NBC to make US version of Top Gear called "Gear"

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My predictions it will either be

A) It's as dry as the sahara. (50%)
B) It appeals to the ricer crowd (25%)
C) It attempts to recreate top gear and just falls flat. (15%)
D) It the suprise of the century and is as good or at least nearly as good as top gear (10%)

I really hope that they can pull this off and hey who knows maybe since it's NBC they will. All I know is the car shows on SPEED are a joke and I fear the worst.
 
Christopher Titus is an unfunny hick, just like Tim Allen, Chip Foose etc. But those are the kind of people they'll probably get, in order to appeal to middle-American Chevy driving white trash.

you know, i've seen some of the most ignorant posts in this thread. but THAT one has to be the most ignorant.
 
Damn, you guys are so "cup half empty". I look at it this way -- what do we have to lose? If it's bad, we don't watch it. If it's good, then awesome.
 
This is just like the f*cking Corvette ZR-1 and Nissan GT-R threads...HEY EVERYBODY LET'S JUDGE SOMETHING BEFORE WE ACTUALLY SEE IT FIRSTHAND!
 
Oh - i just thought of something.

Raise your hand if you think that any American TV producer will realize that 50% of what makes Top Gear so great is the fact that they have PROFESSIONALS shooting, editing, and producing the thing.


.... yeah. That's what I thought.

As a filmmaker myself, i promise you that there is not a single studio in the US that will put 1/100th the effort into the review films that the TG UK team does.

I may just mail NBC some opaque filters and see if they even realize what to do with em..

Now - i COULD be wrong - but you all know that they'll borrow the cameramen and crews from The Apprentice and we'll get a horribly shot show.
 
Oh - i just thought of something.

Raise your hand if you think that any American TV producer will realize that 50% of what makes Top Gear so great is the fact that they have PROFESSIONALS shooting, editing, and producing the thing.


.... yeah. That's what I thought.

As a filmmaker myself, i promise you that there is not a single studio in the US that will put 1/100th the effort into the review films that the TG UK team does.

I may just mail NBC some opaque filters and see if they even realize what to do with em..

Now - i COULD be wrong - but you all know that they'll borrow the cameramen and crews from The Apprentice and we'll get a horribly shot show.
This isnt an american made show, its a top gear knockoff from the creators of top gear, broadcast on an american network.

The vast majority of ALL tv is crap. Its not as if the UK (or even the BBC) produces nothing but TV gold. Every time i see "Cash in the attic" or "How clean is your house" i die a little inside :(
:rolleyes:
 
Who says NBC will use the same old overused filming techniques as Top Gear? For heaven's sake, even Fifth Gear copied TG's heavy vignetting style and it didn't make their show any better.
 
This isnt an american made show, its a top gear knockoff from the creators of top gear, broadcast on an american network.

Doesn't matter, it has to appeal to the average American, see below.


Craig Plestis said:
?The concept taps into America?s obsession with cars and is unlike anything else on television.?
?Casting is well underway and we are confident that Americans will fall in love with the attitude and irreverent spirit of ?Top Gear.??

It taps into Americas obsession with cars? Yeah.. but most americans obsess about a big fat american car, or even worse, an american truck or SUV.



Anyhow, here's the trick:


How to make "Gear" stay on the air in the US:

* NBC bosses need to see lots of ad-money rolling in. The channel isn't funded by a licence-fee like the BBC, they need to make money. Money comes from ads and product placement.

* Getting high-dollar ads require lots of viewers.

* Getting lots of viewers requires the show to appeal to the average American.

* Making the show appeal to the average American requires it to A) Show and praise a healthy amount of american cars. B) Feature big american trucks, often.


Great plan, it could work. I wouldn't watch it, and most non-americans on these forums wouldn't watch it. But there you go.

I was a bit more positive before someone mentioned "trucks" earlier in the thread. After that I realized that there is no chance in hell that I'll enjoy "Gear".

And before you start bashing me, keep in mind that I said that _I_ probably won't like it. Other people might.
 
Doesn't matter, it has to appeal to the average American, see below.




It taps into Americas obsession with cars? Yeah.. but most americans obsess about a big fat american car, or even worse, an american truck or SUV.



Anyhow, here's the trick:


How to make "Gear" stay on the air in the US:

* NBC bosses need to see lots of ad-money rolling in. The channel isn't funded by a licence-fee like the BBC, they need to make money. Money comes from ads and product placement.

* Getting high-dollar ads require lots of viewers.

* Getting lots of viewers requires the show to appeal to the average American.

* Making the show appeal to the average American requires it to A) Show and praise a healthy amount of american cars. B) Feature big american trucks, often.


Great plan, it could work. I wouldn't watch it, and most non-americans on these forums wouldn't watch it. But there you go.

I was a bit more positive before someone mentioned "trucks" earlier in the thread. After that I realized that there is no chance in hell that I'll enjoy "Gear".

And before you start bashing me, keep in mind that I said that _I_ probably won't like it. Other people might.

This may be your opinion yes, but a good bit of the appeal to watching Top Gear as an American is to see something different from what I and most other Americans see in our everyday lives. Many of the cars I do see I don't care for and wouldn't want to to own, but I still find it interesting to watch. Does this not go both ways? For those who don't live in the US, does seeing reviews of cars you don't see much have any appeal? I realize that not as much foreign culture makes it over here as much as US culture makes it to foreign countries. So maybe the idea of seeing something different isn't as appealing.
 
I remember the early days of Speedvision before it was ruined. There used to be these commercials with a demented Motorcycle cop. They were great! Then something happened (speedtv) and they replaced the demented cop with some twat that acted tough. "Acted" is the key word. He was supposed to look like a real rebel yet he had this carefully groomed "5 oclock shadow and was wearing hair gel. He was always driving muscle cars and talking about making insurance companies nervous. This was a politically correct way of acting tough without pissing anyone off. Quite the sellout. Basically as the network became more popular they dumbed it down. "Pinks" anyone?

IMHO this will be the biggest obstacle for "Gear". I would be much more hopeful if this weren't coming from NBC.

I am hopeful that "Gear" will be cool. The problem that I see is that in order for it to be economicially viable, they have to try to attract as large an audience as possible. The fans of the original Top Gear and frankly true motorheads in general make up just a small segment of the overall demographic. What will they do to reach the non-motorheads? That is my fear. I hope they don't end up doing something like using the voice-over guy from "Monster Garage" to make the program seem "tough and edgy" and appeal to children and idiots.
 
It taps into Americas obsession with cars? Yeah.. but most americans obsess about a big fat american car, or even worse, an american truck or SUV.

dude, you live in Norway. who are you to say what kind of cars we are obsessed with?
 
I am hopeful that "Gear" will be cool. The problem that I see is that in order for it to be economicially viable, they have to try to attract as large an audience as possible. The fans of the original Top Gear and frankly true motorheads in general make up just a small segment of the overall demographic. What will they do to reach the non-motorheads? That is my fear. I hope they don't end up doing something like using the voice-over guy from "Monster Garage" to make the program seem "tough and edgy" and appeal to children and idiots.

Frankly, a good deal will depend on the time slot that NBC would put Top Gear in.

If it's Saturday night at 8 or 9, then expectations are very, very low. (Mainly because everyone will be out.)

If it's Sunday night at 9 (prime time) then viewers probably won't tune in because that's when their drama series will be on.

If it's Sunday night at 7, they'd probably have to tone down the language a bit (but not all that much), but that's probably going to be the ideal time because (a) they couldn't be expected to make that much of a dent in CBS 60 Minutes anyway and (b) ABC's Funniest Home Videos provides enough of a divergent audience that carving a niche would be easy. (And besides, Dateline's in need of a shakeup anyway.)
 
This should be interesting....
 
BBC Worldwide America recently wrapped ?Clash of the Choirs,? a successful four-night live event for NBC. The company is currently producing the first season of ?Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann? and will begin the sixth season of ?Dancing with the Stars? in March.

High praise indeed.

Did anyone see "Last Man Standing" last summer with Hammond as the presenter? It was a great show, well thought out and got you involved. Fast forward, anyone see "Last One Standing" on US Discovery Channel? They took the same show, in effect turned up the bass and treble overdubbed someone with reverb in an echo chamber and killed the show. Cut out some of the grisly bits that made the original so much better.

I hope it is great, find some good chemistry, come up with some good segments but lets be real.
 
Frankly, a good deal will depend on the time slot that NBC would put Top Gear in.

According to the article cited on the front page, it'll be 10PM on Tuesdays, which sounds just about perfect to me. Late enough that they can have a more risque approach, and they won't have much competition for male audiences, which should carry this show. The only thing which may provide even the slightest draw from this show would be a big West Coast NBA matchup or NBA and MLB playoffs, and they don't even draw anywhere near what they used to.

I think the time slot is definitely a step in the right direction.
 
:p Are you honestly comparing the finest nation on earth to a former soviet dirthole and a central american... i cant even think of anything interesting about paraguay to insult them :lol:.

Hmm... "finest nation on earth"? Not sure who you mean there. I can think of a dozen or more countries who could realistically try to claim that title, including many who place a greater emphasis on having an education system that teaches students about the world outside their own borders- Paraguay is no where near Central America. It is in South America, between Argentina and Brazil. :p
 
I have reservations over an American version, mainly due to problems mentioned a million times before - fear of lawsuits, carmakers throwing hissy fits, an inevitable pro-American car stance, and the lack of Morgans, for one.
I can live with a lack of Morgans :p , but I?m with you on the worries when it comes to some honesty in the program. If they can?t be critical towards any Car or any manufacturer, they should stay off-air. One Thing this World doesn?t need more of, is Car shows that are merely filmed Car-Adverts. There are too much out there already, and that?s what always sets Top Gear apart - that they?ve not been afraid to say something bad about a Car/ Car Company - especially if it?s a native one, think of Rover, RIP. I seriously can?t picture a american format going up against Ford or GM ... I just can?t. But let?s hope for the best, I?ll definetly watch it and give it a shot.
edit - waitaminute. Won't the writers' strike affect this?
As we all know, nothing on TG is faked, staged or written in advance so it shouldn?t affect the show ... :rolleyes::lol:
 
Why would GM/Ford/Chrysler allow their cars on the original TopGear if they weren't going to tolerate criticism?
 
Look, for all of you that say we are prejudging the show before it's even aired, I think we have a right to. First of all because we're Americans and the last time I checked we still have a couple rights. Secondly, because of car shows like MotorWeek and Car and Driver Television (Hmmm, this gun barrel tastes like pennies.) Lastly, because look at what NBC has created in the past 5 years. Deal or No Deal and Fear Factor I think are enough to win that argument. Stupid game shows with so much giitz and glamour thrown into them you're lulled into the illusion that they are exciting and worth watching, but they aren't.

As Gear will be a factual, supposedly non-scripted programme like a game show would be, you have to be concerned that they'll focus more on making Gear look really shiny and cool than on the show itself. They're throwing it together in a couple of months from an announcement of doing it in the first place just last week. That means there will be little if any market research going into this, and even less time to try to figure out what the show is going to be. If they already know they're just going to copy Top Gear, great. But then you'll still have to line up hosts, a production staff, camera crews, things for the presenters to do during the first season, cars to test, advertisers to sign on, a new Stig to recruit, and all in a couple months?

I'd almost feel better if they took their time on this and released it in a few months like late spring when everyone will be getting their summer cars out and driving will be on everyone's minds.

Why would GM/Ford/Chrysler allow their cars on the original TopGear if they weren't going to tolerate criticism?

Because Top Gear is aired in Europe where Americans hopefully won't see it. It's not like Europeans turn out in droves to buy American cars anyway.
 
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