Filed under: Etc., Lifestyle, Opinion/Editorial
Top Gear pilot: That's a wrap!
Filming for the NBC pilot for Top Gear has wrapped. Speculation about the show's format and hosting choices has left Top Gear fans hoping for at least a decent representation of the popular British show. Some of those prayers may be answered , as NBC brought in a number of BBC folks, along with the original Top Gear producer, the assist in the pilot's taping. The show follows the BBC version's format, right down to the set details. Also, as noted earlier, the "star in a reasonably priced car" segment gets carried over. However, the driver might come as a bit of a surprise (a really awesome surprise, at that). The signature top-notch video production viewers expect is there, though it must be said that the geography of the United States offers a richer variety of visual possibilities than you might be accustomed to seeing on Jeremy & Co.'s show.
One key to the BBC Top Gear's is the camraderie between the presenters. As such, it's probably a little unfair to compare the Top Gear of today, 11 seasons in, to a crew just coming together for the first time. Still, Carolla, Foust and Stromer are off to a good start. Their interactions during taped segments were wildly entertaining, enough to distract the show's own crew members from their tasks. Each host fits into his own role, but not the exact molds laid out by Jezza, Hamster and Captain Slow. Carolla's razor-sharp wit is on full display. Causing at least one member of the audience to say, "That is the most funny Adam Carolla has ever been." Foust is also not made out to be anything more than a total car geek -- his true personality. His enthusiasm may be too technical for general consumption on its own, but it's perfectly complimented by Carolla's blunt comedy. Stromer doesn't fare nearly as well. Before the live audience, he comes across as if he were presenting a sales pitch to a room full of prospective timeshare buyers. Hopefully, he'll adapt his field mannerisms, which are far more easygoing, into his studio presence in the future. That is, if the show has a future on American television.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
martin 10:01AM (7/27/2008)
i'm not american but i'll certainly give it a watch when its on t'internet, cant be worse than fifth gear or any of the crap on men and motors in the uk
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Avinash machado 10:12AM (7/27/2008)
Why do you say that Fifth Gear is crap? It has more useful stuff than TG which is more entertainment than information.
JayP 11:47AM (7/27/2008)
I can't stand Tiff... the human bobblehead.
TG >>>>> FG
why not the LS2LS7? 12:30PM (7/27/2008)
Fifth Gear is having trouble presenting a personality. But it does a much better job of covering cars than Top Gear, if only because they talk about cars you might actually be able to afford in each and every episode.
jake 3:33PM (7/27/2008)
@why not the LS2LS7?
Yes, I agree, the personalities is what 5th gear is lacking compared to top gear, which makes it worst television/entertainment, but as a car show, it's not that bad. Top Gear is a show you can enjoy watching even if you don't know anything about cars.
GDUB 3:52PM (7/27/2008)
Fifth Gear is a great alternative to Top Gear. I really do think it has great personality. I love Tiff and crew. I love that there are two great auto shows for us car guys. Well other than motor week and that Pat Goss's garage it really pulls me in every saturday. LOL
jon 8:43PM (7/27/2008)
fifth gear sucks. its boring as hell, and they burned down the top gear studio
richmajor86 2:26PM (7/28/2008)
I totally agree, i cant wait to see this, hopefully not too much "americanisms" ie whooping and hollaring throughout, high fives etc etc.
dewey 10:02AM (7/27/2008)
who's the stig?
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Andrew Vitale 10:07AM (7/27/2008)
Dick Trickle :)
When is this show supposed to be on tv?
nadnarb 2:21PM (7/27/2008)
Since it is Top Gear American the Stig will ony take left hand turns around an oval. Any right handers will cause a massive crash.
Dylan 9:06PM (7/27/2008)
He'll also be fat, swear that corvettes are king and be constantly trying to get 50 year mortgages for houses.
MajorGeek 10:15AM (7/27/2008)
Know what will make watching this show cool? Having someone tell you when its on. Went to Google, Wikipedia, NBC and it is as if it does not exist except for a couple of websites. Someone want to get a real scoop and find out when it airs? I assume fall since the big 4 networks still like to play the same crap in fall and then ignore the other 9 months of the year. Thank God for USA Network with Monk, Burn Notice and Psych!
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Viper007Bond 3:53PM (7/27/2008)
Sometime late this year or next year.
Andy Wilman (TG UK's exec producer who's working on this show) said he'd like to see it start in January. He also said he was planning on scraping the film from this episode, but once the filming was over with he was really impressed and decided he'd keep it and use it for a later episode (not the pilot).
Ken Stamper 6:07PM (7/27/2008)
Agreed! Adam Carolla did a podcast with Bill Simmons ("The Sports Guy") last week on espn.com. I listened because he is usually on there to plug something, but he did not even mention the show! It must be some sort of open secret right now.
MajorGeek 7:34PM (7/27/2008)
Thanks guys for that information. I hope they publicize beyond the group of auto enthusiasts who know about it now.
Mobius_1 10:20AM (7/27/2008)
Was a bit skeptical, but most of the people at the shoot seem to be quite positive about this show, and I'm really surprised Carolla et al are all improvising, whereas most of the TG stuff are scripted
If the end result is 3 new TG episodes a week from UK, US, Oz, then, rock on (especially the awesome cars in Oz, and some pretty good ones in US)
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Dave 10:24AM (7/27/2008)
Stromer is the pretty boy to attract female and gay viewers.
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Frank 12:33PM (7/27/2008)
thank you captain obvious? any more tidbits of useless info u wanna bestow upon us?
geo.stewart 1:10PM (7/27/2008)
yes but which moron thought using him to bring in that demographic would be able to keep them with an auto-based show?
Anybody watching it should be watching it for the cars and reviews. If you want to use him as the reason for 'girls and girls', then stick him in a soap opera. Anyone else is going to want to watch for the content.
Or is the hope to pull away those girls and gays that watch MotorWeek today?