Gear idea on the rocks?

I do think Gear might be a bit crap in that they make be forced to give certain cars positive reviews even if there a bit crap because pressure is put on them by men-in-suits who sell the ads.

Top Gear in the UK obliviously doesn't have this problem for 2 very good reasons a) There the BBC, the biggest broadcasting corporation in the world b) There the BBC - they have no advertisers to piss off

I think 'Gear could go ahead but I suspect it won't be as large and controversial as UK Top Gear.
 
I don't think it'll be as controversial either, but that doesn't mean by definition it'll be bad.

Adam just finished saying they're aiming to make it exactly the same, but just with American hosts, i.e. they aren't gonna fuck it up.
 
i would honestly prefer not to see gear ever be produced, im content with top gear as it is. they asked leno to be a part of it and he wanted nothing to do with the show, right there i think is a sign that nbc is headed for trouble...
 
To be honest, I think "Gear" will ended up being "Fifth Gear" rather than "Top Gear". I mean if you all watch both shows, you know how mild is "Fifth Gear" compared to "Top Gear" yet the format rather conforming to the (lame) American corporation taste. I think Tom Kendall should join as the hosts of "Gear" because he has been doing "SPEEDtv Road Tests" for the past few years and he is a former racer ala Tiff and Jason. That way the so-called Gear producers have some kind of ideas how to setup cameras and such.

One thing that irks me the most was the part when Adam mention something about "too much NASCAR". Why? I love NASCAR and all but I don't think we need more exposure than ESPN and SPEED. Even that was already too much for me.

If the "watered down" version is as good as "Fifth Gear" without that soccer guy, I will watch "Gear".
 
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Why does everyone dog on NBC for doing Gear?

Why does everyone dog on NBC for doing Gear?

Here is my frustration: NBC decides to FINALLY bring some kind of a car show that is both entertaining and informative, and all the people who would be most likely to watch it keep saying how horrible it is before it even has a pilot in the can.

So what if they screw it up? It will go off the air and be gone. If they succeed, then we end up with something that has some potential to be very interesting.

I read the comments as "Don't try and make TV I will like because you will mess it up."

I know it is rare, but occasionally, just occasionally, something good makes it through. It will never make it through if they don't try though. It would seem to me that something based on something good to begin with should have a better than average chance of at least attaining something palatable.

When it comes out, judge it on its own merits. Will it be Top Gear UK? Certainly not. Nor is it intended to be. It is intended to be Top Gear tailored to a US audience. If they keep the essential elements, then it should resonate with US car guys even more because we won't have to hear how wonderful Jags and the other Brit cars are, and how superior they are to everything else... which is bunk. Top Gear UK has its own problems, but it is still a scream to watch.

Take Top Gear US for what it is, and by itself, and then judge it. Quit all this pre-judgment bellyaching about something which we don't even know who 2/3 of the hosts are, let alone what the show is like.

Whatever it is it will certainly be better than Motorweek! (gag, cough, sputter, gag)
 
As long as the US hosts hate the good ol' boy NASCAR and DON'T have a southern accent, they are ok with me.
 
It's staring to sound like "Gear" will be saved for mid-season replacement time and if it gets the OK, a 2009 show.

Sort of like the horrible Night Rider, TV movie this year, picked up as a series for next year's schedule.
 
Adam COrolla was booted off "Dancing w/The STarts", now he can fully devout his attention to "Gear".
 
bartboy9891 said:
Why?
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Speaking against the South and the Proliterian class makes him feel superior. Reason number two, he probably doesn't understand humour at all. If they have south/NASCAR type hosts for the show, the comedy will be based on that. Isn't that what he wants anyway?

He hates getting what he wants and he likes it rough. :lol:
 
AE86_Racer said:
A local station did that a few years ago for some anime (Neon Genesis Evangelion) and older British shows(Dr. Who). It seemed to have moderate success but I think they had to edit some of it.
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There's no way they could air Eva unedited on American tv, but they probably could do it with TG. Just that some people won't understand some of the references and jokes.
 
MattD1zzl3 said:
I dont care what anyone says anymore, gear is going to kick ass and nothing you anglo-snobs of any nationality can do can stop that.
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I hate to be so pessimistic, but I'm almost certain Gear will fail purely because of what we know about it so far, lets have a look at the facts. It's being made by NBC. NBC have a long history of saying "wow that show is popular in the UK, lets make a carbon copy, badly slap in some Americanisms, and it'll be an instant hit." Two examples spring to mind, Coupling and Red Dwarf. They literally copied the shows word by word, took out the actual good stuff and replaced it with bad Americanisms and hope it would work. I watched a making of Red Dwarf thing once, and the writers basically said that they took their original scripts which were actually good, and took out the funny stuff and just replaced it with crap. Despite their attempts to say it was crap, the executives thought they clearly knew better and left the script the way it was. I'm guessing this is exactly what will happen with 'Gear' if it's ever broadcast, and i base that on the article Jay Leno wrote about them calling him up and going "Hey, do you want to make 'Gear' with us, what we're going to do is do exactly what Clarkson and that did 4 years ago, but here's the good bit, with AMERICAN hosts, it'll work perfectly!" Even if the hosts are great, they will probably be told what they can and can't say by the network execs, especially because advertising could be lost based on what comments are made about what car.

'The Office' did make a successful crossover, but that was a rarity because they actually took the time to re-make it properly, not just slap Americanisms into it. I very much doubt 'Gear' will do the same thing.

I would so love to be proved wrong though.
 
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MattD1zzl3 said:
I dont care what anyone says anymore, gear is going to kick ass and nothing you anglo-snobs of any nationality can do can stop that.
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Why do you figure that because some of us disagree with you that we are "anglo-snobs"? There is just a lot going against this show, specifically the simple fact that TG has been the only really good car tv show in history, that didn't involve turning cars into riding mowers or garbage trucks.

It's already been pointed out that NBC in fact DOES fear sponsors of the network pulling out in protest of bad reviews, so they "just write around it and not give any." So good bye to any review laughing at the catastrophic understeer of the Caliber SRT-4.
 
You guys want to see how pathetic networks are...just watch "The Insider", based on a true story.

Also, MattDizzle you say that "Gear" is going to "kick ass", but thus far you've failed to tell us reasons as to why you think so. Sell me on the idea...don't forget to use the AIDA approach!

Lastly, our nationality has got zero to do with us being negative on "Gear". Your statement is amongst the most irrational things I've ever read/heard. Just plain stupid to put in bluntly.
 
Roadster44 said:
You guys want to see how pathetic networks are...just watch "The Insider", based on a true story.
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Great movie.

However, everyone seems to forget that TV networks are businesses. If they said "fuck it" and insulted their advertisers, they'd go outta business and that'd be good for no one.

Although the news is entirely different IMO.
 
I don't think anyone is forgetting that, but it's simply a point and a crucial one which can influence the quality of the show.

Viper007Bond said:
Great movie.

However, everyone seems to forget that TV networks are businesses. If they said "fuck it" and insulted their advertisers, they'd go outta business and that'd be good for no one.

Although the news is entirely different IMO.
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Viper007Bond said:
Great movie.

However, everyone seems to forget that TV networks are businesses. If they said "fuck it" and insulted their advertisers, they'd go outta business and that'd be good for no one.

Although the news is entirely different IMO.
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The only one forgetting this is the guy living in a world of hope, MattD1zzl3.
 
I have my doubts about "Gear", I have from the beginning. Every time a hosts name gets announced I lose a little more hope. I love anything to do with cars like a kid with Aspergers syndrome. But the bottom is slowly falling out on this idea.

Leno didn't do the future show a service with his article, being that he is the big name that he is. I'm sure that alone will scare off sponsors and possible candidates to star on the show.

As far as I know, the Pilot air date hasn't even been announced yet, but we still have all this hearsay and controversy in the relating threads. All any of us can do really is hold our breaths and wait. The show may be good, or it may be crap, all we can do is wait and see. That said, the magic is really gone out of this for me, too much time has passed, and although Carolla and Faust are quasi-car guys, I don't see them as being the type that will bring the kind of excitement and enthusiasm needed to carry the show.

So I still hope it will be good, but for now, I think I'll just try not to think about it anymore. At least then I might be able to get a little excited about the pilot and possible show to follow.
 
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