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==Reception== ==Reception==
{{Expand section|date=August 2011}}
] gave the show positive scores citing, ''"The automobile-enthusiast program may lack the British wit of the original series, but it's beautifully shot, just as silly, and nearly as much fun."'' ] also gave the show positive scores citing, ''"Who knew beautiful, obscenely expensive cars could be so much fun? These three guys do, and they effortlessly convey their knowledge and nutty passion."'' ] cited, ''"So, during the course of three episodes, there's not much sucking up, enough dissing to keep the whole thing honest, tons of magnificent cars, fast driving and enough goofiness to make this Top Gear get off the line without any mishaps."'' ] collected an aggregated season 1 score of 72.<ref name="MCscore">{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/tv/top-gear-us/season-1/critic-reviews |title=Metacritic: Top Gear (US): Season 1 |accessdate=2011-09-16 |format=HTML |work=] |language=English}}</ref> ] gave the show positive scores citing, ''"The automobile-enthusiast program may lack the British wit of the original series, but it's beautifully shot, just as silly, and nearly as much fun."'' ] also gave the show positive scores citing, ''"Who knew beautiful, obscenely expensive cars could be so much fun? These three guys do, and they effortlessly convey their knowledge and nutty passion."'' ] cited, ''"So, during the course of three episodes, there's not much sucking up, enough dissing to keep the whole thing honest, tons of magnificent cars, fast driving and enough goofiness to make this Top Gear get off the line without any mishaps."''


] 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."''<ref name=AVClubTGUSA>{{cite news| url=http://www.avclub.com/articles/top-gear-us,50472/ | location= | work=A.V. Club | title=Top Gear U.S. | first=Phil | last=Nugent | date=24 January 2011}}</ref> ] 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."''<ref name=AVClubTGUSA>{{cite news| url=http://www.avclub.com/articles/top-gear-us,50472/ | location= | work=A.V. Club | title=Top Gear U.S. | first=Phil | last=Nugent | date=24 January 2011}}</ref>

Revision as of 21:58, 16 September 2011

2010 American TV series or program
Top Gear
Top Gear title card (season 2-)
GenreMotoring
Directed byBen Silverman
Presented byAdam Ferrara
Tanner Foust
Rutledge Wood
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes17 (list of episodes)
Production
ProducersBBC Worldwide
Reveille Productions
Production locationsFormer MCAS El Toro, Irvine, California, USA
Running timeapprox. 40–45 minutes
Original release
NetworkHistory
ReleaseNovember 21, 2010 –
present
Related
Top Gear (2002 TV series)
Top Gear Australia
Top Gear Russia

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.

Format

The show follows a similar format of the BBC version: three main hosts present, The Stig (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.

Segments

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. 1:19.5 - Ford Fiesta Rallycross (Tanner's)
  2. 1:22.0 - Dodge Viper SRT-10 ACR
  3. 1:22.4 - Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
  4. 1:22.8 - Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera
  5. 1:23.3 - Ferrari 458 Italia
  6. 1:23.4 - Lamborghini Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce
  7. 1:25.3 - Porsche Panamera Turbo
  8. 1:26.9 - Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 Balboni
  9. 1:27.2 - Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon
  10. 1:27.4 - Cadillac CTS-V Coupe
  11. 1:27.6 - Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
  12. 1:28.2 - Aston Martin V12 Vantage
  13. 1:28.4 - Lotus Evora (wet)
  14. 1:28.5 - Ferrari California
  15. 1:29.2 - Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR
  16. 1:30.0 - BMW X6 M
  17. 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 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. 1:42.4 - Arlene Tur
  2. 1:43.2 - Tony Hawk
  3. 1:43.9 - Kid Rock (wet)
  4. 1:44.0 - Tim Allen
  5. 1:44.3 - Bill Engvall
  6. 1:44.4 - Bret Michaels
  7. 1:45.3 - Dominic Monaghan
  8. 1:46.6 - Ty Burrell (wet)
  9. 1:48.1 - Rick Harrison
  10. 1:49.2 - Adam Levine
  11. 1:51.5 - Chumlee
  12. 1:55.2 - Michelle Rodriguez (wet)
  13. 1:55.6 - Buzz Aldrin
  14. 2:06.9 - Bridget Marquardt

History

Top Gear on Discovery Channel

In 2005 Discovery Channel 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.

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. NBC 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."

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 Ferrara, 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.”

Reception

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2011)

Metacritic collected an aggregated season 1 score of 72. Entertainment Weekly gave the show positive scores citing, "The automobile-enthusiast program may lack the British wit of the original series, but it's beautifully shot, just as silly, and nearly as much fun." Newsday also gave the show positive scores citing, "Who knew beautiful, obscenely expensive cars could be so much fun? These three guys do, and they effortlessly convey their knowledge and nutty passion." The Hollywood Reporter cited, "So, during the course of three episodes, there's not much sucking up, enough dissing to keep the whole thing honest, tons of magnificent cars, fast driving and enough goofiness to make this Top Gear get off the line without any mishaps."

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."

Episodes

Main article: List of Top Gear (U.S.) episodes

DVD release

The first season was released on Region 1 DVD by the BBC on July 19, 2011. Extras include running commentary and webisodes.

References

  1. ^ "Top Gear to have spin-off in US". BBC News. 2010-04-21.
  2. "An American version of TopGear: it's official!". BBC. 2010-04-21. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
  3. "Top Gear USA Premieres November 21st, Debuts New Trailers".
  4. "Top Gear USA picked up for a second season". Jalopnik. 2011-02-10. Retrieved 2011-02-11.
  5. ^ "US version of 'Top Gear' planned". Reuters. The New Zealand Herald. 2008-01-16. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
  6. ^ "Top Gear Confirms Suzuki SX4". Jalopnik. 2010-10-19.
  7. "San Juan racer dishes on new 'Top Gear' show". ocregister.com. Retrieved 2010-11-29.
  8. Akbar, Arifa (2007-04-10). "BBC hopes for an export hit as 'Top Gear' takes on America". The Independent. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
  9. Esposito, Maria (2008-01-15). "NBC gives Top Gear US test drive". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
  10. Andreeva, Nellie (2008-01-15). "NBC has pedal to the metal with "Top Gear" remake". Reuters. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
  11. Neff, John (2008-06-16). "Top Gear USA hosts announced!". Autoblog. Weblogs, Inc. Retrieved 2008-06-16.
  12. Wert, Ray (2008-06-16). "Top Gear Officially Coming To NBC!". Jalopnik. Gawker Media. Retrieved 2008-06-16.
  13. "Top Gear pilot: That's a wrap!". AutoBlog. 2008-07-27. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
  14. "NBC details new beers series, midseason options". Futon Critic. 2008-05-14. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
  15. Neff, John (2008-03-31). "Leno fears Top Gear USA may suck". Autoblog. Weblogs, Inc. Retrieved 2008-06-16.
  16. Hardigree, Matt (2008-04-01). "Jay Leno On Top Gear America: I Hope We Don't Ruin It". Jalopnik. Gawker Media. Retrieved 2008-06-16.
  17. Leno, Jay (2008-03-30). "I hope we don't ruin Top Gear". London: The Sunday Times. Retrieved 2008-06-16.
  18. Didorosi, Andrew (2008-12-11). "NBC Cuts Top Gear USA Due to Knight Rider Failure". Jalopnik. Gawker Media. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
  19. "Clarkson: Top Gear USA 'canned,' viewers 'just don't get it.'". Autoblog. 2009-02-06. Retrieved 2009-05-14.
  20. "First Top Gear USA Trailer". Motorthusiast. 2010-08-09. Retrieved 2010-08-09.
  21. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/02/10/u-s-top-gear-renewed-by-history-for-a-second-season/82306
  22. "Metacritic: Top Gear (US): Season 1" (HTML). Metacritic. Retrieved 2011-09-16.
  23. Nugent, Phil (24 January 2011). "Top Gear U.S." A.V. Club.
  24. TV Shows on DVD: "Top Gear USA - 'Season 1' of the State-side Show Announced by the BBC!", May 6, 2011.

External links

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