Bloody awful, or why I won't watch Top Gear US

I'm not going to debate which version is better as I have no real plans to watch either. Rather I'm focused more on the "History Channel" aspect.


In that it reminds me of an issue I have with them. Which is err I'd for them to err I don't know maybe focus on that thing called History!

Yeah, it makes about as much sense as Sci-Fi showing wrestling...wait, no...

Not that I have any desire to watch this either, but shouldn't you at least watch an episode before you pan it?

Personally...this was the first I heard of its existence, and its getting filed right into the "don't care enough about to even form an opinion" folder.

Sci-Fi shows wrestling because they are owned by the same company who owns USA who has a wrestling deal.

I figure History has found like MTV did with videos that having some other types of programs draw in more viewers. I met a family who loved Ice Road Truckers but likely wouldn't sit through (another) program on the Hellenistic period in ancient Greece. Advertising dollars are the name of the game for TV and the more money History gets from a popular show I don't watch the more they have for a show I may watch...or another UFO/Bigfoot/Loch Ness/Chupacabra special which I probably won't.

I might try to stomach the first episode but so far it seems very lackluster in content.

I'm sorry, but this is very typical of fandom. The original is always better! You've judged it without even seeing it. That's illogical, immature, and frankly, it's bullshit.

I've seen plenty of original Top Gear. I know how good it is. I've sat on the edge of my seat, heart pounding, as they race a Nissan GT-R against Japan's legendarily on-time train system across Japan, or race a car, a bicycle, the tubes and a powerboat across rush-hour London. It's exciting, it's brilliantly scripted, and it's fun.

So why can't Top Gear US do the same? They've got the perfect template right in front of them.

Sadly, the best you can do is maybe "stomach" the first episode. You've already prejudged it. It doesn't matter how good or bad it is. It's already failed as far as you're concerned, because it isn't the original Top Gear. You don't even see this is a chance to have twice as much Top Gear in your life. It isn't a case or one or the other. You can have both!

Do I think it's going to be better than the original? No. At least not at first. It's a new show, and it will probably take some time to find it's own pace and rhythm. When it does come together, it could be every bit as entertaining as the original.

And it might not. It might not gel into a great show. It might fail to entertain. It might be inferior to the original. But we won't know until there is an actual show to watch. Or better yet, a few shows, to give it a fair and honest chance to succeed.

But you're clearly biased against it already. You're biased against it for no reason other than it's not the original. It has no chance of succeeding against such a closed mind. It's a shame.

I'm not saying people should pre-judge a show, but this brings to question the mind the role that trailers play in regards to everything.

On one hand, you can argue that judging based on trailers is not fair. They are often misleading, and can only show so much at the same time sadly.


On the other hand, it is their job to create motivation, so if the trailer is failing to do that. I guess there's also the question of time and deciding which shows to try and how much.

I have not seen the original or the trailers, so I can't comment directly. However for me, it would depend on what the changes involved.


For example, if I saw a commercial for a new version of "Care Bears" with them wearing clothing now, I wouldn't find it to be the end of the world.


However if the commercial showed them smoking crack, shooting people in the head, etc. I'd have to stop and ask myself "Do they even know what they're doing?"


Don't ask why I used Care Bears as an example. I guess I'm probably crazy and such.

I've long thought that the Care Bears re-vamp would involve Care Bear-drive-by-stares.

The commercial you are thinking of is probably either already or soon to be a Robot Chicken skit.

There is a huge difference between Top Gear and Top Gear US. The audience.

Top Gear is made for a British audience with a British sense of humour. The presenters were chosen not for their looks, but their journalism, and it evolved into the show it is today.

Top Gear US is being made for an American audience. It isn't going to be the same as the original Top Gear. If it was the same, why bother? Just make more original Top Gear.

You could also try to stomach it to form a real opinion rather than basing it on a few trailers. Sure, it could suck, but you wont know that for certain until you watch it.

Granted, early Top Gear seasons were boring (especially season 1 with that one guy instead of James May), but they still had Clarkson and his car reviews which had to be the highlight of the program.