Top Gear (US version) vs The Car Show ... anybody here watch these?

[Shagbark Hickory]

I was surprised they brought back Top Gear US for another season. The comments online about the show were so brutal but I said give it time.

A couple of weeks ago, The Car Show debuted on the Speed network. It really is everything Top Gear aspired (or should have aspired) to be in my opinion. I recorded the season premier of Top Gear from last sunday. I fell asleep through it twice. Finally I managed to get half way through it then deleted it. It was that bad. Spending an hour destroying an old Miata is not entertainment by my standards.
I think they have some good hosts but they give them such shit to work with.

The Car Show OTOH, actually showed some cars, talked about cars and had some LOL funny parts. They didn't try to copy Top Gear UK. There is no Stig. Yet it still very similar in terms of quality.

That's my 0.02. How about you?

[MorningGlow]

1. I have seen one ep of The Car Show

As a diehard fan of the UK Top Gear, I can't bring myself to watch the US version. But that's just me. :P

I have to admit that I was a little disappointed in The Car Show and had to refrain from referring to it as "The Man Show with wheels". I think a little Adam Carolla goes a very, VERY long way. And I think they were trying too hard, but with very weak material, which made it worse. Plus my 7 YO was incensed when they did a race the length of Manhattan with a Lamborghini, a scooter, and the subway. "They did that on Top Gear already!" he shouted. And he was right.

I know a lot of people say that even the UK Top Gear was shaky to begin with and it takes time to get comfortable and blah blah blah, but my son was just watching the very early eps, from their first season of the reboot when they replaced the boring guy with James May, and I have to say even then it was funny and interesting, if not riotously classic stuff just yet.

I'll stick to the UK TG, I guess. :shrug:

[Shagbark Hickory]

2. Well Top Gear UK it isn't. But they're talking about cars at least, that's a start.

It looks like they're trying a lot of things to see what sticks. You probably noticed they have a lot of segments rather than spend the whole hour trashing old cars, they talk about new cars and high performance cars, something TGUSA seems to have phased out. This past episode they were actually talking about the histories of these old beaters. Yeah I get that it's the history channel but they should come out with a show called "Low Gear" and have Mark Summers host it then they can mix in all those Double Dare challenges and destroy all the old cars they can get their hands on.

[MorningGlow]

3. Cars and bimbos!

Sigh! :eyes: :rofl:

Interesting about TG US and the history of cars. From what I'd heard about the first season, it seemed they were trying to do fun challenges and other more typical TG things. Have they changed their focus from the first season to the second?

[Shagbark Hickory]

5. Last night's episode of Low Gear consisted mostly of...

On old honda civic, an old plymouth reliant and a VW rabbit pickup. The theme was the cars the hosts had in high school. That carried on through most of the show except for a very brief period where the stig drove a corvette around the track and a few minutes where Pawn Stars Rick and Chumlee (who btw, in real life owns a Masarati Gran Turismo and a Range Rover :wow:) drove their "small car" around the track and got pretty lousy times.

I guess the producers figure with the shrinking middle class, it's best to have a show with cars that cost less than $1000.

[MorningGlow]

6. Yeah, that should be a short segment (old cars)

Old cars can be fun, and funny to laugh at (case in point: the Morris Marina), but not an extended focus on them, like for most of the show.

People watch TG UK for the car porn--you know you'll never own a Lamborghini Diablo--or even an Ariel Atom--but they're fun to drool over for a little while. And we can handle it on this side of the pond, too, if they'd dare.

I also wonder how much of an influence our advertising culture has on TG US. I mean, on TG UK they can be honest about whether they like or hate a car, with little to no repercussions because there are no ads. But here--I can see Chevy or Ford pitching a fit and refusing to advertise on the History Channel and its affiliated networks if TG US gave one of their cars a bad review or even used one as the butt of a joke.

I can't help but think of that awful show that won't die--MotorWeek. In the MG household, we always make fun of their car reviews, because they always end with some form of the statement "We love it!!!!" Well, of course you're gonna "love it", because if you don't, other carmakers won't let you review THEIR cars.
:rofl:

[sakabatou]

4. I haven't seen the Car Show but TG:US sucks

[Xithras]

7. I really, really tried to give Top Gear:US a chance.

It's just...bad. The UK version is a great blend of talk show (including A-list guest stars), car reviews, and humor. The US version seems to have abandoned this blend in favor of stupid tricks, juvenile humor, and guests that nobody has ever heard of (WHO THE F*** is "chumlee"?!?!)

And, if that's not bad enough, two of the hosts have no camera presence, and their interactions seem very forced and fake. There is no charisma and the whole thing seems like an overly scripted TV show written by a bunch of interns.

I'll try to catch an episode of The Car Show. I haven't seen it yet, but I'd like to see how it compares.