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Top Gear (U.S. TV series)
Encyclopedia
Top Gear is a motoring
television series, based on the BBC series of the same name. The show's presenters are professional racing driver Tanner Foust
, actor and comedian Adam Ferrara
, and automotive and racing analyst Rutledge Wood
. As with the original British version, the show has its own version of The Stig
, an anonymous racing driver, and a celebrity guest is featured each week. The show premiered on November 21, 2010, on History. On February 10, 2011, History renewed Top Gear for a second season.
(a secret race driver) tests vehicles, and celebrities are invited for interviews and to drive vehicles around a test track. In addition, challenges similar in nature to the ones presented in the original show are replicated in Top Gear. The "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" (retitled "Big Star, Small Car") segment uses a Suzuki SX4
Sportback. Filming of this segment, along with in-studio segments take place at the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro
, now known as the Orange County Great Park
, in Irvine
, California
. Producers of the History version have noted a greater interest in car customization by American car enthusiasts than in Britain, an element that will be incorporated into the new show.
All laps are timed with the car's manufacturer-provided adjustable settings configured for maximum performance — all adjustable suspensions are set at their most efficient, all gear shift maps are at their most aggressive, and driving aids such as traction control are deactivated. Lap times do not offer complete comparisons between the cars, mainly because wet or otherwise poor weather conditions can negatively affect lap times.
The car used for this segment is a Suzuki SX4
Sportback. Each guest practices with The Stig before making several attempts to complete the test track in the fastest time. The guest does not learn their time until the interview. Practice laps, crashes and the drivers' facial expressions are also shown during the segment.
made a pilot for an American version of the show featuring actor and IHRA
driver Bruno Massel as one of the hosts, but it was not picked up by the network. A short time later Discovery Channel began airing a slightly "Americanized" version of the British Top Gear show with presenters Jeremy Clarkson
, Richard Hammond
, and James May
. This show featured clips of features and challenges from Series 1-5 from the BBC Two
show with introduction segments recorded by Clarkson, Hammond and May at the Dunsfold Aerodrome
studio especially for the US audience. Regular features like "The News" and "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" were not shown on the Discovery Channel version.
announced, in January 2008, that it had ordered a pilot for an American version of the show, retitled Gear. BBC Worldwide
had been contracted to produce the pilot for NBC. According to NBC reality chief Craig Plestis
, many automakers had shown interest in America's version of Top Gear.
On June 16, 2008, NBC and the BBC officially announced an American version of Top Gear, to be hosted by Adam Carolla
, Tanner Foust
and Eric Stromer
. The studio segments for the pilot were taped on July 26, 2008 to generally favorable reviews citing close following of the UK version's format. NBC was expected to have Top Gear premiere as a midseason replacement
in 2009.
Jay Leno
, who originally turned down offers to host the show, expressed concern in 2008 over whether or not a show like Top Gear could be successful in America. In a column published by The Sunday Times
in 2008, Leno expressed concern that an American version could lack the critical reviews the British version is known for. The British show is produced for the BBC with public funds while the American show airs on commercial television. Leno believes that the show may have to worry about offending current and potential sponsors by giving their products poor reviews, leading to a compromise in the journalistic integrity and freedom of the original show.
On December 11, 2008, NBC reversed its decision to place the show as a midseason replacement, citing concerns about the potential success of a car-themed show in light of the failure of Knight Rider
. NBC allowed the BBC to shop it around to cable networks to possibly pick it up. In February 2009, Jeremy Clarkson
stated that the American version had been "canned", claiming that focus groups
"... just don't understand a single word we're on about. They just don't get it really."
, Tanner Foust
, and Rutledge Wood
were seen participating in a Moonshine Challenge and Tanner Foust also takes a Dodge Viper for a test drive. The first season premiered on November 21, 2010, and the series has been renewed for a second season. Commenting on the recently announced second season renewal, UK host Jeremy Clarkson noted, "Top Gear is our baby so you can understand why Hammond, May and I were anxious about passing it on to the presenters of the US show. We needn’t have worried because Top Gear is clearly in safe hands, even if they do insist on speaking in those stupid accents. Watching an episode from series 1 with Richard and James, we found ourselves in a genuinely heated debate about which of the presenters’ cars was best. We were just three ordinary chaps watching a car show and loving it, which is exactly what Top Gear should be. Bring on series 2."
in the United Kingdom. It is broadcast under the name Top Gear USA to avoid confusion with the UK version.
noted the brutal response to the first trailer of the History Channel version of the show on the Internet, with YouTube
users noting History's version to be an "'insult to the actual Top Gear" among other less favorable comments. Agreeing with the commenters, Heritage notes that US television doesn't have "Jeremy Clarkson
, Captain Slow
and The Hamster
," but noting the original BBC version isn't exactly "British" per se, and figured the show could possibly translate easily if done right. Jack Baruth of The Truth About Cars surmised that the show would not succeed given the bland history of car shows in the USA (like MotorWeek
), unless it was "Americanized" greatly. Comparing it to the BBC version, Baruth states that History's version won't have the benefit of a built-in viewership, be weakened by the non-celebrity status of the hosts, and lack "the snob appeal of of being an overseas product."
Top Gear premiered at 1.9 million viewers in its first debut episode, which dropped to 1.3 million viewers after the first episode. The second season premiere had a viewership of 2 million viewers, a 100,000 viewership gain from the first season. Metacritic
collected an aggregated season 1 score of 72.
The show has received mixed reviews from numerous critics. Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter
judged the show as a whole, noting, "It's a promising beginning for a show most thought would end up in a ditch." Goodman noted the shaky history of the show being brought over to the US (including Jay Leno
's take on the Star in a Reasonably Price Car segment for his short-lived show) and the venom of online comments, to which Goodman replies: "Everyone gets it." Mike Hale of the New York Times had mixed reactions to the show, going from how History's version almost slavishly follows the formula the BBC version uses ("that any subject or concept can appeal to a wide audience if you find the right balance of competition and destruction (the childlike smashing of large objects) with humor, sentiment and pretty locations.") to how the show has gaps between the BBC and History version. Hale had concerns the show was not translating right, as the History version lack going out of the lines like the original in certain respects, and the host lineup for History's version being much younger and callous than the BBC version's hosts.
John Krewson of Gawker Media
, writing for Jalopnik
, encouraged readers to watch the show. Watching the first three episodes of season one, he noted the first episode would be "little strange for most viewers." but towards the third episode, viewers should "have the snack tray full and an hour free," and praising the show despite its initial roughness. Chris Shunk, writing for Autoblog
, was impressed with the first show, but warned readers to not compare History's version of Top Gear to the BBC version of Top Gear so easily. Also, the show would encourage Autoblog to "keep watching... at least for nine more weeks." Lee Pray of Edmunds Inside Line noted the show seems worthwhile, but while it won't match up the original BBC version, it was worth to have two versions of Top Gear around. The A.V. Club
gave the show an overall rating of C, lamenting that Season One of the series ended with a clip show, and not liking host Adam Ferrara. The review compared both the BBC and History Channel versions, and likened History channels version to have taken "The graphics, music, and editing...." of the original, but felt the show felt like it was "imported from a 1980s beer commercial."
s.
Driving
Driving is the controlled operation and movement of a land vehicle, such as a car, truck or bus.Although direct operation of a bicycle and a mounted animal are commonly referred to as riding, such operators are legally considered drivers and are required to obey the rules of the road...
television series, based on the BBC series of the same name. The show's presenters are professional racing driver Tanner Foust
Tanner Foust
Tanner Foust is a professional racing driver, stunt driver, and television host. He competes in rally, drift, ice racing, time attack and rallycross with multiple podium placements and national championships. He is a co-host on the American version of the motoring television series, Top...
, actor and comedian Adam Ferrara
Adam Ferrara
Adam Ferrara is an American actor and comedian who is currently playing the role of Chief "Needles" Nelson on the critically acclaimed FX series Rescue Me and is also a co-host on the U.S. version of Top Gear...
, and automotive and racing analyst Rutledge Wood
Rutledge Wood
Rutledge Wood, born in Birmingham, Alabama, is a roving auto racing analyst employed by Speed Channel. Wood is one of three hosts for the History Channel's Top Gear along with Adam Ferrara and Tanner Foust, which premiered on November 21, 2010....
. As with the original British version, the show has its own version of The Stig
The Stig
The Stig is a character in the British motoring television show Top Gear. The character plays on the anonymity of racing drivers' full-face helmets, with the running joke that nobody knows who, or indeed what, is inside the character's racing suit. The character was the creation of presenter Jeremy...
, an anonymous racing driver, and a celebrity guest is featured each week. The show premiered on November 21, 2010, on History. On February 10, 2011, History renewed Top Gear for a second season.
Format
The show follows a similar format of the BBC version: three main hosts present, The StigThe Stig
The Stig is a character in the British motoring television show Top Gear. The character plays on the anonymity of racing drivers' full-face helmets, with the running joke that nobody knows who, or indeed what, is inside the character's racing suit. The character was the creation of presenter Jeremy...
(a secret race driver) tests vehicles, and celebrities are invited for interviews and to drive vehicles around a test track. In addition, challenges similar in nature to the ones presented in the original show are replicated in Top Gear. The "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" (retitled "Big Star, Small Car") segment uses a Suzuki SX4
Suzuki SX4
The Suzuki SX4 is a compact car developed by Japanese automaker Suzuki and sold by Suzuki and by Fiat and produced since 2006.-History:...
Sportback. Filming of this segment, along with in-studio segments take place at the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro
Marine Corps Air Station El Toro
Marine Corps Air Station El Toro was a United States Marine Corps Air Station located near Irvine, California.Before it was decommissioned in 1999, it was the home of Marine Corps aviation on the West Coast. Designated as a Master Jet Station, its four runways could handle the largest aircraft...
, now known as the Orange County Great Park
Orange County Great Park
The Orange County Great Park is the official name of a plan for the public, non-aviation reuse of the decommissioned Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in Irvine, California. The county park will comprise just 28.8% of the total that made up the old MCAS El Toro base. It is a $1.1 billion project...
, in Irvine
Irvine, California
Irvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Producers of the History version have noted a greater interest in car customization by American car enthusiasts than in Britain, an element that will be incorporated into the new show.
Power Laps
Power Laps is a segment of the program in which The Stig completes a lap around the track in a reviewed car to compare its performance to previous contenders.All laps are timed with the car's manufacturer-provided adjustable settings configured for maximum performance — all adjustable suspensions are set at their most efficient, all gear shift maps are at their most aggressive, and driving aids such as traction control are deactivated. Lap times do not offer complete comparisons between the cars, mainly because wet or otherwise poor weather conditions can negatively affect lap times.
Power Lap Times
- 1:19.5 - Tanner's Ford Fiesta Rallycross
- 1:22.0 - Dodge Viper SRT-10 ACR
- 1:22.4 - Chevrolet Corvette ZR1Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1The Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1 is a high performance version of the Chevrolet Corvette C6. Both the C3 from 1969–1971 and C4 Corvettes from 1990-1995 had ZR-1 models...
- 1:22.8 - Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera
- 1:23.3 - Ferrari 458 Italia
- 1:23.4 - Lamborghini Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce
- 1:25.3 - Porsche Panamera TurboPorsche PanameraThe Porsche Panamera is a four-door a coupe. It is front-engined with rear-wheel drive, with four-wheel drive versions also available....
- 1:26.9 - Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 Balboni
- 1:27.2 - Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon
- 1:27.4 - Cadillac CTS-V Coupe
- 1:27.6 - Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
- 1:28.2 - Aston Martin V12 Vantage
- 1:28.4 - Lotus EvoraLotus EvoraThe Lotus Evora is a sports car produced by British car manufacturer Lotus. The car, which was developed under the project name Project Eagle, was launched as the Evora on 22 July 2008 at the British International Motor Show.- Development :...
(wet) - 1:28.5 - Ferrari CaliforniaFerrari CaliforniaThe Ferrari California is a grand touring sports car that was launched by Ferrari at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. It is a two door "2+2" hard top convertible. The California is powered by front-mid mounted gasoline direct injection V8 with...
- 1:29.2 - Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR
- 1:30.0 - Subaru Impreza WRX STISubaru Impreza WRX STIThe Subaru Impreza WRX STI, has the highest trim in the Subaru Impreza compact car line, produced by Japanese automaker Subaru.In the late 1980s, Subaru created the Subaru Tecnica International division to coordinate development for the FIA World Rally Championship and other motorsports activities...
- 1:30.0 - BMW X6 M
- 1:39.0 - Hennessey F-150 VelociRaptor 600
Big Star, Small Car
Big Star, Small Car is a recurring segment on Top Gear. During each episode, a celebrity is interviewed by one of the three presenters. Discussion is normally amusing, and focuses on car-related matters, such as the celebrity's car history. Then the presenter and the studio audience watch the guest's fastest lap on the Top Gear test track.The car used for this segment is a Suzuki SX4
Suzuki SX4
The Suzuki SX4 is a compact car developed by Japanese automaker Suzuki and sold by Suzuki and by Fiat and produced since 2006.-History:...
Sportback. Each guest practices with The Stig before making several attempts to complete the test track in the fastest time. The guest does not learn their time until the interview. Practice laps, crashes and the drivers' facial expressions are also shown during the segment.
Star Lap Times
- 1:42.4 - Arlene TurArlene TurArlene Tur is an American television and film actress and model from Florida, best known for her role as Bebe Arcel in the 2008 television drama series Crash. The daughter of Cuban political refugees to the United States, Tur has had numerous roles in television in addition to a modeling...
- 1:43.2 - Tony HawkTony HawkAnthony Frank "Tony" Hawk , nicknamed "The Birdman" is an American retired professional skateboarder and actor. Hawk gained significant fame for completing the first 900 as well as his licensed video game titles distributed by Activision...
- 1:43.9 - Kid RockKid RockRobert James "Bob" Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and rapper with five Grammy Awards nominations...
(wet) - 1:44.0 - Tim AllenTim AllenTim Allen is an American comedian, actor, voice-over artist, and entertainer, known for his role in the sitcom Home Improvement...
- 1:44.3 - Bill EngvallBill EngvallWilliam Ray "Bill" Engvall, Jr. is an American comedian and actor best known for his work as a stand-up comic and as a member of the Blue Collar Comedy group.-Early life:Bill Engvall was born in Galveston, Texas...
- 1:44.4 - Bret MichaelsBret MichaelsBret Michaels is an American musician, actor, director, screenwriter, producer and reality television personality. He first gained fame as the lead vocalist of the glam metal band Poison. Besides his career as lead singer, he has several solo albums to his credit, as well as one chart single...
- 1:45.3 - Dominic MonaghanDominic MonaghanDominic Bernard Patrick Luke Monaghan is an English actor. He has received international attention from playing Merry in Peter Jackson's adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and for his role as Charlie Pace on the television show Lost....
- 1:46.6 - Ty BurrellTy Burrell- External links :*...
(wet) - 1:48.1 - Rick Harrison
- 1:49.2 - Adam LevineAdam LevineAdam Noah Levine is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the front man and guitarist for the pop rock band Maroon 5. He is also a coach on the American talent show The Voice.-Early life:...
- 1:51.5 - Chumlee
- 1:55.2 - Steve SchirripaSteve SchirripaSteven R. "Steve" Schirripa is an American actor, voice artist, producer, and comedian, best known for playing Bobby Baccalieri on The Sopranos....
- 1:55.2 - Michelle RodriguezMichelle RodriguezMayte Michelle Rodríguez , known professionally as Michelle Rodriguez, is an American actress. Following on from her breakthrough role in 2000's Girlfight, she is best known for playing tough-girl roles and starring in Hollywood blockbusters such as The Fast and the Furious, Resident Evil,...
(wet) - 1:55.6 - Buzz AldrinBuzz AldrinBuzz Aldrin is an American mechanical engineer, retired United States Air Force pilot and astronaut who was the Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing in history...
- 2:06.9 - Bridget MarquardtBridget MarquardtBridget Marquardt is an American television personality, model, and actress. She is best known for her role on the reality television series The Girls Next Door, which depicts her life as one of Playboy magazine publisher Hugh Hefner's girlfriends...
Top Gear on Discovery Channel
In 2005, Discovery ChannelDiscovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
made a pilot for an American version of the show featuring actor and IHRA
International Hot Rod Association
The International Hot Rod Association, also known as IHRA, is the 2nd largest drag racing sanctioning body after the NHRA.-The Carrier Era:The IHRA was formed in November 1970 by businessman Larry Carrier. Throughout this period the organization was operated primarily in the south-eastern United...
driver Bruno Massel as one of the hosts, but it was not picked up by the network. A short time later Discovery Channel began airing a slightly "Americanized" version of the British Top Gear show with presenters Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...
, Richard Hammond
Richard Hammond
Richard Mark Hammond is an English broadcaster, writer, and journalist most noted for co-hosting car programme Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson and James May, as well as presenting Brainiac: Science Abuse on Sky 1.-Early life:...
, and James May
James May
James Daniel May is an English television presenter, journalist and writer. He is best known for his role as co-presenter of the award-winning motoring programme Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond....
. This show featured clips of features and challenges from Series 1-5 from the BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
show with introduction segments recorded by Clarkson, Hammond and May at the Dunsfold Aerodrome
Dunsfold Aerodrome
Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey, England, near the village of Cranleigh, was built by the Canadian Army and civilian contractors as a Class A Bomber Airfield for Army Co-operation Command...
studio especially for the US audience. Regular features like "The News" and "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" were not shown on the Discovery Channel version.
Top Gear on NBC
In April 2007, the BBC was still looking to export an American produced version of Top Gear to the United States. NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
announced, in January 2008, that it had ordered a pilot for an American version of the show, retitled Gear. BBC Worldwide
BBC Worldwide
BBC Worldwide Limited is the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in 1995. In the year to 31 March 2010 it made a profit of £145m on a turnover of £1.074bn. The company had made a profit of £106m...
had been contracted to produce the pilot for NBC. According to NBC reality chief Craig Plestis
Craig Plestis
Craig Plestis is the President and CEO of Smart Dog Media, a leading reality programming production company with a first look deal with NBC Universal and its cable networks including Bravo, Syfy, USA Network, E! and Style Network. Plestis is an executive producer of NBC's 2010 hit game show "Minute...
, many automakers had shown interest in America's version of Top Gear.
On June 16, 2008, NBC and the BBC officially announced an American version of Top Gear, to be hosted by Adam Carolla
Adam Carolla
Adam Carolla is an American radio personality, television host, comedian, and actor. He currently hosts The Adam Carolla Show, a talk show distributed as a podcast on the ACE Broadcasting Network...
, Tanner Foust
Tanner Foust
Tanner Foust is a professional racing driver, stunt driver, and television host. He competes in rally, drift, ice racing, time attack and rallycross with multiple podium placements and national championships. He is a co-host on the American version of the motoring television series, Top...
and Eric Stromer
Eric Stromer
Eric Antony Stromer was a co-host for the canceled motoring television series, Top Gear, on NBC. He was raised in Evanston, Illinois....
. The studio segments for the pilot were taped on July 26, 2008 to generally favorable reviews citing close following of the UK version's format. NBC was expected to have Top Gear premiere as a midseason replacement
Midseason replacement
In American and Canadian television, a midseason replacement is a television series that premieres in the second half of the traditional television season, usually between January and May...
in 2009.
Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
, who originally turned down offers to host the show, expressed concern in 2008 over whether or not a show like Top Gear could be successful in America. In a column published by The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
in 2008, Leno expressed concern that an American version could lack the critical reviews the British version is known for. The British show is produced for the BBC with public funds while the American show airs on commercial television. Leno believes that the show may have to worry about offending current and potential sponsors by giving their products poor reviews, leading to a compromise in the journalistic integrity and freedom of the original show.
On December 11, 2008, NBC reversed its decision to place the show as a midseason replacement, citing concerns about the potential success of a car-themed show in light of the failure of Knight Rider
Knight Rider (2008 TV series)
Knight Rider was a 2008 series that follows the 1982 TV series of the same title and the 2008 television movie. The series stars Justin Bruening as Mike Traceur, the estranged son of Michael Knight. The series also stars Deanna Russo as Sarah Graiman, Traceur's former girlfriend and love interest....
. NBC allowed the BBC to shop it around to cable networks to possibly pick it up. In February 2009, Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...
stated that the American version had been "canned", claiming that focus groups
Focus group
A focus group is a form of qualitative research in which a group of people are asked about their perceptions, opinions, beliefs and attitudes towards a product, service, concept, advertisement, idea, or packaging...
"... just don't understand a single word we're on about. They just don't get it really."
Top Gear on History
On August 6, 2010, the first Top Gear trailer was published on the web, giving fans a preview on what to expect on the upcoming episodes to be broadcast on the History Channel. In this trailer, new hosts Adam FerraraAdam Ferrara
Adam Ferrara is an American actor and comedian who is currently playing the role of Chief "Needles" Nelson on the critically acclaimed FX series Rescue Me and is also a co-host on the U.S. version of Top Gear...
, Tanner Foust
Tanner Foust
Tanner Foust is a professional racing driver, stunt driver, and television host. He competes in rally, drift, ice racing, time attack and rallycross with multiple podium placements and national championships. He is a co-host on the American version of the motoring television series, Top...
, and Rutledge Wood
Rutledge Wood
Rutledge Wood, born in Birmingham, Alabama, is a roving auto racing analyst employed by Speed Channel. Wood is one of three hosts for the History Channel's Top Gear along with Adam Ferrara and Tanner Foust, which premiered on November 21, 2010....
were seen participating in a Moonshine Challenge and Tanner Foust also takes a Dodge Viper for a test drive. The first season premiered on November 21, 2010, and the series has been renewed for a second season. Commenting on the recently announced second season renewal, UK host Jeremy Clarkson noted, "Top Gear is our baby so you can understand why Hammond, May and I were anxious about passing it on to the presenters of the US show. We needn’t have worried because Top Gear is clearly in safe hands, even if they do insist on speaking in those stupid accents. Watching an episode from series 1 with Richard and James, we found ourselves in a genuinely heated debate about which of the presenters’ cars was best. We were just three ordinary chaps watching a car show and loving it, which is exactly what Top Gear should be. Bring on series 2."
International broadcast
The first season of the show is currently being broadcast on BBC ThreeBBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
in the United Kingdom. It is broadcast under the name Top Gear USA to avoid confusion with the UK version.
Reception
Before the show started, there was a mixed response of Top Gear being remade for a US audience. Stuart Heritage of The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
noted the brutal response to the first trailer of the History Channel version of the show on the Internet, with YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
users noting History's version to be an "'insult to the actual Top Gear" among other less favorable comments. Agreeing with the commenters, Heritage notes that US television doesn't have "Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...
, Captain Slow
James May
James Daniel May is an English television presenter, journalist and writer. He is best known for his role as co-presenter of the award-winning motoring programme Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond....
and The Hamster
Richard Hammond
Richard Mark Hammond is an English broadcaster, writer, and journalist most noted for co-hosting car programme Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson and James May, as well as presenting Brainiac: Science Abuse on Sky 1.-Early life:...
," but noting the original BBC version isn't exactly "British" per se, and figured the show could possibly translate easily if done right. Jack Baruth of The Truth About Cars surmised that the show would not succeed given the bland history of car shows in the USA (like MotorWeek
MotorWeek
MotorWeek is an American automotive television series. The program premiered in 1981 and is hosted by auto expertJohn H. Davis, who is also the series’ creator and executive producer...
), unless it was "Americanized" greatly. Comparing it to the BBC version, Baruth states that History's version won't have the benefit of a built-in viewership, be weakened by the non-celebrity status of the hosts, and lack "the snob appeal of of being an overseas product."
Top Gear premiered at 1.9 million viewers in its first debut episode, which dropped to 1.3 million viewers after the first episode. The second season premiere had a viewership of 2 million viewers, a 100,000 viewership gain from the first season. Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
collected an aggregated season 1 score of 72.
The show has received mixed reviews from numerous critics. Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
judged the show as a whole, noting, "It's a promising beginning for a show most thought would end up in a ditch." Goodman noted the shaky history of the show being brought over to the US (including Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
's take on the Star in a Reasonably Price Car segment for his short-lived show) and the venom of online comments, to which Goodman replies: "Everyone gets it." Mike Hale of the New York Times had mixed reactions to the show, going from how History's version almost slavishly follows the formula the BBC version uses ("that any subject or concept can appeal to a wide audience if you find the right balance of competition and destruction (the childlike smashing of large objects) with humor, sentiment and pretty locations.") to how the show has gaps between the BBC and History version. Hale had concerns the show was not translating right, as the History version lack going out of the lines like the original in certain respects, and the host lineup for History's version being much younger and callous than the BBC version's hosts.
John Krewson of Gawker Media
Gawker Media
Gawker Media is an American online media company and blog network, founded and owned by Nick Denton based in New York City. It is considered to be one of the most visible and successful blog-oriented media companies. , it is the parent company for 11 different weblogs: Gawker.com, Fleshbot,...
, writing for Jalopnik
Jalopnik
Jalopnik is a Weblog covering cars, car culture, and the automotive industry. Owned and operated by Gawker Media since 2004, Jalopnik emphasizes irreverent humor....
, encouraged readers to watch the show. Watching the first three episodes of season one, he noted the first episode would be "little strange for most viewers." but towards the third episode, viewers should "have the snack tray full and an hour free," and praising the show despite its initial roughness. Chris Shunk, writing for Autoblog
Autoblog
Autoblog is a neologism and misnomer used to describe a particular type of website which uses software designed to automatically add content in a blog format. The owner of an autoblog is generally referred to as an autoblogger. Engaging in this practice is called autoblogging.Autoblogging does...
, was impressed with the first show, but warned readers to not compare History's version of Top Gear to the BBC version of Top Gear so easily. Also, the show would encourage Autoblog to "keep watching... at least for nine more weeks." Lee Pray of Edmunds Inside Line noted the show seems worthwhile, but while it won't match up the original BBC version, it was worth to have two versions of Top Gear around. The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
gave the show an overall rating of C, lamenting that Season One of the series ended with a clip show, and not liking host Adam Ferrara. The review compared both the BBC and History Channel versions, and likened History channels version to have taken "The graphics, music, and editing...." of the original, but felt the show felt like it was "imported from a 1980s beer commercial."
DVD release
The first season was released on Region 1 DVD by the BBC on July 19, 2011. Extras include running commentary and webisodeWebisode
A webisode is a short episode which airs initially as Internet television, either download or stream as opposed to first airing on broadcast or cable television. The format can be used as a preview, a promotion, as part of a collection of shorts, or a commercial.A webisode can be an episode...
s.