Top Gear US on History (1 Viewer)

I did a search and found nothing for the premiere tonight.


Did anyone catch tonights episode?

I just got done and I have to say I'm pretty disappointed. This show needs some work, and definitely needs more money behind it.

The hosts were awful, and had absolutely no chemistry yet.

The camera work was awful and the cinematography was just not there at all. It looked like a training video from Walmart.

The hosts talked about the cars and the challenges like they were reading from a spreadsheet of details and specs.


Pretty pathetic first episode.


EDIT:

I made this post having watched up until the Buzz Aldrin segment. The last segment with the Lambo's actually had some thought and effort put into it. It was still pretty poor in comparison, but it had some post production that was missing from the entire beginning.

There's absolutely no point in making "Top Gear" without Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. The show has been more about them and their banter than it's been about the actual cars for a long time now.


The American trio have enthusiasm, but it's all about the fun they're having. Clarkson, Hammond and May have a lot of fun, but they never lose sight of the fact that they're entertaining an audience.

Originally Posted by Adam Lenhardt

There's absolutely no point in making "Top Gear" without Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. The show has been more about them and their banter than it's been about the actual cars for a long time now.


The American trio have enthusiasm, but it's all about the fun they're having. Clarkson, Hammond and May have a lot of fun, but they never lose sight of the fact that they're entertaining an audience.

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Exactly.

I'm hoping that it will come into its own. The Jalopnik guys have seen the first three episodes and state that the first one was definitely wooden but by the 3rd episode things do get better. I'm not looking for this to be like BBC TG, I already watch that one. I want something different but still kind of the same if that makes any sense at all. I'm willing to give it a full season to become it's own. If after that it doesn't change then I'll drop it.

I haven't watched the 1st episode yet(have it DVR'd), but I'm going into it knowing full well there's absolutely ZERO chance of being anywhere near as entertaining as the real Top Gear. That show has become one of my top 5 favorite TV shows of all-time and the guys on the U.S. version could never duplicate the brilliance of Clarkson, Hammond and May. Having said that, I'm a car fanatic so as long as they show some cool cars every week I'll watch because there are no other good car shows on TV these days.

Second episode was definitely better than the first but still has huge flaws keeping it from being anywhere close to the UK version.

Rutledge is definitely walking away form the others as the host to come back for. He's being himself and the funny is coming through. Tanner is stiff and technical, which can be worked on. Adam is not good at all, tries to be funny which never works, and is not fun to watch in the segments.

Finally got around to watching the first episode I had DVR'd and the Lambo and Viper stuff was definitely cool(especially in HD), but the hosts are absolutely awful. I know it's not fair to compare them to Clarkson, Hammond and May, but even if I didn't have the UK version to use as the gold standard I'd still think they did an awful job. Just no chemistry whatsoever. Hope it gets better as time goes on and even if it doesn't I'll still continue to watch because I love the car stuff.

I feel that the second episode was a marked improvement over the first but they still have a lot of work to do. I actually chuckled a few times where as in the first episode all I could do was think how awful it was. I liked Rutledge as the interviewer for the "Big Star Small Car" part and think he should stick with it. I think that it's going to take a little while for Tanner to come out of his shell and get comfortable. Some people just take longer than others. As for Adam, well, this just doesn't seem to be his cup of tea. He's awkward.


Overall I'm going to stick with this. It's going to take quite a few episodes for them to find their place.

As I can't get the BBC version. I was really excited to see that an American version was finally being produced. I actually liked it. The hosts are ok but for me its all about the cars. I look forward to seeing the show progress over the seasons. I hope they don't end up dropping it after a few episodes. I like the History Channel but I think it would do better on a channel like A&E, USA or Bravo.

It's improving. It has a lot to live up to, it's just very hard to replicate Jeremy Clarkson, May & Hammond and that chemistry. But I'm reminded of early seasons of that Top Gear, and how it also grew into what it is now.


Patrick, I'd tell you for nothing else, Top Gear puts most episodes now available legally online, and you should give it a shot. If nothing else, most of the segments are on Youtube through their channel.

There are moments on that show that kill me for how damn funny they are. Most recently:

The "Rolling a Reliant Robin" episode had me laughing so hard I could not breath. It was the funniest thing I've seen on Top Gear BBC....hmmm....well....ever. Even more so than the "Peel P50" episode.

Originally Posted by mattCR



There are moments on that show that kill me for how damn funny they are.

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Honestly, I put UK Top Gear in the same class as many of my all-time favorite sitcoms(Seinfeld, Arrested Development, The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm, etc). It truly is that funny.

I have cried laughing at some of the moments in Top Gear. From the race across Africa, the race across the South in the US, the challenges.. there are very few shows that have consistently made me laugh the way Top Gear does.

It has lots of moments which makes me laugh. nice show. Now Im desperately waiting its episode 5. All the Top Gear episodes are really great and entertaining.

Just watched episode 3 and it seems like the hosts were even worse this time than in the first couple episodes. I know they were trying to do what the UK guys do all the time(buy a cheap car and complete a bunch of challenges), but it just wasn't done well at all. On top of that , these guys have no chemistry whatsoever and when they try to be funny it just doesn't work. I've also noticed that the editing during the segments inside the hangar is absolutely awful....I'm pretty sure they're using a laugh track after some of the so-called "jokes". Overall, it's just really a bad show, but I'm such a gearhead that I refuse to delete the timer from my DVR in hopes there will at least be some cool car stuff.


The silver lining is that the REAL Top Gear is coming back with specials on Dec. 21st and Dec. 26th and then a brand new full season in January. Hallelujah!!!

I actually enjoyed episode #3 but wow the studio dialogue needs work.

I finally watched episodes 2 and 3 today (Episode 1 has scrolled off of my DVR, perhaps for the best). It's like watching the syndicated version of a prime time game show for the first time - same look and format but very different feel with different hosts. I don't think the hosts mesh well together & the studio scenes are weird and awkward - you really get the feeling that the audience isn't the least bit interested in anything that's going on, and are just laughing on cue.


The moonshine challenge was fun, though. I'll keep watching and hope it improves.

It keeps getting better and better every episode. Sure there are lots of problems and segments that don't work but it is still entertaining. The cinematography on the Aston piece in episode 2 rivaled most stuff on the UK TG. And the Raptor chase last night was dare I say, better than the UK version of the same chase. A lot better.


The hosts are starting to feel more comfortable but they still sound stiff and unnatural when reciting off their scripts. The candid stuff is much better.

The bad is that The Stig is pretty much a second thought. It is embarrassing and sad.


Big Star, Little Car has been very poor. They should just drop it. Bring back the News, which they managed to do once.


Overall it is turning into a great sister show to Top Gear (UK). It will be nice when they are more comfortable to do their own thing, rely less on scripts and just be 3 guys having fun with cars.

Did everyone give up on this show? I just watched my first episode tonight - where they race from LA to Las Vegas via air vs car. Having made the journey myself a number of times and had the same debate I thought it'd be interesting.


It was not. In fact the only bump encountered was when the driver nearly ran out of gas. And that felt forced. What idiot takes a four hour drive (in an unfamiliar car no less) and doesn't keep an eye on the gas gauge? Not only that, since the route was essentially a straight road the entire way there really wasn't much to the challenge other than to see how long it would take. Meanwhile the UK version once had a truly interesting and entertaining race of getting from one end of London to the airport via car, boat, and bicycle. Each presented it's own convenience and challenge and had us all discussing and debating on who would get there first, etc.


I felt a complete lack of chemistry between the hosts. Adam seemed useless and didn't fit in at all. He barely did anything the entire episode. Tanner came across as the most likable, and Rutledge was likable enough and I'm sure once he loosens up the two will make a great team. They need to just start slagging each other off more.

I watch it simply because it has cars. However, the next episode has my interest piqued.