[01x01] November 21st, 2010

[01x01] November 21st, 2010

  • 10

    Votes: 10 1.8%
  • 9

    Votes: 14 2.5%
  • 8

    Votes: 71 12.5%
  • 7

    Votes: 145 25.4%
  • 6

    Votes: 122 21.4%
  • 5

    Votes: 71 12.5%
  • 4

    Votes: 47 8.2%
  • 3

    Votes: 33 5.8%
  • 2

    Votes: 28 4.9%
  • 1

    Votes: 29 5.1%

  • Total voters
    570
I have to say, I didn't miss seeing a "news" segment. Let's remember the studio stuff was filmed a month ago. If they borrowed from the mothership and filmed the Wednesday before, a news segment would be more plausible, IMO. (A lot can happen in a month.)

Ooh, that's another thing I thought of. From what those of you who were there have been saying, it seems they filmed studio pieces for more than one episode per day. (Right?) I think that's a mistake. If they're going to take a week to do all the studio stuff, instead of taping days before it airs, then I'd like to see them focus on one episode per session. If there are two a day, for example, tape one episode in the morning and one episode in the afternoon. Don't do a mixture.

A new segment requires 5-10 minutes that they just don't have, but maybe they could do it once every other episode or something. It would allow the chemistry to improve.
 
Hopefully they will try and keep things somewhat consistent so sticking to road legal cars and configurations in the same way that the uk show has chucked out times in the past from cars that did them on slicks.

The Viper ACR is completely road legal in the USA. It doesn't actually have slicks, just sticky tires with little tread. I wouldn't drive it in the rain probably, but it's 100% road legal.

It generates a million billion pounds of downforce though which is the main thing that helps it. I think it's top speed is something like 180 MPH as a result.
 
Is it just me or is it that most people saying it is the worst show ever only have a few posts on this site?

This is why I avoid the Shows part of the forum most of the time.
 
I certainly didn't like what I saw but calling the worst show on television? When shows like, well anything on E! and MTV are on the air, is pretty much blasphemy. I gave it a 3 because there wasn't any aspect of it that couldn't use work. I was literally bored. The first season of the new TGUK was not this bad by any measure. I think they will improve and I will keep watching to see where things go but I believe the improvement will be marginal.

Without getting some different hosts there's isn't much I can see these three improving. Plus, regardless of who, they will never be able to be critical of the cars. We have enough of those kinds of shows.
 
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I certainly didn't like what I saw but calling the worst show on television? When shows like, well anything on E! and MTV are on the air, is pretty much blasphemy. I gave it a 3 because there wasn't any aspect of it that couldn't use work. I was literally bored. The first season of the new TGUK was not this bad by any measure. I think they will improve and I will keep watching to see where things go but I believe the improvement will be marginal.

Without getting some different hosts there's isn't much I can see these three improving. Plus, regardless of who, they will never be able to be critical of the cars. We have enough of those kinds of shows.

That's why I believe the show needs Carolla. If Carcast is any indication he would be able to carry the show while the others develop.
 
I feel that the show overall was o.k. 6 or 7 out of 10, for a first episode. The only real complaint is that the camera work
was sub par, it needs to be more cinimagraphic, less bright and clean, it looked like handy cam at times.
 
Gave it a 6--and that was only for the vehicles shown and or heard. The hosts are really far too young for me to take them seriously. I know they'll have chemistry eventually, but my god can we get some age on that show? I feel like we are watching highschool kids. They weren't even alive during the musclecar era, and the show is going to need the age and experience of at least someone around that timeframe. Youth doesn't always mean better. Hell just give me some people in their mid 40's at least!

I'll watch it just because it's TopGear, but I so far aren't digging the hosts.
 
I give it a 7.

Things I like:

The test track. You do get the impression that the times set here are comparable to the times set at Dunsfold.
The opening credits. If you want to establish that you're not a ripoff, you don't want the "silhouette in front of cars" montage. Just launch right in.
Camera work on the Viper/Cobra segment: no, it's not as good as TGUK, but it's still miles above what passes for normal reality TV. Give the directors time, they'll get the hang of it.
Buzz Aldrin. Yes, this is exactly the sort of B-level celebrity you want for the first season, because you're not going to get Tom Cruise in the first season.
The Stig banner. Live projection works here.

Things I don't like:
In-pit camera of the Suzuki. While it's the equivalent of the same mount on the Liana, it's still too close to the driver.
Homogenization of the hosts. It will take a while before the distinctive personalities develop, but as of now it's tough to think of Rutledge and Foust as unrelated.
The wardrobe: related to above. The clothing choices are much too similar. Put Rudledge in a T-shirt, put Adam in slacks -- get everyone distinctive.

Things I'd like to see:
NASCAR drivers in the Suzuki, like the F1 Board.
An American Cool Wall.
Historic cars -- hey, it's History Channel, right?

I'll give it a 7 for now.
 
I prefer Top Gear Australia (Series Two, mind you) for it's honesty and genuinity, but then again, what else can you expect from the Americans?
:rolleyes: Those darned fake Americans.

I give it a six.

They clearly seemed nervous from the opening monologue, but by the end I could begin to see how this might develop into an enjoyable show. Tanner Faust seems like a bit of a stuffed shirt at the outset, but I've heard him on Carolla's podcasts and he can be pretty funny. I like the chubby guy's persona. The Lambo film was about as good as most of the stuff UK TG has been putting on for the past couple of seasons (which isn't really saying much). Ferrara's mole bothered me. The ACR looked pretty sick on the test track in HD.
 
I still say Adam Corolla, Tim Allen and Christopher Titus would be the ultimate trio for hosting this.
 
7/10

Started off a bit stale and awkward, but by the end of the Lamborghini segment it really seemed to wrap up nicely.
 
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Nah, Tim allen is a shill for Chevrolet:
[video]http://www.youtube.com/user/chevrolet?v=e6AALxOphkk[/video]
 
The Viper ACR is completely road legal in the USA. It doesn't actually have slicks, just sticky tires with little tread. I wouldn't drive it in the rain probably, but it's 100% road legal.

It generates a million billion pounds of downforce though which is the main thing that helps it. I think it's top speed is something like 180 MPH as a result.

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't saying that the viper wasn't legal, it was more the mention somebody made of slicks, it would be nice if they stated the rules for laps to qualify up front like they have on the uk show.
 
If you've never watched Top Gear UK, it was an awesome show, better than any other show about cars on US television.
Unfortunately, I am a big fan of TGUK...
Maybe it will get better, here's hoping...
 
The greatest thing about TGUK is the 3 hosts and their genuine friendship, imo. It makes the segments so much better to watch. Or at least the segments involving all three hosts, which is quite a lot. They're good friends and when they give each other a hard time, you know they're just playing and having fun.

Expecting TG USA to have that bond of friendship right off the bat is delusionally unrealistic. It's like expecting a car company to build its very first supercar and have it be better than Ferrari's best. It's just not going to happen.
 
I give it a 5.

I felt the studio was too big, at first I thought the place was empty, then later saw a lot of people but they were all spread out.

The BSSC segment ? I liked how they showed the cars Buzz was talking about, but their track is too big and the camera worked sucked ? it looked like all the cars just crawled on the track. I hope they have Mario on there!!! Actually it would be funny to have the entire family on there (Mario, Michael, Marco and John).

I also felt the music sucked - too many segments with just the host talking and nothing in the background gave the show an empty feeling. The first lambo run didn?t have music, and then the second did and I think it was better with at least something in the background.

I?m sure this stuff will improve over the season. I?d like to be able to compare with this with the pilot that was done awhile ago.
 
The most important thing, imho, is that even if you don't like the show as it was in Episode 1 (and I certainly have my share of concerns) it needs ongoing viewership through the full season (and not just via DVR.)

Just like the Australian and UK versions of the show, they may not have gotten it perfect on the first try. However, if we want the USA version to have a chance at succeeding (and a chance at getting your personal 'dream team' of hosts -- though, side note: Leno and Allen would be absurd choices for the show), they need viewers right now to even have that chance. If it's still not working by Season 2... well, you know. :p
 
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Watching the pre-interview, they stated a few times that they'd be themselves and not try to simply copy the UK show. That's not how I saw the first episode. It felt like a complete copy and paste with too many scripted lines. Also, I hated how they had to dumb every line down by explaining every little detail. I like the fact that in the UK show, when they tell a witty joke that's on point, if you don't get it you don't get it. Other than that, it was a fun episode one and can only get better. They need to stop remaking the stunts from the UK show though. Car vs helicopter gunship? Its been done!
 
Here's what I'm gonna say first of all: It's a start. I went in with no expectations. I watched it with my roomate who is an occasional TG watcher, and he laughed a bit more than I did. I get why they did what they did in this show. You come in with supercars because you need to appeal to the masses. By the end of the Lambo segment I was seeing abit of a repore developing between Rutledge and Tanner. I think there is a lot of room to grow and improve.

Here are my criticisms: I too agree the talking in the studio segments was totally artificial. However, British TG did that at first too (See Insider Dealing). Adam Ferrera is NOT an interviewer. I was the most disappointed in their version of SIARPC (sorry, I'm not gonna call is Big Star, Small Car). That was awful. Even if Buzz Aldrin was interesting, the segment was way too short, the way the stage and the cameras were set up was all wrong. Honestly, a guy like Adam Corolla would be much better that has some experience with that kind of thing, and is a unique personality. Jay Leno could interview, but can you see him making smart remarks and putting down his co-hosts?

The Viper film was ok, the chase was neat. What was with the car wash scene, though? I don't get that. The Lambo film could have been a lot better if they had done more than drive on straight roads and runways. But I understand and acknowledge they are trying to appeal to dumbasses (the masses) and all they care about is straight lines.

I am not giving up on the show yet. I'll watch it again next week. If you have a beef with a presenter, I promise you there are people at history who are aware we exist, and there's no rule that says we're stuck with these guys. Remember that Jason guy who was on season 1 of the British TG? They had to dump him and bring in James May to start to develop that chemistry. The odd man out for me is Adam Ferrera. Just replace the last name with Corolla.
 
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the lambo superleggera had pirelli corsa tires, which are pretty much the same as the acr's pilot sport cup tires. so if you're saying that the viper is on "slicks", the lambo has them too.
 
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