[cosimo]

Has anyone wathced the Top Gear on the History Channel? I have and found it pretty lame. They copied everything from the UK version, even down to using the verbage. The hosts have no charisma and do not have the same rapport as the UK guys. You would think they could a little more imagative and create a decent US version. They even have a "Stig", dressed just like the UK. Yuck.

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[biotechee]

I watched 10-15 minutes of the 1st or 2nd show. Haven't tuned in since. Piss poor show at best.



Quite frankly, I'm not a fan of the original either, But the UK program is certainly exponentially better than the US version, for what it's worth.

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[ds968]

I refuse to watch it, for that very reason... indeed it seems that ( at least this once <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/rolleyes.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> ) my expectations of what the U.S. show would probably be like, were correct..

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[pmason]

Agree, watched a couple of them, just hoping it gets better some how. While they attempt to copy everything from the UK version like you said they are missing the mark, its like they are even reading cuecards, even the challanges are pretty much the same.

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[flash]

bummer - i haven't seen it yet, but when i had the conversation with a friend of mine who was the one bringing the show over here, and asked me for advice on it, i was really clear that it was the interaction between the cast that was the real ingredient that made it work - seems that fell on deaf ears

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[DaveN]

My stomach gets upset every time I think about Top Gear US. I am a die hard fan of the UK version and can tolerate the Aussie version but the US version just sucks. Apart from the appendix (useless appendages) presenters and the plagiarized do-overs of challenges I really miss the outstanding camera work that the BBC delivers.

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[Chris Vais]

I'm a big fan of the UK version. I would agree that one of things that makes it attractive is the interaction between the three hosts. I've watched the US version twice now and wasn't impressed. One thing that really bugged me was the number and length of the commercial breaks. So unless it shows up on my On Demand service as the BBC version does, I don't expect to watch it at all.

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[cosimo]

I watched a repeat of the show with the Robin. MY wife was wondering what I was laughing outloud at. One of their funiest shows. The other one was their trip through Viet Nam. The Brits seem to have put together the right formula of people and stunts. I just wonder how long it will last.

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[Ryan]

The UK show has the main ingredient..personality. Our version has none of that. Casting sucks.

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[jeff968]

The only thing the new show carries over from the original that is good is the filming. Excellent camera angles and usage. The Viper vs the helicopter in the first show was nicely shot. That said the rest of the show is terrible. They should have added something to it to make it unique but it is such a copy of the original, and a bad one. Too bad. I do like car shows.

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[Sears]

I totally agree with Jeff, they did get the filming right at least, which is a big step above any other US auto show. Motorweek makes me want to take my own life. It is a copy, but I think it was intended to be though I am disappointed they are re-using so many of the plots.



The real issue is the total lack of chemistry and personality of the hosts.

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[flash]

with the cameras today, it's fairly easy to get decent shots - you need a good director, and a good A.D. and L.D., but it is definitely a lot easier than it used to be - you can do it with a lot less crew too, which makes "guerilla TV" a lot more popular to networks, which is exactly why we have so many reality shows



hiring a good cast is still a problem, and here in l.a. real talent that actually knows something about cars, and will work for what a show like that would pay, is hard to come by

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[pure&amp;simple]

Not that I'm crazy about the US show either, but I gotta wonder how good the first few UK shows really were. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/unsure.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> Perhaps after 8 years and 14 seasons the US show will be just as good. Just sayin'...... <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/cool.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[flash]

i haven't even watched it, so i have no opinion but knowing what pool of people is out there, i can see where others might feel the way they do, at least for the moment



conan got a pretty decent whacking when he first started out, but look at him now

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[ds968]

And watching the other U.S. program " Battle Of The SuperCars " makes me want to chew on razor blades .. although the cars by themselves are fun to watch, the tiring, lame script ( which never seems to change even in the slightest way from one episode to the another ) handed to a cast which just come across as total douchebags, coupled with the show's overall lousy production value is as annoying as anything I've seen on TV.. Yuk. But I still force myself to see it from time to time and fast forward trough most of it just to watch the few seconds of the cars racing one another.. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/dry.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



Perhaps UK's Top Gear set the bar so high, that anything the US will attempt along the same lines will be futile.. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/unsure.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[Sears]

I'll continue to watch the US show for now, I should have mentioned that in my earlier post. But I'll do it on my DVR and fast forward through the bad stuff. Maybe they will figure it out.



The other US car show I enjoy is Chasing Classic Cars, that show is a good time.

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[rxter]

All they need is Jenn Sterger.

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[DaveN]

[quote name='pure&simple' timestamp='1292521661' post='102464']

Not that I'm crazy about the US show either, but I gotta wonder how good the first few UK shows really were. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/unsure.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> Perhaps after 8 years and 14 seasons the US show will be just as good. Just sayin'...... <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/cool.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

[/quote]



I fear all the time in the world will not help. TG used to have a portly gentleman with no real chemistry in the first couple of seasons along side Jezza and Hampster. The show was almost as good as it is now; adding Captain Slow only made it better. IMHO

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[Cloud9...68]

I've only caught rare glimpses of the UK show (our local cable provider doesn't, uh, provide it), but what little I saw I thought was incredible. So when I heard that Top Gear was coming to the History channel, I was practically giddy with excitement (insert image of Ben Stein from one of his FreeScore commercials). As with the rest of the posters here, I've been terribly disappointed as well. It just look amateurish. Hopefully it will improve with time; given how few car shows exist on TV, I've set the bar pretty low for quality, as I'll watch a show about cars, no matter how bad, over practically anything else on TV. The worst are those warring cable political channels, which make Top Gear look like cinematic genius.

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[White968]

Thank god we have BBC America in the states for the original version of TG. Like Sears said that show "Chasing Classic Cars" with Wayne Carini is great

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