK Top Gear with a season 1 episode and you will see that Jezza, James and the Hamster were still getting to know each other. If the presenters of the US Top Gear go out drinking together and become a bit more ‘matey’ then perhaps things will gel together more.
I have been watching Top Gear for years and Top Gear USA does not match up to it BUT Top Gear USA is still the best car show we have currently in the USA and its not that bad mind you. I think they need to do more of the insane challenges with cheap cars as mentioned before because that sort of hoonery is what really makes the British show work. I actually expected to like Rutledge the least but its Adam Ferrera who stands out as being a bit stilted. It’s worth giving it a shot IMO
I don’t mind it being on the other screen while I play Call of Duty or something.
That puts it up there with most other mediocre TV
I have only seen the first episode so far and will watch the 2nd one tonight as I am an internet-only tv kinda guy.
From what I’ve read on the internet I’m probably the only person to say that I loved it.. And I’m not afraid to say it! The acting was quite green, but I’m more than sure that it will improve over time. The kind of chemistry that you see on the British original does not just fall out of the sky but takes time to develop. I look forward to continuing watching the British series as well as the U.S. version and watch how the U.S. version develops over time.
I’m quite sure the U.S. version given some time can be much better, and probably more so popular with people who are not familiar with the UK version as these people only want to compare the U.S. show with the original besides enjoying the Americanization of it (which CAN be a good thing).
At the very least if this show does take off and become quite popular down the road I’ll be one of the few people who can claim to be a true fan that watched it from the very beginning. I cannot wait to get home tonight and watch episode 2, season 1!!
It’s Top Gear in name only.
The world already has Top Gear, there’s no way anyone else can copycat it and make it better. Sounds a lot like American car manufacturers trying to be European doesn’t it?
It’s a godawful show and I’m amazed at how they can make they can take a bunch of supercars and make them completely boring.
If America wants to produce it’s own motoring show, it needs to start from scratch and do something American. Or a real mainstream network can pick up the real Top Gear and show it as-is.
Right now the show is boring purely because of the hosts. The cinema is there but these American hosts seeem to be reluctant to criticize the cars. That’s one thing that makes the British show so entertaining…negativity. And as someone else stated it seems like they’re reading off of cards. The acting is very poor.
In short, I could not get through all of the first one. I initially saw the ending, then the first segment later. I happened to catch the first half hour or so last night and thought it was much better, particularly the Mitsubishi Evo review / race against skiers. That has been done in the UK version, but it was far better than anything I saw last week. There may be hope after all.
Besides the personality / expectation / dumbing down issues, I didn’t think starting by doing segments on a Viper and three Lamborghinis was a good idea. So I found the Evo part a nice change. Of course, they followed it with an Aston Martin segment, to which I only half paid attention, then I stopped watching altogether.
It is Top Gear in name only. The world already has Top Gear, there was no need to copycat it and there’s no way it can be any better. As long as it wears the name Top Gear it will always be compared to the original and it is nearly unwatchable in comparison. More accurately, it is Godawful bad.
Hopefully, mercifully, it gets canned. Then maybe a real network will pick up Top Gear, promote it as it deserves and show it as-is. In our dreams right? If not we can always enjoy it on the internet. In fact that’s how most savvy Americans have been watching it already.
Bingo. Top Gear UK caught lightning in a bottle. Trying to copy that show, American-style, was doomed to failure from the start.
So, to answer Ed’s question – how about something…you know…original? Top Gear UK isn’t the only way to make an entertaining car show.
I think the biggest mistake people make in trying to copy top gear is that that they try to make a “car show” with “car guys”. Top gear is not a car show, it is a comedy show. They found three “guys”, who aren’t as much guys as they are archetypes, and give them fantasy cars to joke around and play with. Since the three archetypes (Older Hoon, Younger Hoon, Luxury enthusiast) are how a lot of people view cars, it makes them relate-able and sometimes funny.
Oh no! I’ve become an older hoon.
PS Sanford and Son was better than the Brit orig.
Sorry for the double post guys. When I wrote the original it didn’t show up as usual so I thought it didn’t take for some reason. So I submitted another.
I believe dewfish nailed it. Although I’d say Captain Slow’s role is more “diehard Brit” than “Luxury enthusiast”… And for the same reason you could never pull of an Americanized Monty Python, it will not be possible to Americanize Top Gear and end up with the attraction of the original.
There is also the enormous problem that Americans have far less access to interesting cars, and less exposure to all the weird things that come from being in such close proximity to so many other countries.
I like the US version. Yeah, the first episode felt a bit unoriginal and scripted. But overall, it was still highly entertaining. The second episode was a big improvement and I’m already looking forward to seeing the next one.
If one has never seen the BBC TopGear, then this would be a good show. Unfortunately, I found the BBC years ago.
However, the amount of tire smoking in the first episode was great.
Episode 2 was much better than episode 1. If episode 3 can be that much better again, it will be a good show. Honestly, any improvement beyond episode 2 will make it better than any other car-related programming originating in the U.S.
I’m hoping the hosts find their groove. I was happy to at least hear Wood call the Evo ugly, even though I’m not so sure I concur with his opinion. I liked Tanner’s description of the process of designing the Evo. His race against the skiers was fun, and while the action seemed a bit scripted, with Tanner getting stuck in enough traffic to meet up with the skiers on the lower slope, it’s not at all different from the TGUK challenges which inevitably have the skier, skater, BMX rider, (whatever) jump over the car, just as they did here.
It’s not bad. It’s not the original, it’s not as good as the original, it probably won’t be as good as the original, but liking the UK version is not mutually exclusive to liking the US version. It’s OK if TGUK is your favorite show and TGUS is your 5th favorite, it’s still another hour of decent-to-good automotive programming! Just be happy for more (reasonably) good car TV! I am. Quit being a snob, it’s better than nothing.
I watched the US Top Gear, lost interest after 10 min. Caught the rest on a repeat a few days later. Figured I needed to give the show a chance. That is 1 hour of my life I will never get back. Have these guy even watched Top Gear? Yes there is the car talk, plenty of that in the US version but almost to the point of exhaustion. I will give it a few more weeks then take another look. What a colosal let down. Maybe they can re-name it to Down Shift or something other than Top Gear.
Have all the critics seen the TG Australia and TG Russia episodes for comparison? I haven’t, but that might be a good place to start before declaring the US version horrible.
I try to be positive and I view a lot of automotive programming…but this is really hard to watch…The hosts are all pretty lame and comparing it to the UK version isn’t really an option…It’s like the US version is trying too hard to be relevant…Calling it ‘Top Gear’ immediately added pressure and expectations…
Boring. Bland. Milquetoast. Snoozeville. Watered down. Are there no car loving telegenic hosts available who have personalities? God knows the editorial/email/commentary and ‘back-and-forth arguements’ etc. on any given Car website/blog shows that auto enthusiats have strong opinions and personalities, but these guys on TG USA are an entertainment-free zone.
Shake it up, hire Baruth.
I like the British version. The hosts’ personalities are interesting even if the cars are not always easy to relate to over here. I found episode 1 of the US edition hard to get through. I may watch it again just to be fair, but by comparison to the Brit show, it’s pretty lame.
I DVR it. Haven’t watched the second one yet. First one was OK, considering how much unwatchable crap is on TV (I’m looking at you 90% of reality TV.) Hoping for piece by piece improvement. They guys just need to get a little more familiar with each other. They should have given it a different name though just to keep the comparisons down and shouldn’t have tried to clone the original. (See BBC “Coupling” and NBC “Coupling” for examples of why you shouldn’t try to clone programs.)
I hate to say it, but last night’s show was boring. I love cars, but I love TGUK because of the humor in the show. That’s why it became one of the world’s most popular television shows and Fifth Gear hasn’t. It’s not so much a car show with humor, but (like it or not) it’s a comedy show about cars.
The hosts are dry, humorless, and depend too much on scripts. The UK hosts are journalists, which mean that their stock in trade is words. They also have a naturally wicked sense of humor. I know it’s supposed to be scripted, but I think the situations are scripted and the hosts ad-lib much, if not most, of the material. The TGUS hosts don’t seem to do much if any ad-libbing at all.
They really need a Jeremy-type character in there. A loud, opinionated buffoon who more often than not, gets put “into his place”. Again, Jay Leno would have been perfect in that position. I would suggest going to Jalopnik and talking to some of the writers on there to see how they would do. Former Jalopnik writer Murilee Martin would be a good choice to start with.
Where are the cheap car challenges? The crazy projects where the three hosts can show off their chemistry? You know, the funny stuff?? Watching tests of Astons, Evos, Vipers, Lambos and other cars that I’ll never be able to drive, let alone afford to buy, is interesting, but I can get that kind of information from Fifth Gear or a thousand internet sites.
Spend more time building up the Stig’s background and “personality”. Have fun with him.
They can fix it, but they will, at least at first, need to pattern it more after the UK version in spite of the criticism fan boys will throw at it for being a copycat. It’s a formula that works. Otherwise, they might as well re-title it as “Fifth Gear USA”, and nobody will be downloading or watching that.
BTW, I really, really want the show to succeed, but the best thing about last night’s show was the dog…. perfect ending. At least he/she knows how to do a proper ad-lib.
Agree strongly with the age element. I don’t know whose idea it was to put three very overprimped/metrosexual-looking guys on the show, all within a couple years of each others’ ages.
We need some intergenerational wisdom and conflict, especially via an older host. I’ve always said Leno would have been perfect in the pseudo-Clarkson role. Also, it helps for 1 or 2 of the hosts to NOT look like he spent 4 hours in makeup. A bulging gut, slightly disheveled hair (unintentional, not Richard Hammond!), just something to mix it up a little.
I don’t know whose idea it was to put three very overprimped/metrosexual-looking guys on the show, all within a couple years of each others’ ages.
Market-analysis douchebaggery destroys all good things.
To me the BBC version is great because of the hillarious comedy angle the hosts bring to the show. The History channel version doesn’t have that at all.
so I give it a rating of zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Quite a few people have mentioned, and I agree, that the first couple of seasons of the Top Gear UK reboot were similar. I recommend checking out one of those episodes and watching Jason Dawe talk about how much it costs to buy a used Nissan Sunny and where to look for rust. The dullness in the first two seasons wasn’t really cured until they swapped out Dawe for James May and even then it took a season or so for the chemistry between the three of them to start to appear. Give it some time.
I got about 5 minutes into the first episode and that is as far as I got. It was that bad.
I’ve watched the first two episodes and I think I’m jumping off the bus.
I had thought the guy trying to play Steve McGarrett on the Hawaii Five-O reboot was bad. That was until I watched this. I would be willing to give the hosts a chance to gel if there was any indication that at least one had an ounce of personality in him.
Obviously Leno would be out of the History Channel’s league but perhaps someone along the lines of an Adam Carlolla would show a little spark.
I think Carolla was originally tapped to do the show but he backed out due to a pilot he was working on for NBC (I think?) that unfortunately did not get picked up. By then it was too late as they had already selected an alternate. If it doesn’t go well, perhaps there’s hope yet that Adam might be brought on board.
Ugh, Carolla? Leno?
No thanks.
Didn’t Leno try to cop a couple skit-segments from TG, and put it into the Tonight Show? I think I read about it somewhere (I wouldn’t have seen it on TV because I was born after the Truman administration.)
I believe the show is good and has a lot of potential. I love the original British version however this is a good opportunity to have an entertaining show about cars with a different (American) prospective.
The only thing that I really dislike is people crying about: is a copy cat, it wont succeed, does not have the same chemistry, etc. Yes I agree to a certain point with this comment but since when we are such a perfectionist. You have to give some time for the chemistry to develop. Please watch the season 1 of TGUK and the improvement since then are huge.
What I really like is that we have finally a good car show to watch, not those lame shows like Motor week that repeat what the brochure of the car says. Seriously people, we have to give the opportunity for programs like this to be successful because if not we will still be having shows like American idol, jersey shore, the cake boss, to name a few that makes me want to puke.
Even though the show is not perfect, for me is entertaining and by watching this show does not mean I will stop watching the original UK version. is just another show that has an interesting review of cars and some brilliant cinematography.
In addition, I will love to see some kind of challenges done between shows. For them every American car is “rubbished” and this is our opportunity to let them know that Jaguars and Land Rovers are more rubbish! (Sorry I need it to say it!!!!)
So i will support the show, watch it every Sunday and enjoy some entertaining time. I hope History will not pull the plug after the first season!
Episode 2 was quite a lot better than Episode 1. The first episode was devoid of music or any sort of production value. All in all, it still has a ways to go to even be in the same ballpark as the UK version, but it is better than what we had before.
The biggest thing I think it’s missing is the turn of phrase one associates with the best british comedy. Episode 2 is still on the tivo but episode one didn’t have a single line that I’d care to remember and repeat the next time I got together with my buds.
Fair disclosure, I have not watched any of the USA episodes. I tried once for about 10 seconds, but I felt dirty and changed the channel. I can’t even bring myself to DVR any of the episodes.
And now for something completely different…
New Coke was horrible idea in every conceivable way and seriously damaged the Coca-Cola brand for years. Hell, they still label their products Coca-Cola Classic decades after the overwhelmingly negative reaction to their temporary change. Coca-Cola had, and thankfully still has a good product. They should have never messed with their success. Zippo Lighters should never change either. Once the design is “perfected,” companies should know to leave it alone.
As far as I am concerned, Top Gear should not have changed their formula. Sure, the “Cool Wall” is gone and some other minor changes have and will naturally occur, but there is only one Top Gear. I hate that we now need to distinguish Top Gear UK (Top Gear Classic) from its New Coke counterpart.
As a side note, if an American company wants to best Top Gear, I am all for the competition and I look forward to the episodes.
Actually New Coke was one of the most profitable ventures or any company. Let me explain — Coka-Cola Classic is NOT the same thing as the old formula. Coca-Cola Classic replaced the cane sugar from Coca-Cola with high fructose corn syrup. New Coke was out long enough so that when ‘Classic’ came out it was close enough. Had Coke gone straight from “real” coke to “classic” coke, people would have been pissed about the change. As it was, they were ecstatic to get Coke Classic. Coke got to sell a bunch of New Coke as a novelty, then they got the “bring back” “the real thing”, and then Coke went on to save billions of dollars on a cheaper primary ingredient.
Not that any of that has to do with Top Gear.
Oh, come on now…after Knight Rider, there will never be a better TV car show!!!!!!
Damn! I was going to post refuting the charge “that our TV-shows-about-cars track record thus far is just plain embarrassing” with props to Hasselhoff last night, but had browser issues.
Plus 1.
Couldn’t make it past the absurd helicopter-vs-car “competition” of the first episode. Rather watch that Brit show on HDT where they buy old cars, fix them up, and sell them at a “profit” without putting any price on the labor. At least you see somebody who knows what he’s doing.
I’ve watched both of the episodes – episode 2 was much better then 1. Hope they stick with Wood for the interviews. He let the guest actually talk instead of blasting through his car history like he was reading an action plan. Tanner’s Evo segment was pretty entertaining, if unoriginal. Blind drift was funny but to me the show needs time so the three can develop and learn each other’s personalities. That’s what makes TGUK great and TGUSA needs a strong host. Why wasn’t Carolla kept on? Leno would be the best choice as a Jezza but would have been $$$$. All 3 hosts seem like they’re trying to be all 3 roles (technical, straight man, buffoon) at the moment but it got a little better in the 2nd episode. I’ll keep watching at least through the next 2-3 episodes.
I second the need for a cheap car challenge though. Best musclecar under $5K anyone?
To me this is a work in progress. It took TGUK a few SEASONS to work out the chemistry and become the juggernaut it is today. You can’t expect miracles in two episodes.
The second episode was more enjoyable than the first. Actually the show could be very enjoyable – if it would change the name and stop absolutely copying the British original. As long as it does exactly what the British show does, it’s never really going to take off. I mean, would you really want to watch an American copy of Monty Python’s Flying Circus?
Kindly leave British shows as British shows. They’re so damned good at them. Reformat American Top Gear into something with the same intent, but a different title and style. I think these three could pull it off given those changes.
On its own and if we don’t call it Top Gear it’s an okay show. If they get rid of that Rutledge person it’ll be even better. Whenever he talks he looks like a groundhog with a bad haircut who’s just happy to be there and see his shadow.
Maybe they should have called it Fifth Gear.
I’m with you on the Rutledge guy – his silly outbursts (that they always tease in the commercials) seem unjustified and forced. Replace him ASAP with Adam Carolla.
About Rutledge Wood;Did Regis Philbin turn down the gig? And,this being Top Gear US,why is the car used by the celebs a Suzuki?Could they not have used a Ford Focus or a Chevy Cobalt? This is a lame show,but, much like a train wreck,I’ll continue to watch!
Through the first two episodes, I’ve cringed, I’ve chortled, I’ve winced, I’ve laughed. Almost gave up at the phony skiiers-over-Evo ending. Episode 2 was certainly a big improvement, so here’s to hope.
A tip: while listening to whichever host during a segment, play what he says back in your mind in any of the Brit Top Gear host’s voice. For me, it’s Ferrara as Clarkson, Rutledge as May, and Faust as Hammond. It really helps.
I watched the first episode and I was not impressed. I forced myself to watch the second, last night, and after 25min. I gave up. No more.
The show and the hosts, as some mentioned here, have no personality. More than that, I couldn’t find out what the show is all about. What is the meaning, what are they giving the audience? The dialogs are empty. Metro-sexual faces and plaid shirts just don’t mix well.
dewfish, you are perfectly right when saying “Top gear is not a car show, it is a comedy show”. This is exactly what was lost in the American translation. Plus, as we all know, the Brits have a peculiar humor, sarcastic humor, which is missing in the TGUS and represents the salt and pepper in the TGUK. There is no excitement in the TGUS, it’s all flat from one end to the other.
Just watched an episode last night, my first for the US version. I’ve only seen brief clips from the UK original, but the US version seemed very lame, contrived, and targeted at the “tire smoke is good, wow-look how expensive that one is, mine is faster than yours, “nicest Camaor in the trailer park” crowd. Not that that’s all bad if that’s what you like, but it ain’t me and it may not be a lot of others.
I found a huge amount of hype and BS, flavored with a distinct lack of any real insight or discussion about the cars in the lightweight scripting. In typical American TV fashion, it’s aimed at the lowest common denominator with no attempt to elevate or teach the viewer. And why does a car show need a live audience in the studio anyway?
You’d think a fully funded TV show could find and use a real race track ‘stead a homebrew of barrels, cones and used-up Jersey barriers, too. Best part of the show was the C-130 taking off on an adjacent piece of paving.
By me, the show qualifies mid-pack at best and may be DNF by the end of the season.
Meh. I can’t stand Wood or Ferrara. Best part of the second show was the seeing eye dog taking a leak at the end. One of the previews showed a Roadmaster Estate getting filled with water ala crappy brit car special. Gack. I’ll hold out hope though. The history of television is filled with shows that had crappy first, sometimes even second seasons.
I too have only seen a few bits & pieces of the original and tried to watch the US version as a stand alone program. I found it boring, predictable and the hosts tedious to listen to. If it has to be scripted maybe some better writing (and comedy) would help. These guys seemed very contrived when trying to be funny. I also found each segment to be too long.. How many shots of power sliding the AM in the desert can you show before it simply looks like a commercial? Ho hum…
I am a fan of the original UK version. I understand they themselves went through an adjustment period with different presenters. Given time, the US version will do well too. Having said that, I’d like the US version to concentrate more on American cars. They could do more classic car segments and show more of the US. No other country in the world has more to offer car nuts as America does, why not tap into that culture (custom hot rods, low-riders, drag racers, etc.), we have an abundance of riches!
I have to say i’m stunned. I almost didn’t watch the 2nd epsiode because of how bad 1 was. while still no where near the real Top Gear. Its getting better, and now I have some hope. If these guys can develop a ‘clique’, and over time tweak it to more orginal. It could work.
after the first one, I said no way.
Boring.
Watching it over beers lead to discussing vehicle choices on The Walking Dead.
It’s on the air? On what channel? I heard they were going to do one but I didn’t know it came out.
edit: oh, History channel, I suppose I could set the DVR to check it out.
save the space for something worth while. I hear during Christmas they will have a Power Puff Girls marathon on. Dont waste your time with these Tossers.
I’ve watched both episodes so far, and I am not impressed. I was dismayed that they aped the British show so closely, including the same warehouse TV studio, airfield racetrack and a ‘tame’ racing driver, named the Stig. The word Stig means nothing in the US, unless you watch the UK show. Why couldn’t it be something amusing, like Billy Bob or something with a racy association like Mario or Ace or something. Lame.
How long has it been since Speedvision went off the air? 10 years? We haven’t remotely decent automotive TV programming since before the NASCAR channel, er, Speed came on the scene. Speedvision showed ALL kinds of racing, Motorweek-like TV shows from Germany, F1, WRC, Touring Car, Austrailian V8’s, the old series Car and Track for vintage auto reviews, etc. I’m not even thinking about the boating and airplane shows that were on there, too. Hell, I stayed glued to the TV every weekend. Now, there is no decent automotive programming. Speed’s ideas for motorhead TV shows just plain suck anymore. Pass Time? NASCAR in a Minute? Dangerous Roads? Battle of the Supercars? Endless Barret Jackson re runs? WTF? I’m ready to drop my cable subscription and go internet all the way…
Exactly! “The Stig” was a term that Clarkson used at his boarding school to describe new underclassmen. It has no American context. How about calling him The Unknown Racing Driver, and put a bag over his helmet like The Unknown Comic? Or perhaps Bubba, or Ricky Bobby, or something that has some meaning for American audiences?
The Fundamental problem with the show is the total lack of chemistry between the hosts. That will most likely improve over time, if the show lasts long enough.
I think instead of comparing the show to the original Top Gear the American version needs to be compared to the other reality shows on the History Channel, Discovery, or the Travel channel, as well as to other American car shows. I personally like the Powerblock lineup on Spike, but I think most people would agree that the new Top Gear has better camera work and production values than “Musclecar Garage.” I think it’s better than the faux drama scripted on “Pinks.”
How does it compare to other reality shows? Does it have the potential to appeal to folks who are not car geeks? I think it does, but time will tell.
Do the hosts have the chemistry and the timing that the UK presenters do? No, but they’re only two episodes in. It’s going to take time for them to “gel.” It might take a cast change in the first couple of seasons, who knows?
Let’s see how they do on a road trip or with used car challenges before writing them off.
This is Cubic Zirconia. Compare it to a diamond and it’s a major letdown. Compare it to a piece of glass though, and it’s pretty damn good.
Like the diamond that it is, Top Gear UK took many years and lots of pressure to form. It’s unrealistic to expect anything brand new to be as dazzling. Sure, because the name is the same as the British show, comparisons must be made, but didn’t we all know it would pale in comparison to the real thing?
What we need to do is thank our lucky stars somebody’s invested big bucks into producing another car show on the tube, and a decent one at that. The editing is pretty good (not as good as TG-UK, which is absolutely stunning), the production values are pretty high, and the three hosts are reading their lines without screwing them up much. When they stop *reading* the script and start *saying* what’s in their heart and defending what’s their gut, it will get interesting. That will take some time though.
I watch Motorweek, but only because I’m a car guy and it’s a car show and there are so few like it around. Compare Top Gear USA to Motorweek (which has had decades to develop!) and you can see that the new TG USA is already a superior product. Now we’re comparing Cubic Zirconia to glass and maybe we can just shut up and enjoy it for what it is so far.
If we get really lucky, these guys will find their own groove and we’ll have a show that’s even better than the original, and not just a *carbon* copy.
The first episode was a dud. They didn’t really have the delivery down, they all seemed pretty wooden. And you could surely do a better job of interviewing Buzz Fucking Aldrin For Chrissakes.
The second episode with the blind guy learning to drift (and yelling MARCO! so they could yell back POLO!) was much better. And the denouement… well, why spoil it? It clearly wasn’t scripted. And it was a crowning moment of funny.
I’ve been kind of annoyed that they haven’t done a little MORE exposition in the first couple shows. Clearly they’re planning ahead for stripped reruns.
Faust and Wood are keepers. Still waiting for that Ferrara guy to show us any reason he’s there.
BBc’s Top Gear put the standard so high that it would be pretty hard for anyone to match up… but getting close is worthy of credit… i think Top Gear USA, had it aired before BBC top Gear ever existed would have been as good in the public eye, but whatever they do they will always be in the shadow of the three UK stooges and their epic crew…
but i think it’s passable and i enjoyed some parts and i cringed on others, just as i did watching Season 15 of the last one… the Interview with the star in the cheap car can be better and longer, the quick cuts from films to studio can be a little softer, and the way they film the Track should be better… that is my assessment after watching Ep1… will be downloading Ep 2 and watching it tomorrow…
They should hire Mikey Teutul from American Choppers to host the show. That would be hilarious.
The promos have not been compelling enough to get any members of the Panhard family to watch the show, even though all of us, even Mrs. Panhard, enjoy the original, and take great pains to incorporate “Good News!” in a Dacia Sandero sort of way into our family dinner conversations.
The Adam guy looks too much like the D-Bag from Girls Gone Wild.
I’m planning to check it out, but the Walking Dead conflict has me as well. But reading the reports, it misses the point of the UK version. For example, my wife never liked cars. The Volvo 240 wagon has been her ultimate vehicle. But now she loves TGUK. I had to explain understeer and oversteer to her last night. She thinks it’s the funniest show on TV, and has even learned to appreciate the sporting abilities of cars. That is the customer they need to win with TGUS. The female who knows nothing about nor cares about cars. It needs to be so entertaining that even they want to watch. Pandering to gear heads will be boring for too many people. It’s a comedy-variety show…with tire smoke.
I actually really like it. It certainly doesn’t keep me glued to the screen like the UK version does, but I’ll give it time on that account, and still keep it on my DVR and live watch schedule. I think that they really need to lean more on the cheap car challenges, this country couldn’t be better suited to that format with a near unlimited supply of wacky locales and crazy car cultures to explore. If they go used and cheap often on their challenges I think it could be truly great.
Ferrera is the awkward man out so far by my eye, but I know from arguing with my friends that this isn’t going to be something everyone agrees on.
I saw the first episode too, and even though I am a rabid auto enthusiast I have to say it was a bit disappointing. But then again, I’m comparing it to the BBC original and that isn’t entirely fair. I’ll give it a few more episodes for it to hit its stride. The early episodes of Seinfeld or Cheers were pretty flat as well. Just needs some time build momentum. Fewer smoky burnouts and more segments featuring intelligent auto journalism, like Curbside Classics at TTAC.
Seinfeld fans will be able to recall the Bizarro friends that Elaine made for an episode. Jerry, George and Kramer were briefly replaced by Elaine with their virtual opposites: Kevin, Gene and Feldman.
For some reason this episode came to mind upon viewing the first US Top Gear.
That being said, a lot of shows took time to reach their stride, including UK Top Gear (and Seinfeld). I’ll give it a couple seasons.
All of the hating has become tiresome. Give the show some time. I enjoyed last night’s episode, especially the blind drifting.
I would like to see them branch off some from the British version. Why does the Stig have to be called “The Stig”. It doesn’t really mean anything to us. Or, rather than some unknown driver who never talks why not have a driver with a face and a voice who could discuss what he likes and dislikes about the different cars?
So, for me…just because it’s been done on the British version of the show doesn’t mean it has to be done exactly the same way on our version. Change some things up a bit!
In the meantime I’ll continue to watch.
TV is for stupid and weak jackasses so this show should be a hit.
Right…….”TV is for stupid and weak jackasses” ….and someone that spends thier time on a keyboard posting comments would be…….?
As a fan of “The Man Show”, I think Adam Carolla would be a perfect fit to join the cast. He’d give the show the loud mouth buffoonery it really needs!
He needs to know something about cars, and should be an enthusiast. Other than having a last name very similar to a certain Toyota, I’m not sure about his qualifications. I agree he can be really funny. Haven’t heard anything about him in a long time. He was great with Dr. Drew on the old Loveline shows.
Carolla seems like an enthusiast. From another enthusiast site:
“As an avid car enthusiast, Carolla has owned a BMW M3 E30-generation model, an E46-generation M3, Datsun 510, an Audi S4, Audi R8, Jaguar sports coupe, MINI Cooper S, Nissan 350Z, Aston Martin, Lamborghini 350GT, Ferrari and 1984 Nissan 300ZX Turbo. “
Ok, he’s qualified. I’d love to own just one of the cars on that impressive list. The Audi R8 would be my top pick. The Lamborghini is the by far the most rare, and actually kind of obscure.
As a long term fan of the BBS version this one will take time to develop. Frankly I can do without the star in a car, we have enough star shows around and I can care less how long it takes some two-bit star to circle a track. What concerns me is that these guys don’t seem to have a real passion for cars, it feels made up to me. Until that shows, than the show will continue to be a disappointment.
I found the first episode boring and didnt really like the hosts. Have yet to see the second because I’d rather watch The Walking Dead.
Its my wife’s opinion on the show that I found really interesting. She said she hated the first episode of Top Gear US. She then went on to tell me that she likes Chasing Classic Cars alot more. Interesting because just a few weeks ago while watching CCC she commented that Wayne is a pretty boring guy and the show overall is boring as well. So what does that say about Top Gear US? If car guys dont like it AND non car people dont like it, how much of a future does it have?
I love Chasing Classic Cars, and the obvious reason it’s great is because Wayne is a car guy first, TV personality second. Really, he’s not made for TV at all, but who cares? His passion for rare, exotic and quirky, unusual cars comes through beautifully on that show. I don’t think he’s boring at all, but if I didn’t love cars, I wouldn’t watch the show.
I am in the camp that thinks it’s getting better, if Episode 2 was any indication, and I’m pleasantly surprised at how well Foust and Wood are doing in terms of talking to the camera and to each other. But Ferrara is god-awful. Which is really a shame, as he seems to have that urban everyman vibe about him. Wood has the rural everyman role covered, and Foust is certainly the driver in the group. But Ferrara has no business reading from a teleprompter. As a comedian, you’d think he would excel in injecting some levity into a discussion between the three, but he even looks scared/nervous in that situation. If TG survives to a second season, I think Ferrara will not be returning, and they’ll find someone better (fingers crossed).
It’s all down to the writing.
It’s the writers, or lack thereof, that leave TGUS wanting.
The show clunks, sputters, stalls, and coughs its way through segments. Nothing clever or witty. Nothing insightful or poetic.
Hell, it’s as stilted as Motorweek but with low camera angles and powerslides. Then they add a couple bits ripped off from TGUK that, if you watch TGUK, fall flat.
Hogwash with the need for “time” or “chemistry” to sort the show out. Until they get some writers that can, you know, actually write, this show will gasp and wheeze its way through its initial 12 episodes and be resigned to the dustbin of bad American TV show history.
Yes we can go back and look at the season 1 episodes of the UK Top Gear to see how far they have come. Why then is it that when a new car is designed that it does not look like Ford’s Model A? Why would we expect the US top gear to rival season 1 of the UK? The Brits figured out what was needed, what worked, what did not. Dont give these guys a pass on just tossing together a car show with elements of the UK Top Gear. As the reply’s show, they missed the mark. I say lets open their time slot for the UK version to be shown. I can supply you with a conversion chart for dollars to pounds if that helps. We could rename the US version to Tossers.