I made it about halfway through the second episode last night, and I agree that so far it's a big improvement over the first one. Tanner did a good job with the ski race segment, and both he and Rutledge seem more relaxed in front of the camera.
Ditto. I thought the second episode was really good--it truly made the first episode seem like a rehearsal or practice run. The Aston segment was great.
The second episode was an improvement, but I found myself missing the news segment. There's something to be said for having the three guys sitting around for a few minutes talking about car stuff and cracking jokes, it helps to centre the show. Presumably, it was cut in order to make time for ad-breaks.
Watched. I truly believe that Top Gear can be reproduced. It's easy. Get a Mopar, Mustang, and GM guy in a room and tell them they can't leave until they decide on the "best" Muscle car of the 60's and the "worst" car of the 2010's. Sadly, the American legal system will just not allow a presenter of a REAL top gear show to do thier thing - tell it like it is. -GM is kinda building some better stuff...for a health care company. -The new Porsche is an utter rehash. Bleh. The Viper is a pile of steaming smeg that should have been put to rest years ago. -Audi is kinda cool these days. Leno already turned it down. Smart move: http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/...ear-offer-fears-network-will-ruin-it-6853.php
I just watched Episode 2, and it was indeed a fantastic improvement. It didn't feel anywhere near as rushed as the first episode, and the segments were all a lot of fun, especially the ski race. However, I still don't like Adam. He just doesn't work somehow... I think they cast him expecting him to fill a Clarkson-esque role, but he just doesn't do it very well. That said, Rutledge works well as a bit of a goofier host, and I really like Tanner (he's sort of a fast version of James May), so they've got at least two of the archetypes down.
I heard they were making a US version and wondered why they didn't just import the original in the first place. Haven't seen the US version, so I can't speak to it's measure, but I wonder why producers feel the need to reverse engineer shows from other countries in the first place?
It is. When If first heard about the idea for a Top Gear US version it was years ago, before BBC America had started airing it over here. I should of explained that better. Now that they've made the new version, I hope it can add something to the brand other than just a brief historical footnote. (ala Doctor Who US w/ Paul McGann) If you're going to pour more money into a property by creating a new version, why not just pour the money into the original production? Ex. Torchwood Series 4 will be a collaboration of this type. American money & production values with British creative control, a best of both worlds.
Presumably because when they mention the M25, Americans wonder what an M is. And when Clarkson takes the piss out of Birmingham, would most Americans really get the joke? Many Americans see the English as a homogeneous group that are posh, drink tea and have bad teeth. Smart Americans have some understanding of northerners. Only a small few know what a Birmingham is, and fewer still care. I'm not saying that that's the way things should be; we all know so much about America, their cities and cultures that it's only fair for them to learn more about those of us in the rest of the world. But that's not going to happen because TV stations are about making money, and you make more money by being accessible to the widest possible audience, and that means making a US version of a show that references things that the audience understands.
You have a very good point. I'm a low-level anglophile, and know a fair bit more about British culture and the like than your average Canadian (who probably knows more about Britain than your average American, to boot) and its not uncommon for Top Gear to make a reference that goes over my head. So I can see how that would be pretty unpalatable to most American TV networks.
Excellent third episode imo, it was really Top Gear-ish and more importantly fun in its own way too; that Cadillac going around the offroad track was just awesome. I was a little worried about the guy in the Nissan though with the bottles flying around inside the cabin.
Eh, I'm just not feeling it I guess. My friends who are also fans of Top Gear UK haven't really been enjoying it either. One of them said the US version was horrid. lol
The third episode was the best so far, but it's hard to go wrong with a cheap car challenge. The weakest parts of the show are the in-studio bits, which is worrying, but hopefully they'll settle into that in time. I have to say, watching Adam Ferrera bend his Cadillac like a banana just to win a challenge gives me hope for the future of the show.
^ Yeah, I just got around to watching episode three, and it was pretty fun. Adam certainly went up a notch or two in my books, after failing to impress me early on. And it was also nice to see them do the news, though they clearly don't yet have the chemistry that makes the UK news segments so fun. The bottom line, for now, is that the last two episodes have been pretty good, so I'm convinced for now. If nothing else, it'll continue to tide me over until proper Top Gear comes back.
Not a whole lot to say on number three but Adam definitely saved that segment. I haven't cared much for him but he and that Cadillac raised things a bit for me. That little Japanese number Tanner chose just seemed really out of place to me. I thought Rutledge might pull in with a steer on his roof when he came in late.
Bah I wish they would keep Tanner Fouste and get rid of Rutledge and Ferrara and hire back Eric Stromer and Adam Carolla again like how it was when they shot the pilot for NBC.
I thought the Ford Raptor segment was pretty cool, I've seen a couple of those on the road but had no idea what those things really were and could do. It was fun watching the Stig take it around the track. I liked Adam showing the real world consequences of gull wing doors. Anyone ever think Kid Rock looks like Snoopy's cousin Spike from the Peanuts cartoons?
Dear God no. I saw the NBC pilot, and Adam Freakin' Carolla was perhaps the very worst aspect of this thankfully aborted incarnation. Then again, Adam Carolla is always the weak-spot in virtually every show he's been a part of.