Top Gear

  • After Iowa State won the Big 12, a Cyclone made a wonderful offer to We Will that now increases our match. Now all gifts up to $400,000 between now and the Final 4 will be matched. Please consider giving at We Will Collective.
    This notice can be dismissed using the upper right corner X button.

dmclone

Well-Known Member
Oct 20, 2006
20,685
4,800
113
50131
For all those fans of the show Top Gear, it looks like Top Gear USA is finally coming over. I'm sure it will suck compared to the original but something is better than nothing.

http://www.finalgear.com/
 

tman24

Well-Known Member
Feb 6, 2008
6,048
1,855
113
I wonder what they will do about the Stig. Copy it or create a knock off.

On another not doesnt Rutledge Wood look like a skinnier Kevin Smith?
 

cylen

Member
Jul 5, 2006
97
6
8
Ugh... they couldn't find anyone better than Ruthledge Wood? The guy is a joke on the nascar broadcasts. Adam Ferrara could be ok I suppose.

It's going to be a terrible knockoff of the real thing. I'll stick to Clarkson, May and hamster.
 

dmclone

Well-Known Member
Oct 20, 2006
20,685
4,800
113
50131
I think the big question is whether they will actually criticize cars. Every other car show that's been on in the U.S. has been nothing but a love-fest for every vehicle they review.
 

cylen

Member
Jul 5, 2006
97
6
8
Maybe 'Ruthledge Wood is a joke' is a bit harsh. What I mean is that his "character" on the NASCAR broadcasts is really lowest-common-denominator and slapstick. I don't see that working on a show like Top Gear.
 

cylen

Member
Jul 5, 2006
97
6
8
I think the big question is whether they will actually criticize cars. Every other car show that's been on in the U.S. has been nothing but a love-fest for every vehicle they review.

Exactly. It will be sponsored by Ford, GM, and Dodge and every car coming out will be AWESOME!
 

Stewo

Well-Known Member
Oct 29, 2008
16,856
14,811
113
Iowa
I get BBC America, so I'm good to hook. I think the American version will have a 'cool' factor, but won't be nearly as great as Jermey's show.
 

dmclone

Well-Known Member
Oct 20, 2006
20,685
4,800
113
50131
2 of my favorite shows are the ones where they come to the U.S. The first one where they all 3 buy POS cars and hang out and nearly get killed in the south. Then the other show where they are out on the salt flats.

The other good one is where they are all riding small motorcycles through a country (Vietnam?)

I guess what I'm trying to say is that they have a lot of good episodes.
 

jumbopackage

Well-Known Member
Sep 18, 2007
5,481
249
63
It's gonna take a few years for it to be good, if it's ever going to be good.

Their choice of hosts is suspect at best, though. I just hope to god that it doesn't turn into a huge lovefest for crappy re-hashed muscle cars with live rear axles in the same way that Top Gear has sort of turned into a lovefest for exotics.

If they start out the first episode by making fun of every vehicle made by Dodge, it might be entertaining.
 

SuperCy

Well-Known Member
Nov 30, 2006
3,881
101
63
Smallville/Metropolis
It's going to blow. Adam Carolla tried to get this off the ground a few years ago w/ NBC but it wasn't picked up. I believe that one was going to be a complete rip-off w/ the BBC's blessing.
 

jumbopackage

Well-Known Member
Sep 18, 2007
5,481
249
63
It's going to blow. Adam Carolla tried to get this off the ground a few years ago w/ NBC but it wasn't picked up. I believe that one was going to be a complete rip-off w/ the BBC's blessing.

I think (hope) that most of the reason it wasn't picked up is because NBC is pretty dependent on motor companies for advertising. How hard would it be to sell ad space to Ford, GM or Chrysler after the show just got done ripping their cars? Or to Toyota after a segment making fun of unintended acceleration?

I suspect that's somewhat less of a problem on the cable networks, though I'm still curious as to how much they are going to have to temper their opinions.

I'm also curious as to how they are going to deal with much more "brand loyal" people in the US. I suspect there's a large demographic that's not going to take kindly to trashing of a brand or model that's near and dear to their hearts, especially with the "NASCAR crowd" perhaps being drawn in thanks to their version of Dorf being on the show.

The whole premise of the show has got to be a giant nightmare to marketing people trying to dress up pigs. Letting three random guys with limited professional credentials hold your potentially mediocre products up to arbitrary standards.
 

brianhos

Moderator
Staff member
Bookie
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Jun 1, 2006
54,745
25,803
113
Trenchtown
Without Jeremy, Richard, and James it will just not be the same. Half of the show is just their dry humor. When they went caravaning, and Jeremy pulled out his AK-47 for protection and then James lit the camper and his neighbors on fire, I was just rolling.
 

dmclone

Well-Known Member
Oct 20, 2006
20,685
4,800
113
50131
I would hope they know what will work and what doesn't but who knows. The Office is one of the few shows that has come over from the U.K. that is still good. Others like Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares is an embarrassment compared to the original even though they both have Gordan on the show.
 

mramseyISU

Well-Known Member
Nov 8, 2006
6,325
6,262
113
Waterloo, IA
Tanner Faust is a good pick.

They should have tried like hell to get Stacy David on there.

The other two guys they have are an embarassment.
 

nb06

Active Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Feb 5, 2007
252
101
43
I had no idea we had so many Top Gear fans around here. I got hooked on it in Australia. Great show!!
 

jumbopackage

Well-Known Member
Sep 18, 2007
5,481
249
63
I would hope they know what will work and what doesn't but who knows. The Office is one of the few shows that has come over from the U.K. that is still good. Others like Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares is an embarrassment compared to the original even though they both have Gordan on the show.

I'd disagree that the US Office is
A. Still good
B. In any way currently similar to what the UK version was.

The first couple of seasons, maybe. After that it's turned into the patently absurd. I really wish they would have killed it off after the 3rd season or so.

Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares US is HORRIBLE. The UK version is one of my favorite shows. I think the big issue is that the US version focuses too much on the "reality show" angle of it, while the UK version is still reality show, but is focusing more on the business than the people running it. I don't think I've ever made it past the hokey opening scene where the dramatic announcer goes on about how the people are all idiots.

The F Word is also a great show!
 

dmclone

Well-Known Member
Oct 20, 2006
20,685
4,800
113
50131
I'd disagree that the US Office is
A. Still good
B. In any way currently similar to what the UK version was.



The F Word is also a great show!

A. Still good
I think it's still good. It used to be better but the UK version of the office got worse over time as well.

B. In any way currently similar to what the UK version was.
A lot of the characters are almost identical. Micheal/David, Dwight/Gareth, Dawn/Pam, Jim/Tim, etc. I haven't liked how the U.S. version have been so focused on Jim and Pam.
 

jumbopackage

Well-Known Member
Sep 18, 2007
5,481
249
63
A. Still good
I think it's still good. It used to be better but the UK version of the office got worse over time as well.

B. In any way currently similar to what the UK version was.
A lot of the characters are almost identical. Micheal/David, Dwight/Gareth, Dawn/Pam, Jim/Tim, etc. I haven't liked how the U.S. version have been so focused on Jim and Pam.

The UK version was only 14 episodes, though. It didn't have a chance to get THAT bad.

And yes, a lot of them started off the same, but as the series has gone on, a lot of them have been almost TOO "fleshed out" to keep it fresh. All the clever surprises are gone, and now it's turned into a formulaic dramedy.

I'd also say that Ricky Gervais > Steve Carrell in this particular role. For some reason he just comes off as a much more credible guy to actually exist as a manager. One of the beauties of the UK version is that you really didn't to suspend your disbelief very much at all. These were all characters that you could really see existing. The US version has gotten to the point where it's almost impossible to expect that a guy like Michael Scott actually would make it that long at a branch office in a company.

Plus the Pam/Jim thing really stinks. There's no tension there anymore, which was what made the show interesting. The minute they got together, I think the shark was jumped for the office.