My Proposal On How To Save Top Gear USA

[btrick]

Now just anyone who's been keeping up with the whole Top Gear USA debacle has pretty much come to the understanding that the show is practically gone. After focus group testing, NBC doesn't want it... and it seems no cable company has the balls to pick this up. I've been listening to a lot of adam carolla podcasts and radio and he's pretty sure it's done as well.

But really now.. F*CK WHY?

I was there at the taping. I drove 8 hours and saw first hand that this show is gold. (i'll spare you an extensive review because you can probably find plenty of them on these boards). They somehow inserted what made top gear magical and perfectly translated it for an American audience. I see no legitimate reason why this adaptation of the biggest show in the world cannot translate for american audiences. And after watching all these very mediocre translations for the russian and australian audiences, it is appalling that the one good version of the show got canned.

The problem is that the people in the TV industry nowadays are so short sighted. Any monkey can look at ratings to see if they have any immediate rewards or not. So while Top Gear USA may have some problems here and there, I am completely confident that with time and the right direction, Top Gear USA can be as much of a hit as Top Gear UK is.

So I've been doing some thought... and I've come up with a proposal.

NBC, please leak the pilot online.

put it online for the world to see. no small focus group can beat the power of the internet.

really, it's a win win situation.

if it's bad, it's bad. people will bitch and moan, but who cares, the show isn't going to be made anyway. People who weren't at the taping can finally put their dreams to rest and can go on with their lives happy with Top Gear UK, cause Top Gear UK is the damn amazing. since you already spent money on editing and taping Top Gear USA, the only real cost is just uploading it online. And hey, NBC... you have HULU for that!

but if it's good (and most of you who were at the taping can agree, it's fucking good), you got a cult hit on the scale of family guy on your hands. word on the internet spreads fast, and your fans will fight for you. we'll tell our friends. we'll tell our family. and if things work out and the show does end up to be good, we'll be sticking around for awhile for you.. because nothing really beats a hardcore top gear fan.

the thing is, we just need a chance to see it. we need a chance to see the final product so that we can believe it will work.

I'm passionate about few things in my life, and top gear is one of them.

So top gear community, how do you feel about this? can this work? and if it can, how can we let the big guys know?

[Polygon]

Well, the one thing that made me thing that TG: America was a fail was that they wouldn't be able to make fun of cars, which is pretty absurd. However, if you say it was awesome, I'd love to see the pilot for myself and you make a very good point. It would cost NBC nothing to do so.

[svb]

I have to admit, I'd be curious to see it.

I've thought about this idea myself, and I guess the only question is, if NBC won't do it, is there anyone in a position to get their hands on a copy and sneak it out?

Probably hoping for too much (just as we're probably hoping for too much that it could ever match up to the original if we did get to see it).

[Spectre]

You're talking about NBC, the network so stupid that they cancelled Star Trek, JAG, Scrubs, and hosts of other great shows... which did well on other networks afterwards.

The chances of them doing something smart is about the same as my purchase of a BMW in the next thirty seconds.

[NecroJoe]

Originally Posted by Spectre

You're talking about NBC, the network so stupid that they cancelled Star Trek, JAG, Scrubs, and hosts of other great shows... which did well on other networks afterwards.

The chances of them doing something smart is about the same as my purchase of a BMW in the next thirty seconds.

So...what happened?

[Spectre]

Well.. I didn't buy a BMW, that's for sure.

[JCE]

I'd like to see the pilot sneaked online. And I can bet that it would be a hit. It obviously won't be TGUK, but it might be better than the other two. Who knows? There is only ONE way to find out, stick it online and watch what happends. Hell upload it to youtube, you talk about a mass audience...

[Aiolos]

That's a good point. I would love to see it leaked online. Great way to get feedback from actual car people, ya know, the ones who would watch the show. Too bad NBC probably doesn't have the good sense to do that.

Maybe we could start a petition or write a letter with the support of this site behind it? Maybe NBC would care somewhat since it's already apparent that the Top Gear UK creators pay attention to what is sometimes said on this site.

[janstett]

What has happened to Adam Carolla? I remember hearing he was being canned in Los Angeles, is he still on in other markets or has he moved on?

I know over here in NY CBS pulled the plug on Dopey and Chihuahua and changed the station's format, so there must be a nation-wide meltdown of the CBS radio network...

[thedriver]

I have been waiting to see the pilot leaked. It really would be beneficial for them. If people hate it, ok they were right. If we love it, then they have some free market research and maybe put the show back in the hopper.

I was at the pilot at Downey Studios, and I have to say it was very good. I really want to see at least a rough cut of what was taped that day (mostly b/c I was standing beside Carolla when he said "some say he....").

[btrick]

Originally Posted by Spectre

You're talking about NBC, the network so stupid that they cancelled Star Trek, JAG, Scrubs, and hosts of other great shows... which did well on other networks afterwards.

The chances of them doing something smart is about the same as my purchase of a BMW in the next thirty seconds.

All TV networks make stupid mistakes all the time.

But you know, with a little rationality and popular support, maybe we can get them to do something smart for once.

Originally Posted by Aiolos

That's a good point. I would love to see it leaked online. Great way to get feedback from actual car people, ya know, the ones who would watch the show. Too bad NBC probably doesn't have the good sense to do that.

Maybe we could start a petition or write a letter with the support of this site behind it? Maybe NBC would care somewhat since it's already apparent that the Top Gear UK creators pay attention to what is sometimes said on this site.

maybe if this thread is popular, we can at least get this to the front page? Or maybe take notice from one of the Top Gear Blogs..

with the right push... we can make this happen.

Originally Posted by janstett

What has happened to Adam Carolla? I remember hearing he was being canned in Los Angeles, is he still on in other markets or has he moved on?

I know over here in NY CBS pulled the plug on Dopey and Chihuahua and changed the station's format, so there must be a nation-wide meltdown of the CBS radio network...

I believe Adam Carolla has sadly moved on. While his radio show has been cancelled, he's mentioned on his podcast that he's working on a TV sitcom for CBS.

.. but that shouldn't let that stop us! america needs a quality show about cars a lot more than it needs another sitcom.

Originally Posted by thedriver

I have been waiting to see the pilot leaked. It really would be beneficial for them. If people hate it, ok they were right. If we love it, then they have some free market research and maybe put the show back in the hopper.

I was at the pilot at Downey Studios, and I have to say it was very good. I really want to see at least a rough cut of what was taped that day (mostly b/c I was standing beside Carolla when he said "some say he....").

FASHO. there is really NO downside for NBC. it is wrong that only the few of us at the taping will be the only ones to see an american top gear.

but YEAH if I could attribute my 15 secs of fame anywhere, Top Gear would be a worthy damn place.

[tone76]

Hmm ... if NBC won't leak TG USA, maybe one of the senior people in the worldwide TG empire might ...? After all, some have been known to lurk here, and may very well stumble across this thread. What would they have to lose? I can't see NBC turning around and suing anyone for copyright infringement over something that isn't actually earning NBC any money, especially if the leak came from somewhere very close to the ownership of the world rights to the TG brand ...

[chitownjeff]

Why not have AIG pay for it? LOL!

[svb]

If Adam Carolla has moved on, then I don't think we're ever going to see this pilot.

Of course, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. A lot of people weren't sure he was the right choice to host the show (if there ever were to be one) anyway.

[btrick]

Originally Posted by svb

If Adam Carolla has moved on, then I don't think we're ever going to see this pilot.

Of course, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. A lot of people weren't sure he was the right choice to host the show (if there ever were to be one) anyway.

hard to say if you've never seen it.

[svb]

not if you've seen him in basically anything else.

[airmenair]

Damn it, seems like a good idea. I'm fairly certain the the first episodes of TGUK would only appeal to a niche group of car folk just like the first episodes of TGUS. I can't believe that NBC would think that the appeal that TGUK has had in recent years would IMMEDIATELY translate to wide appeal in US. It dumbfounds me. It took years for TGUK to become popular amoung petrol and non-petrolheads alike. It likely would have failed focus group testing as well...

I can think of no other shows on American television (especially the big networks) that is anything like TG. People who aren't used to the format, comedy, subject are simply not going to "get it". Which means they aren't going to watch it. These are likely the same people they used in their focus groups. It has to get a firm footing, 2-3 seasons at least of moderate success and then it will start to draw broader appeal.

[wadiha4]

Honestly that sounds like a fantastic idea... I would love to see the pilot-what would it hurt?

[Backdraft]

That's what I've been saying from day one...

Screw the focus groups, the internet is the great arbiter these days.

I can't believe some trivial shit like the Knight Rider pilot can be leaked weeks beforehand online but TGA can't? Somebody bribe an NBC intern to copy it onto a DVD and sneak it out.

[Viper007Bond]

Originally Posted by btrick

NBC, please leak the pilot online.

Except it's the BBC's pilot as they're supposedly still shopping it around to cable networks.

If nothing comes of it though, I really do hope it's released somewhere. I'd love to see it.