The Amazon Prime Not Topgear Show That From Now On Will Be Called "The Grand Tour"TV

[Wiegert]

Did I just pass kidney stones for 30 minutes or what that as painful for everyone else as it was for me?

As with last week, they had so much potential to fill the latter part of an episode with something worthwhile and instead we get another demonstration on how how fast they can empty their deeper pockets in the most half-baked fashion possible.

Making space for less driving-oriented content shouldn't be a free pass to ride the low quality gag train into the Barbadian sand. Either put some effort into dealing with a situation without sacrificing every shred of entertainment value or don't bother.

 

[DK]

I'm catching up with this on Amazon Prime right now, which episodes should I not bother with? I prefer the more car-heavy Top Gear (especially the Cheap Car Challenges) before it turned into an "expensive car(s) of the week" show.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Liked this week offering, better than last weeks IMO...

 

[Clark]

Why do all the car reviews in this have to be filmed like they're trying to make the next Transporter film? I don't want stupid camera angles and effects, I want to see and here the car like we do on the Hot Lap.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

Absolutely worthless episode. They really need to scrap the script for Season 2 and go with more spontaneity. Oh, and probably limit the budget, because they were forced to be 100x more creative (and entertaining) with a lower budget in the old TG. Like the Alfa review, why couldn't they make it a proper 3 car review? Also yet another cringefest with the football vs soccer thing.

Really, the only part of the show I can see enjoying in the future is Conversation Street.

BTW, does anyone else keep track of the 3 cars driven by the trio in each episode's opening? It changes with the location of each episode and it's quite interesting IMO. Like this week's episode I think they drove the same cars as when they filmed the American road trip in TG (the one where they got attacked by rednecks).

I'm catching up with this on Amazon Prime right now, which episodes should I not bother with? I prefer the more car-heavy Top Gear (especially the Cheap Car Challenges) before it turned into an "expensive car(s) of the week" show.

The car heavy episodes are 1, 3, 5 and 6 (last one is the best episode IMO).
Episodes 2 and 4 personally I find quite funny, but your sense of humour may vary.
The New Year specials (ep 7-8) starts off strong but then got kinda boring, but worth the watch if just for the cinematography.
Skip ep 9-10 I'd say.

 

[FoRiZon]

First half started good. Alfa review was refreshing and Conversation Street is good.

Rest are literally Barbados Tourism Commercial.

 

[mustafur]

It felt like they wanted to have a Holiday and then they did some TV show stuff to justify it.

 

[TB]

If you're watching The Grand Tour for car reviews, you're watching the wrong show.

If you're watching it for a couple guys on

Holiday and then they did some TV show stuff to justify it.

it's fairly enjoyable.

I was one of the guys that thought it was going to be Top Gear 2.0 and hated the first episode. Once I realized it was just a couple of guys screwing around, and getting paid to do it, it became a lot more enjoyable.

Although Conversation Street is annoying and Celebrity Brain Crash is, typically, appalling.

 

[Samus]

Just utter rubbish. Top Gear was always a car show....ish. The thing is, the ish stuff was still entertaining. All of that cocking around was just rubbish. You can see all of the "accidental" fails and mishaps coming a mile off.

Most of all, I just didn't care for the outcome whatsoever. Why, as a viewer, would I care if they manage to put five one car shell in the bottom of the ocean? Which they could've achieved in 5 minutes anyway if they weren't doing scripted cocking around and did it properly.

They used to do REAL challenges, where there is an actual aspect of challenge and danger, not just scripted crap.

On a different note, I don't get why they didn't manage to show the films related to the location they were in. Why wasn't this the US car centric episode? They go to each place, and save for the initial title scene, do nothing there.

 

[mustafur]

Yeah the tent stuff makes no sense to me, surely top gear don't own the rights to just have a studio in one place, because where they go has no relevance to what the show is about apart from the stuff they say in the first 5 mins.

 

[Joey D]

I think the reason for the tent is so they can reach a wider audience to see them in person, plus is a huge marketing thing for Amazon.

Also, I'm not sure what people were expecting with this show. Top Gear stopped being about the cars years ago and was more or less them just being stupid for the sake of a couple of laughs. You knew from the get go it was going to be a show about them being idiots with a car theme laid lightly over it.

With this past episode, it was enjoyable. I knew exactly how it'd end but it didn't matter because there were some funny bits in it and I laughed pretty hard when Clarkson couldn't figure out the ratchet straps because that's me any time I try to use those stupid things. The real gem though was the Alfa, it's such a gorgeous car and I really want one. First time I've actually seen one in motion on TV though.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

The problem is GT is even less about cars and even more scripted. With TG they are doing stupid things, but the cars are still the stars. In GT they feel like an afterthought and each episode feels like slapstick. Also in TG even though it's scripted they try and make it feel genuine. In GT the trio just feels like caricatured versions of themselves. When you can see a joke or a failure coming from a mile away, it's not even funny anymore.

 

[RX-7_FD3S]

I'm not sure it's less scripted, we were just used on how it was scripted in the bbc and maybe now it feels a bit less natural because they have to force themselves out of expression they were using for years (oh cock and the likes).

Personally I still like the show and I'm still a fan, could it be better, most likely yes, but that's valid for 95% of the script I see (tv shows, movies or videogames).

After I notice that even people that claim they hate the show and find it stupid still watch it on friday morning when it's released. Which is kinda weird if you ask me. Usually when I dont like something I stop watching it. I dont rush to watch it and come to a forum to comment about how bad it is. Everyone's different I guess.

 

[INEEDNAWZZZ]

After I notice that even people that claim they hate the show and find it stupid still watch it on friday morning when it's released. Which is kinda weird if you ask me. Usually when I dont like something I stop watching it. I dont rush to watch it and come to a forum to comment about how bad it is. Everyone's different I guess.

I think part of that is due to the difference in quality between episodes. Much like TG had evolved before it, some episodes are downright awful, others are pretty forgettable but some are excellent. Many keep watching to see if they'll continue to be good (or at the very least decent) or just do what they have been doing and dip in and out of being bad / forgettable.

 

[Samus]

Top Gear stopped being about the cars years ago and was more or less them just being stupid for the sake of a couple of laughs. You knew from the get go it was going to be a show about them being idiots with a car theme laid lightly over it.

Yes, it was about three blokes doing things vaguely related to cars, but as above, the stuff they did still felt, for the most part, like there was genuine challenge, problem solving, and spontaneity. Yes, when they filled three old BMC cars with water to drive round the track, the producers purposely loosened Clarkson's door so it would fall off. But we, the viewer, didn't know that. It wasn't in your face obvious, so it was funny. Scripted, but funny. I could go on with many examples.

Where was the challenge or feeling of spontaneity in the Barbados stuff? It was plainly obvious how everything was going to go wrong, the first boat was going to get ruined, they were going to tamper with James' air, Jeremy was going to hurt himself or something with the torch, the cars were going to have moved, etc.

As for still watching it, yes, it's because some episodes have had good, entertaining parts, the next one could be good, it could be bad. I can't know what it's going to be like beforehand, and I don't see the point of reading a review to spoil it. But once I have watched it, I come here, it is a discussion forum after all.

 

[Smurfybug]

That episode was the typical make fun of all 3 for what they don't know, what don't like. So, I liked it

 

[RX-7_FD3S]

I've now watched the last episode and I enjoyed some part while other were really bad.

I thought the Alfa Romeo test was well made and looked very nice too, really enjoyed that segment. Most of the Barbados stuff was indeed too scripted and I didnt enjoyed it that much. I loved the part with the jet ski and the catamaran (sailing boat) it was pretty awesome and looked stunningly good. I still enjoy conversation street, not as much as the news but it's still a decent part of the show.

 

[MedigoFlame]

Hopefully this week's episode can bring back the cheap car challenge magic. Or be as bad as the Top Gear episode with the three E30 convertibles....

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Happy Birthday James May, 54 years young today...

 

[ryzno]

Is there any way to have monthly payments of Prime? I don't have $100 for a one time payment to watch a TV show and I really have no use for their other services.

 

[MedigoFlame]

Is there any way to have monthly payments of Prime? I don't have $100 for a one time payment to watch a TV show and I really have no use for their other services.

There is. You just have to go to your manage Prime membership options and change it to monthly. It costs $10.99.

 

[imported_rik19]

Yes I pay monthly for prime..£7.99 I think it is..

Its great the Grand Tour, there`s only been one episode I wasn`t too keen on, number 2, just dragged on doing that thing over and over..Apart from that, brilliant..

Makes me laugh seeing people moan, then keep watching it then moan again...

 

[ryzno]

Binge watch mode activate. Thanks y'all!

 

[m8h3r]

Woo yeah been waiting for a cheap car challenge. I thought the Buggy one was going to be like that but it was naff compared to what I was expecting.

 

[AudiMan2011]

It's strange that I'm looking forward to this episode the most mainly because the tent studio was in the Scottish Highlands for this one.

 

[ProjectWHaT]

This doesn't appear to be a cheap car challenge since they're all driving old Maseratis.

 

[mustafur]

This doesn't appear to be a cheap car challenge since they're all driving old Maseratis.

and all those old Maseratis are the cheap ones(although if you look closely they are not all the same), the only Expensive Maserati of that shape is the Shamal but none of them have one.

My guess is it's a challenge with a budget and they all got the same sort of car or a budget Maserati challenge.

 

[m8h3r]

and all those old Maseratis are the cheap ones(although if you look closely they are not all the same), the only Expensive Maserati of that shape is the Shamal but none of them have one.

My guess is it's a challenge with a budget and they all got the same sort of car or a budget Maserati challenge.

Buy a Maserati with a small loan of a millions Dollars kind of challenge.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

That is the closest they have looked to old TG so far. Here's hoping they have actual challenges and not just pointless ones 👍

 

[NW48]

An improvement over the last few episodes but still nothing entirely special for me. Wish they did more proper challenges in the main film though. That was a bit of a let down. Got a few laughs out of it but that's about it. Hammond's piece with the Abarth was alright. I wasn't particularly interested in the car though, if I'm honest.

In one word; average