NBC Still Snubbing Top Gear US

[GRtak]

It won't be that bad. But it will be cool to see a showdown or 2 between Nascar and Cart drivers in RPC.

[Gameflyer]

Originally Posted by bartboy9891

They did have Fifth Gear for a little while, but like everything else it didn't last.

eh?

[dnats]

Maybe they saw the lackluster of TG AUS, they went back to the draw board and decided to stick with Knight Rider instead.

[Wizegui]

Originally Posted by dnats

Maybe they saw the lackluster of TG AUS, they went back to the draw board and decided to stick with Knight Rider instead.

Yup that would be a much better idea.

[bartboy9891]

Originally Posted by Gameflyer

eh?

SpeedTV, or whatever it was called at the time, was showing Fifth Gear episodes on Monday nights 2 or 3 years ago.

[jack_christie]

Hope NBC keep it on ice till Leno is free to do it.

[evoWALO]

Sack Knight Rider and put TG USA on. I want to see if it's better than TG AU

[TopGearNorthAmerica]

1. Remember that TGUS is slotted as a mid-season replacement. Existing shows have producers which have existing relationships with the network, and therefore can fight like the dickens to avoid cancellation.

2. Remember also that TGUS is not a fictional program, nor does it fit in with as a "reality TV" concept. If anything, it's an educational program, which slots it as a "Sundays at 7" program. Which suggests that it probably won't be on the schedule until the NFL schedule is completed.

[RommieSG]

And I think that NBC has the Super Bowl this year too.

Maybe we could get lucky and have it premier right after the Super Bowl.

[smib]

The football thing is a good point. It probably won't show up till February then. Sadface.

[Zerias]

just wanted to comment that I'm not surprised. I wrote about NBC and Top Gear on my own blog site a while back... (for those interested it was back in April, here : http://zerias.blogspot.com/2008/04/w...will-fail.html )

From my point of view the American Networks have pretty much declared war on, and we'll put it in italics, good tv. Every show run during network prime time has to be offensive, has to be rude, has to be vulgar, has to push the envelope in some manner or another.

One of the reasons why I love Top Gear, A LOT, is that it's the exact opposite of American TV. Granted, I'm an American, but I cheer when Jeremy, Richard, or James get Pro-British. They are positive that their country is the best, it's the greatest, and so on. You'll NEVER see that on American television because every show has to belittle the US, belittle it's citizens, and make mockeries of the majority of citizens.

What truly puzzles me is WHY in the world NBC was interested in Top Gear to begin with. Their top level execs couldn't have possibly figured out that Top Gear's success is due in part to being everything they (they being NBC) reject in television programming.

***

Personally I think Top Gear does have the chance to make it big in the US... and as I wrote back in April, I don't think that chance is with Network Television.

Personally, I'd gladly pay a subscription fee to the BBC to get a Top Gear video-on-demand channel for my Wii or PS3. Given that BBC already has a VoD website for Wii owners in the UK (I honestly haven't tried it since after it was introduced and it said "US Support was coming")... it's hardly a stretch to see a dedicated channel for it.

... if only there was also an australian Top Gear VoD channel to subscribe to as well.

[stiggie]

Originally Posted by jack_christie

Hope NBC keep it on ice till Leno is free to do it.

Leno doesn't want to do it. He made that quite clear in an article he wrote. He doesn't think the show will have the editorial freedom that TG has and he doesn't want to turn his hobby into his job.

[jack_christie]

Originally Posted by stiggie

Leno doesn't want to do it. He made that quite clear in an article he wrote. He doesn't think the show will have the editorial freedom that TG has and he doesn't want to turn his hobby into his job.

True, but if NBC want to hang onto Leno after Conan starts on the Tonight Show, they might try again to get him to do it. Would be better for NBC, than have Leno pop up on ABC.

[Sandy01]

American tv sounds just like Aussie tv and one station in particular. Cancel the good shows after one or two airings and keep showing the same rubbish over and over and over again <sigh>.

[jbourne]

Originally Posted by Sandy01

American tv sounds just like Aussie tv and one station in particular. Cancel the good shows after one or two airings and keep showing the same rubbish over and over and over again <sigh>.

Nah, that would be FOX. In recent years they have canceled Firefly, Family Guy (though they were shamed in to bringing it back), Futurama, Undeclared, and Arrested Development. All amazing shows. NBC has a fairly good track record of keeping good shows, even if they get off to a slow start. If it has a chance on any of the networks it is NBC.

[karan1003]

NBC cancelled Journeyman. that really pissed me off - the show was just getting started. They keep putting on heroes, even though it's total crap (I know i'll get flamed to no end for this).

I'll be frank - NBC has never had that many good shows.

[colddayin-hell]

Originally Posted by Sandy01

American tv sounds just like Aussie tv and one station in particular. Cancel the good shows after one or two airings and keep showing the same rubbish over and over and over again <sigh>.

Wouldn't happen to be Channel 9 would it?

[Shawn]

Originally Posted by karan1003

I'll be frank - NBC has never had that many good shows.

Never? Then how come the most popular shows of the 90s were on NBC? Seinfeld and Friends are just two examples.

I agree with the FOX thing too, I'd mentioned it before on these forums. They also canceled Andy Richter Controls the Universe way before its time.

The worst case against them though, is Arrested Development. A show with decent-ish rating, widely revered by critics and fans alike, and various Emmys and other awards during it's short 3 season run... and they still cancel it. And it's not as if it had a good run... from the time the first episodes aired there was the ever-present threat of cancellation. I think they even canceled AD multiple times internally before changing their mind.

It's all the effects of God damn reality TV I tell you... American Idol is like the biggest money making show around, so it's no surprise FOX has become the premier channel for reality TV. Which is fine by me... I just don't see how they manage to get so many fresh, interesting shows to later cancel it for a dose of reality.

[chitownjeff]

^ and Drive.

Hell, the entire series was filmed and they won't even release it on DVD.

[Flick Montana]

I'm in the US and for some reason I don't give a rat's left nut about Top Gear US. Not as long as the real British version is on the air. It could have something to do with the fact that I find Adam Corolla as funny and entertaining as a swift kick to the face.

How is it the British give us things like Top Gear, Kitchen Nightmares, Life on Mars, etc. and we give them American Gladiators? I feel bad for our tea-sipping brothers across the pond.