We reported yesterday that both NBC's Fall 2008 and Summer 2009 lineups will not include the U.S. version of Top Gear, but that doesn't mean the peacock network isn't keeping the show as a feather in its multicolor plume. There's a section on NBC's website for primetime shows being developed for the 2008-2009 season, and one page is devoted to Top Gear USA. We found its description intriguing. The show is described as three friends performing outrageous challenges and stunts through the "crazy transformations" they make to their cars. Sure, that's one aspect of the show that Clarkson, Mays and Hammond built, but what about the new car reviews that are hilarious, real and informative, as well as featuring the best cinematography on television anywhere in the world? Also, we find it funny that the U.S. cast of hosts, whoever they may be, are described as being "friends". The British hosts are of course BFF, having done the show together for years now, but we doubt the American hosts will have the same rapport right out of the gate. Regardless, if a U.S. version of Top Gear does happen, it won't air anytime soon. Thanks for the tip, Joe!
UPDATE: Here's a great roundup of all the Top Gear USA news to date from Alex Roy.
[Source: NBC]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Garythepowers @ May 16th 2008 3:41PM
I'm long time fan of Top Gear and watch it on BBC America. I guess I will give the US version a go, but it has some big shoes to fill.
Cameron @ May 16th 2008 3:41PM
So it's going to be like that horrible show Microsoft made to plug Forza 2?
BMWsRock @ May 16th 2008 3:41PM
It'll be interesting to see what happens...
Pat @ May 16th 2008 3:44PM
Is this Top Gear or Monster Garage? Sounds like monster garage...and by the end of that series, they pretty much exhausted all they could do with a car. You can only make so many boat and lawn mower cars before it just starts to get ridiculous.
Farris @ May 16th 2008 3:51PM
Or ruin so many classics... the DeLorean episode was the last one I watched. I ABSOLUTELY refused to watch it again after that.
500 @ May 17th 2008 11:12PM
EXACTLY, I'm with Farris. I enjoy the show most of the time, but how could real car guys enjoy destroying so many classics?
TriShield @ May 16th 2008 3:58PM
I'm a long time fan of Top Gear and watch it on BBC America. There's no way in Hell I'm watching whatever NBC comes up with just because they're slapping the same name on it.
Alex @ May 16th 2008 3:58PM
As an American that loves the UK show I pray this never airs
dewfish @ May 16th 2008 4:00PM
this show is going to suck. It just seems like NBC doesn't get what top gear is about.....why can't they just air the existing top gear here?
Toy Yoda @ May 16th 2008 4:02PM
Don't know much about the TV business, but why won't ABC, CBS, Fox, HBO, etc, try to do a Top Gear or Top Gear like show?
Flame if you like, I don't have cable. :(
phoenix @ May 19th 2008 11:21PM
Honestly, it has a little to do with politics (BBC doesn't have sponsors to worry about pissing off) and a little to do with American-style showbiz (NBC can't do a reality show to save its life).
Leno did an interview a couple months back, where he stated clearly that he wouldn't do the show because it just isn't Top Gear at all. It's just an American show that, again, fails miserably to own up to the original.
N @ May 16th 2008 4:02PM
Maybe it's Joey, Chandler, and Ross!
Slayerab @ May 16th 2008 6:51PM
I would much rather Jerry,George and Cramer
Dondonel @ May 16th 2008 4:06PM
Calling TG reviews real and informative is quite a stretch. They're more like a repeat of tired old cliches about cars and manufacturers, that for some reason people are still willful to ingest. Challenges and stunts are somewhat funny.
Leaf @ May 16th 2008 4:24PM
They are real and informative opinions. That's what these guys are really good at, explaining how they *feel* about the cars they drive. It's okay to disagree with them (I know I do frequently) but part of what makes the show special is their distinct abilities to explain why they like / dislike a particular car, and also the different takes they each provide. The TT vs 350Z vs Crossfire episode is a particularly good example of this.
Dondonel @ May 16th 2008 4:52PM
@Leaf
That show on TT/350Z/Crossfire is a perfect example on how to spend half an hour and not say anything. If they woke up on the other side of the bed that day, they would have had different "feelings" about the cars they were "reviewing". No wonder they didn't reach a conclusion on that show.
Franz @ May 16th 2008 4:11PM
I'd rather watch reruns of the original than whatever NBC is gonna cook up. I'd bet money it's gonna be rubbish.
Paul @ May 16th 2008 4:11PM
They are TERRIFIED of doing the British style here because it might impact sponsorships. In the UK they can do it because BBC is publicly funded. Its a shame that any version we get will be butchered. At best it will be a series dedicated just to the stunts (best beater, tractor races, etc.).
Dondonel @ May 16th 2008 4:32PM
@ Paul
TG on BBC does not carry advertising, but TG magazine lives on it. Don't be naive Paul.
Paul @ May 17th 2008 8:08AM
absolutely as do Motortrend and Car and Driver (and they do vehicle reviews) - but TV is a vastly different medium and it is the freedom of being state run that allows TG TV to exist.