OT: I can't even imagine...

[SoCalSteve]

how this could even come close to the best show on TV...

I can't even imagine... (http://www.history.com/shows/top-gear/videos/playlists/exclusives#top-gear-sneak-peek)

And, leave it to the unimaginative American TV producers to copy it almost to a tea ( pun intended).

Oh well, could be worse, they could be making another Law & Order and have it based in Los Angeles... ;)

[TMB]

What does that have to with History??

[rice rocket]

Yeah, Australia did it. Russia did it. Now us. Australia sucks. Russia is okay. Ours looks worse than both.


That said, if you watch the first 2-3 seasons of Top Gear (after it was revamped in 2000), they were pretty rough around the edges too.

[rice rocket]

What does that have to with History??
Money.

BBC originally made the proposal, NBC bit (around 2007) and then bailed at the end of 2009, when Knight Rider failed. They didn't want anything more to do with cars and car-themed stuff.

[rustychisel]

Yup. I think they're in V2.0 of trying to make an Australian version, but its all about the chemistry (& smashing sh*t up, obviously). Yawn.

[rice rocket]

Did they cancel it?

The Australian show was stupid because they put so much emphasis on asshattery that it wasn't even "fresh" anymore when they did it. They need to fire that loud dude.

[David Kirk]

Who are the hosts? I see Tanner Foust - who are the other two?

Foust can certainly drive.

dave

[dd74]

It might work. "All In The Family" was a British import, and that spawned the American sitcom until PC-ness took over.

If Tanner Foust is allowed to put his own smug spin on the show, it'd have a chance. He's pretty funny, which is not necessarily an attribute of a race car driver.

[rice rocket]

It could work, but the producers are all trying way too hard to reproduce what the British version has.

[dd74]

It could work, but the producers are all trying way too hard to reproduce what the British version has.
In that case, it will fail. There is enough American talent in H-wood and unique American auto industry history, stories, etc., to make the show unique. If they're going after a British version, then why bother?

One story I always loved was what Carroll Shelby said after winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans. "Thank God it wasn't 25 hours, because if it had, Porsche would have kicked our asses."

Now, take a new Shelby Mustang and pair it against a Porsche 997 GT3 for 25 hours, and see what might happen. Have Tanner Foust drive one car, Tony Stewart the other. That would make for a good episode of Top Gear.

[dimsy]

maybe because i'm american, but i found the humor in the original to be super corny. and the reviews were way way way subjective for my flavor. the cars are really what its about and that's the main reason I watch it. with the internet i can get the bbc version easily, i don't see the need for all these spinoffs.

[gemship]

I don't know much about this show or care and ditto as far as my knowledge of hollywood in my livingroom, what is a success or what isn't but... I can't understand America's obsession, need for all these CSI type, detective,law shows. Maybe it's me but I just don't care much for dramatizing the justice system thru the perspective of law enforcement but I guess it's one way to kill time.

Ah life, they say this life is no dress rehearsal. Pun intended.