Top Gear : USA Premieres Tonight

[Kitdy]

I think part of the UK Top Gear's current appeal was that it is a variety show, with cars....It just made the show appeal to more people, more than just the car people....

It may have been requisite for its success in fact.

[f6fhellcat13]

Pleasantly surprised.

Having younger hosts and a knowledgeable host in the form Foust was an interesting departure from the British version. Who knows, it might be good.

[RacingManiac]

BTW, the audience in the background is more diversed in race, but less hot...at least in first ep...lol

[Kitdy]

It was not aired on the Canadian History Channel.

[RacingManiac]

I am sure it can be followed like the UK one through torrents, but that will require more motivation I am sure....lol

It is a little weird looking at their reasonably priced car(um, Big Stars in Little Car) segment, being left hand drive and being used to watching the UK right hand drive car....Also, I wish they will also put NASCAR drivers in their "little car"....

So far Jalop is pretty accurate, its a bit clunky, it has some moments, but its a bit "put together"...

They did get pretty good with the formula, good camera work, though not enough filter vs the UK version(looks less "cinematic"), pretty good production value it seems...

[Savageduck]

I am afraid I found the show a bit contrived, even to the point of having a "US Stig", and the Suzuki as their "little car". Hell! if they want to 'mericanized the show for US consumption, do something different. Use an F150, a Camaro, the new Buick Regal, or have GM donate a Volt, or be truly silly and break out a Prius. That would be different.
Using an airport circuit which is too small doesn't help either.

There is also a degree of irreverence missing with this Foust lead trio, and they just don't seem comfortable in their roles. They are playing the kids with the car keys, and are just not a match for the sardonic interaction of Clarkson, May, & Hammond.
It might improve, but on the basis of this first outing I am not impressed.

[RacingManiac]

IMO the key formula of the TG(now) was Clarkson, who is a man of many things, but first and foremost he is a journalist who has experience and can actually put words on paper(he writes interesting stuff, not just about cars). The US TG is missing that person, they got the comedian(s) and a driver, but they don't have that guy with the interesting things to say. Hammond and May are always to me are more "characters"(I mean in their own shows, like May's show on space program from a while back he is "himself", but on TG he is that guy, Capt. Slow...), but Clarkson is Clarkson...

Take the Aldrin interview, if you put a guy who is more knowledgeable, the interview might be more interesting, I mean this is the 2nd guy on the Moon...

They need to find their own roles here, though I am not sure how they can put that kind of character like Jeremy Clarkson in any other iteration of Top Gear...

[ozzycarnut]

i have grave concerns over the direction of top gear. are we going to see a country specific version in every country? top gear russia, top gear chile etc? top gear australia was a woftam (google it if your not sure of the meaning ...) 3 ridiculous overzealous idiots putting on a front of a love for cars with a desperation you could clearly see to make it work. clarkson is top gear, the end. he's a wanker, if i had a beer with him i would probably end up walking out on him and his ego, but he is very entertaining. he knows a bit about cars, not alot, but a bit, he can drive, and he can make you laugh, either at himself, or when he's taking the mickey out of the 2 douchebags he is teamed up with. the more intelligent out of the 3 is may, but unfortunately, he's about as interesting as stale bread as far as the camera is concerned. hammond? dont get me started on this 'clarksons lap dog' pretty boy. if clarkson wasnt doing the show, i'm sure myself and however many million other people, would switch off. the fact that they are trying to replicate top gear in the states is hilarious. i can just see it now, snoop dogg teaming up with vanilla ice and david letterman. entertaining it would be, for about 5 mins ...

[Rockefella]

Just watched it. My take is it's not bad but it's not great.. It's watchable I guess. Wasn't expecting to be wowed in the premiere episode considering the framework had to be laid down as far as show structure and character development go.

The characters: Foust is good. He knows his stuff and can drive really well it seems. Polished in front of the camera but seems as if he's portraying a character and not being himself. Rutledge I liked because he doesn't play some contrived character mold, rather he just acts natural. Goofy and awkward fit the bill but he's got a good sense of humor and is likeable towards a national audience. The comedian (forgot his name) is still out on trial. He had some funny bits but I feel like the suits at History channel want to make him into the American clarkson by having him copy Clarksons style and idiosyncrasies. That interview with Buzz Aldrin was awful and overly awkward.. I think Foust should conduct the interviews but his sense of humor seems dry.

Overall camerawork was good, obviously not to the level of Top gear UK but those are some pretty hard shoes to fill. I'll attribute that to budget and the show's newness.. should improve as the show grows. The structure did seem clunky too, segues and transitions to and from bits came off forced and noticeable. Made me think for a second, this show almost seems like an amateur knockoff of top gear UK, but then again it is.

Besides all that though I think this show has a huge problem: Comedian and Rutledge seem like they know very little about cars. Sure, Clarkson and company lack the driving talent others may possess in Foust/5th gear but they know their shit when it comes to cars. I feel like the two apart from Foust liked cars as kids and think they're cool but don't know the difference between an exhaust pipe and a piston. Maybe this is so the show is less composed of tech jargon and engineering to cater to the lowest common denominator but such is a bad plan. The only people watching this show will be people interested in automobilia, at least for now. Can't see this show straddling the lines of society and being enjoyed by all the way TgUk has at this stage. You don't need MechEng PhD's or retired IndyCar drivers, just a relatable auto enthusiast with a sense of humor will do (that works well in front of a camera).

Although TG:US looks like it won't copy TG:UK verbatim, the guys seem as if they were casted to fit a mold and that's a recipe for disaster. Should have taken three car guys with tv experience, had them build chemistry, and then make the show. Send them to LeMans and Dakar off-camera and see how it goes, then make a show. I get the feeling these 3 don't mesh too well and wouldn't be really friendly in real life but time will tell. One of these hosts should get sacked and a knowledgeable car guy take his place.

Hope you guys get the gist of what I'm saying. It's late and phones aren't too forum friendly

[Matra et Alpine]

Thanks bittorrent

Agree with above, was surprised they have copied day one the same way Oz did./
THought they'd have realised there's problems with that approach.
Hopefully it gets anough time to mould to a US variant.
I felt Oz was getting there ... but took 2 seasons.
Sont' see the US letting a show carry on half a season if ratings don't exceed the mark so I don't hold much hope for the show surviving

THere IS something of true TG irony in having an American presenter on an American TV show say "the Viper ... all power, no finesse ... It's not practical. Frankly it's just dangerous" .... ROFL I think this may be it's downfall though. Humour and honesty Never going to work !!!!!

[pimento]

Rocke put it good, I just watched it too. The 'interview' with Aldrin was dire, but the rest was a pretty solid start. The comedian is Adam Carolla btw. The track seems like a good layout to test cars, probably a bit more handling oriented than the UK one without being all heavy braking into tight corners like the new AU one. All in all I think it has potential and definately shouldn't be written off before being given a solid chance at carving itself an identity.

[Kitdy]

The comedian is Adam Carolla btw.

Adam Ferrara. Was meant to be Carolla at one point, but somehow things went sour.

Speaking about the TG:UK, May and Clarkson are fairly legit car guys - both were automotive journalists before they began presenting on TV.

Hammond is a presenter first.

Ultimately though in TG, they are all presenters first.

[NSXType-R]

i have grave concerns over the direction of top gear. are we going to see a country specific version in every country? top gear russia, top gear chile etc? top gear australia was a woftam (google it if your not sure of the meaning ...) 3 ridiculous overzealous idiots putting on a front of a love for cars with a desperation you could clearly see to make it work. clarkson is top gear, the end. he's a wanker, if i had a beer with him i would probably end up walking out on him and his ego, but he is very entertaining. he knows a bit about cars, not alot, but a bit, he can drive, and he can make you laugh, either at himself, or when he's taking the mickey out of the 2 douchebags he is teamed up with. the more intelligent out of the 3 is may, but unfortunately, he's about as interesting as stale bread as far as the camera is concerned. hammond? dont get me started on this 'clarksons lap dog' pretty boy. if clarkson wasnt doing the show, i'm sure myself and however many million other people, would switch off. the fact that they are trying to replicate top gear in the states is hilarious. i can just see it now, snoop dogg teaming up with vanilla ice and david letterman. entertaining it would be, for about 5 mins ...

Maybe, I think there is a Russian Top Gear for a while now.

[pimento]

Adam Ferrara. Was meant to be Carolla at one point, but somehow things went sour.

Speaking about the TG:UK, May and Clarkson are fairly legit car guys - both were automotive journalists before they began presenting on TV.

Hammond is a presenter first.

Ultimately though in TG, they are all presenters first.

Oh yea. That did happen. I've no idea what the difference is between the two...

May was on old Top Gear right at the end, with VBH and Tif. Before that he was working for Autocar, before he got himself sacked.

[roosterjuicer]

I have watched about half of it. It was okay.

Like I said, more car shows the better. But the excitement seems a bit fake. when they are driving and they go "OH GOD!!!" or something like that it seems really fake.