My take: I will watch it before I make any real judgments. I found the eight minute preview to not be too bad, and we only really saw one part of one challenge and maybe a test drive. I felt like we really didn't get a chance to see their personalities or how the play off each other. Part of the issue with UK Top Gear is that everyone knows these three guys. They can joke about stuff that happened on the show in the past or what each likes and dislikes and the audience has seen them long enough to get it. You will need at least half of a full season to get that from new guys.
My current judgment is that this will either be a suitable alternative for those that don't get a BBC channel, but never quite as good as the original, like The Office, or this will be the worst piece of television in the history of television. But I won't know until I actually watch it.
No cable = no watching, but I might catch it on Netflix.
I also wouldn't pass on the chance that someone on Justin.TV might have it. Or History will stream it themselves later.
Meh. Its been in development hell so long it probably won't be any good, but I'm willing to give it a shot. Can't fathom why it is on the History Channel, though.
While from the first attempts to make it to now has been many, many years it has not been one, long, stumbling development process. Someone would start on it and then drop it. Then someone else would buy it and start from scratch. This version has only been in development, if I remember correctly, 18-24 months, maybe less, which is normal for a new show.
I don't get why people are already hating on this show.
<glances at GT5 section> Have you seen how the rest of this place acts? Or the rest of the Internet? Sure, this site is maintained within a certain boundary of reasonableness, but there is no exception to prejudice complaints about mass media products. Heck, I've been guilty of it on certain movies. Granted, I was spot on for Transformers.
Also, the BBC is the largest broadcasting company in the World, so they have endless amounts of money to throw at Top Gear UK. Im sure the History Channel isn't lacking for fund's them selve's, but there nothing like the BBC. So in that aspect it won't be as good either.
And done in coordination with BBC Worldwide Productions (or whatever they are called). History is also part of the Discovery Channel group. If anyone has shown they have a budget to go all over the Planet Earth, it is them.
I just like how in the UK version they go to places you never really heard of. Interveiw people you never heard of. The UK version is just really unique, And i think the US version is gonna lack that.
I don't even know who their first guest is. They must be famous. And from what I have heard their test track actually contains some elevation changes, so I am kind of interested to see how adding that kind of weight shifting will affect these guest drivers.
Tanner Foust. Established racing driver. Legit reputation with car's. And opinionated himself (he is a racing driver)
Also, kind of funny. Does stuff with the Jackass guys on occasion and can be frigging nuts when he gets going (he performed a record car jump last New Year).
Rutledge Wood....Started off as an analyst for Nascar in 2008..And that's it.
He's a fat guy and has a history of working in car journalism. He is likely the most qualified for this job out of the hosts. The only other thing I know is that fat guys tend to either be funny or depressing. Funny is like a defense mechanism. But being fat does nothing to my opinion of what I expect from the show. This is my biggest question mark, as I only know his resume.
Adam Ferrera...Mediocre Comedian, who's done some movies, TV etc.
I liked some of his stand-up stuff and he does well when he is acting alongside Dennis Leary. They have a good onscreen thing going on. If he can maintain that with these hosts he should at least be golden. I do know he has talked about helping his dad work on cars as a kid. Otherwise it almost feels like he has little known automotive history nd was added to be the quick ad-libber, possibly offensive guy.
Well *tongue in cheek* seeing as that other Brit export that became that AWFUL unviewed tripe that is American Idol I'll probably give this a pass.
Good point. No good shows have translated over from the BBC to American television. I mean, what: The Office, Weakest Link, Big Brother, Anything by Simon Cowell, Planet Earth, Life. Just a bunch of poorly rated shows that had no success. [/sarcasm]
