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

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i think the first episode should have jeremy, james, and richard

and then whoever else NBC chooses to use (and i hope to God Ezra Dyer)


and then they should sort of shuffle about awkwardly the whole show and the following week--Jeremy, James and Richard would be gone because of "pay-grade" issues.

and i really dearly fear for this show being sucky. American TV is 5 minutes of advertisements for every 10 minutes of airtime---i think i can almost guarantee that GM, Ford, and Chrysler will be in those 5 minutes.

American TV isn't about keeping the integrity or the "spirit" of the show. Ads go to the highest bidder, and I can't think of any executive who's out to sell that will decline huge offers from the big three who want to advertise between breaks on a car show.

maybe budweiser will have an ad too... preaching something about "American pride" and "heritage" and "world-class"
 
Carroll Shleby is too old in my opinion to be effective on a show like this, especially if he was the stig. Besides no celebrity or well known popular person can be the stig, it defeats the purpose of the stig. The point of having someone like that on the show is to have them visible. The stig can't be visible! (except for his dress).

Ryan Seacrest, don't know what to say about that, I'm at a loss for words. He's the type of person that Top Gear should be making fun of!
 
Yeah, I like the Stig as is, but I can see them having a celebrity driver (Stig) just to have another "Name" associated with the show. Remember, this is American TV :unsure:
 
airmenair said:
Ryan Seacrest, don't know what to say about that, I'm at a loss for words. He's the type of person that Top Gear should be making fun of!
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I've got to defend what's left of my honor.

See below:

Ryan Seacrest Richard Hammond
-short -short
-shiny teeth -shiny teeth
-drives aston -drives porsche
-metrosexual -english (haha, i'm funny)
-on tv multiple times a week -can't turn down a tv camera
-works with Simon Cowell -is near by when cowell is on TG
-radio dj -former radio dj
-hollywood parade "queen" -ummm

ok so maybe the last one sort of distinguishes the two... :D
 
Here is the BBC Press Release!

Here is the BBC Press Release!

START YOUR ENGINES!

NBC ORDERS PILOT FOR INTERNATIONAL HIT SERIES ?TOP GEAR?

FROM BBC WORLDWIDE AMERICA


BURBANK ? January 15, 2008 ? NBC has ordered a pilot for the international hit series ?Top Gear? from BBC Worldwide America it was announced today by Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios. The world's leading car series franchise features unique celebrity guest participation and high-adrenaline action entertainment.

? ?Top Gear? is a proven international hit which fits perfectly into NBC?s line-up of programming with male appeal, including ?Sunday Night Football? and ?American Gladiators,?? said Silverman. ?We?re always looking for innovative ways to partner with our advertisers and this show offers a great platform for the latest in car culture.?

?We?ve had our eye on ?Top Gear? for a while now and think this show can really click with viewers,? added Craig Plestis, Executive Vice President, Alternative Programming, Development and Specials, NBC Entertainment. ?The concept taps into America?s obsession with cars and is unlike anything else on television.?

?Since its revival over five years ago, the UK show has been a phenomenal success. The bar has been set so high, that replicating it will be the challenge ? one we truly relish,? said Paul Telegdy, Executive Vice President Content and Production for BBC Worldwide Americas. ?Casting is well underway and we are confident that Americans will fall in love with the attitude and irreverent spirit of ?Top Gear.??

One of the UK?s most popular all-time television franchises, ?Top Gear? will feature super-cars, extreme stunts and challenges, time trials and road tests, and assess the performance of some of the most ordinary and extraordinary cars on the planet.

The series, which premiered in the UK in 1977, is consistently BBC TWO?s most-watched program in the UK. ?Top Gear? also reaches over 150 million households globally and made its stateside debut on BBC America in 2007.

?Top Gear? has been the recipient of various awards including National Television Awards, BAFTAs, Broadcast Award, Royal Television Society Awards and an International Emmy Award. Top celebrity guests have included Helen Mirren, Hugh Grant, Simon Cowell, Ewan McGregor and Gordon Ramsay.

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.



- ENDS-
 
eurotrash said:
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.
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I'm not familiar with Titus but you're correct about Allen. Also he's always on shows with "custom" cars. Chopped roofs, flawless paint jobs... on the chassis, and all of that other boring crap.

If their "track" ends up being a quarter mile drag strip I will shoot my TV. They should just film it up at Willow Springs where everyting else is filmed, where clarkson filmed the Amer v. Euro shootout.
 
Triborough said:
?Casting is well underway and we are confident that Americans will fall in love with the attitude and irreverent spirit of ?Top Gear.??
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\o/ \o/ WOOOOT! \o/ \o/

NBC executive owns in two words your "catering to ads, afraid of lawsuits" theory. He "gets it". :D
 
cory8926 said:
I'm not familiar with Titus but you're correct about Allen. Also he's always on shows with "custom" cars. Chopped roofs, flawless paint jobs... on the chassis, and all of that other boring crap.

If their "track" ends up being a quarter mile drag strip I will shoot my TV. They should just film it up at Willow Springs where everyting else is filmed, where clarkson filmed the Amer v. Euro shootout.
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There *are* tracks in the US that would be ideal for American TG. My guess is that Clarkson will recommend the one he used in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly DVD.

As for the cars themselves, I suspect that they'll try to review vehicles that are available in America, not just made here. That should include the FJ Cruiser, the BMWs/Mercs/Audis/Porsches, the Astons & Jags, but not the Morgans, the Skodas or (shudder) the G-Wiz.

Expect some more focus on trucks and 4x4s, too, especially in the stunt segments. (North Americans buy more truck-based vehicles than Europeans, so that sort of thing would only be natural.)
 
I forgot about trucks....this could a newish dimension to the show. Not a truck person myself, but I can see the benefit of having one. (Nightmare of picking up my new motor for my mustang comes to mind). Whether it's good or bad, well we'll have to see.
 
Can't wait for this! Expect the worst and hope for the best. Jay Leno, Chris Titus, and David Spade sound like a great combo, if they got along. All are pretty funny and into cars so it would seem like it could work. Or they could take the more 5th gear like route and hire on Dan Gurney, Mario Andretti...and....uh...Scott Speed? :lol:
 
First of all, dear god no. And second, wasn't there an American version a few years ago and it sucked more or less?
 
TopGearNorthAmerica said:
As for the cars themselves, I suspect that they'll try to review vehicles that are available in America, not just made here. That should include the FJ Cruiser, the BMWs/Mercs/Audis/Porsches, the Astons & Jags, but not the Morgans, the Skodas or (shudder) the G-Wiz.
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The Morgan Aero 8 is in fact available for sale in the US. They had to crash test 23 Morgans to make it US compliant.

Old Lace said:
First of all, dear god no. And second, wasn't there an American version a few years ago and it sucked more or less?
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It was clips from the UK version with redone in-studio sections for Americans (replacing 'boot' with 'trunk', 'tyre' with 'tire' when they were speaking, and so on).
 
<_< Not looking forward to this american version. It wont come close to the original, and i think it will just become a place for american car companies to advertise their cars.
 
CapnNismo said:
Cool? I don't think it will be. It'll probably be shown on Speed Channel and be some ricer-enforcing bullshit and the presenters will suck. One will also undoubtedly be some big-boobed bimbo who ruins the show.
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Not looking for trouble here but...

Hopefully there won't be some black guy going all over the top like that dude on G4s "Whips" or what ever that horrible show is called...
 
Lots of trolls/new members coming out in this thread. I wonder why.
 
An American 'Top Gear', eh? Well, my first reaction was 'ZOMG! YESSS!!!!', but now that I think about it, I'm not so sure. It has the potential to be great, but how much will it be held back by car companies getting mad because their car wasn't overly praised? Or by the Al Gore-types who think that because there's another car show on tv, the polar ice cap will melt by tomorrow? Or lawsuits 'because my kid saw Racedriver X do it on the show, so he tried it and now is a vegtable because he couldn't keep his car under control and flew into our neighbors' house at 120mph'? There's too many things that Americans as a people could do to ruin this show, when there's nothing wrong with it. I just hope that my concerns are unfounded and when a car company sees it's car was called crap, they take it back and fix it, instead of crying 'cause their feelings are hurt.
 
starfox07 said:
Lots of trolls/new members coming out in this thread. I wonder why.
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Because, most of the time, the only real use this entire universe serves to us is for the torrents to get our fix. Suddenly, though, there is something going on here which directly affects us. Perhaps there is some underlying hope that, like the original, members of the crew are already reading this and we're hoping to get problems brought up here, rather than having everything on air go so horribly wrong.

I think it's a little unfair that people with low post counts are getting ostracized the way we are. Other than the occasional 'Pinks' topic in the Video Offer forums, we Americans have very little to do other than suckle at the UK tits providing that sweet, sweet milk. Now, we're getting some of our own, so we're going to be a bit more outspoken. :D
 
Vette Boss said:
Press 1 to vote for this as the most irritating thread.
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Don't have to read it <_<

What ever happened with that Top Gear they were making back in 2005... I seem to recall screen shots being posted round here as well...
 
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