Top Gear is Overrated

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Simply mindless fun. The boys out having a lark seeing what they can get into on land, sea and air. Way better than the 'talking heads' of all stripes on the other side of the pond.
CH

 

I sure don't think it is the greatest show ever made but I certainly enjoy watching it. It is about a million times better than "pinks" which is the kind of car show we get on american television. I used to enjoy the speed channel but I find it insane that if you want to watch sport car racing you have to tune in at noon on a Wednesday. I really don't understand the american obsession with nascar and drag racing.

 

So what is the best show on TV then?

 

I think you have to watch it these days not expecting a good car review, but instead a guy oriented show with some car reviews in it. long gone are they days of a good indepth car review. its now a show fixated on entertainment. i still enjoy watching it, but it has been diluted a fair bit recently.
i must say i enjoy their epic adventures (like across africa) but some of the "challenges" they do are a bit boring.
overall i still love the show, but can understand if people dont find the facination

 

I can't stand the "star in a reasonably priced car". There is this air of superiority that comes across in their discussion... in the UK, IMO, it is normal for the rich and famous to flaunt the fact that they live on a plateau far above everyone else. Jeremy and the star of the day will laugh about how they drive this or that expensive car, with the stars often joking about how they don't know what the car cost or don't know about it's mileage, etc. It's sort of like they have a good ol' laff about how these are things for everyone else to think about, not them.

Other than that, I think the show is pretty good... but I agree it seems scripted. There is no WAY that every single contest they do comes down to the wire, as portrayed on the TV, so while it's entertaining they could do better on the suspension of disbelief.

You gotta just take it as car-oriented entertainment. It's not a serious or relevant news program or anything.

 

I understand where you are coming from, Top Gear just kind of "blew up", so much hype, I miss the older Top Gear episodes, although the new ones are great as well. But the 3 shows you listed, why don't you compare automotive shows, there aren't that many good ones, unless you like Nascar, drag racing and Pimp My Ride style shows. So really, what is your favorite automotive show?

 

I love watching top gear, I don't care if it's scripted its good tv all tv is made up. I don't think anyone believes that all of these "reality" shows are real.
As long as the writing is good and I think it is I'll enjoy watching.
If someone is looking for a good automotive review show watch 5th gear.

 

Yeah, it's scripted. Still beats Motortrend and C&D TV. Be happy we have it.

 

it could be worse, you could get copies of australian top gear.... OMG.... worst show ever!

 

Top Gear may be scripted but still good IMO. It's the only car show worth watching nowadays.
Don't know what happened to Victory by Design, that was a great show

 

Scripted? The poor Koenigsegg's near-death, scripted??? Dear gawd, they are madmen!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2xROVQhYrE

 

I agree with you, 2-3 years ago, the show was a lot different then it is now. They've gone down hill..... but I still like it quite a bit.

 

After looking at the out and out GARBAGE car shows in the States, TopGear comes across like the works of William Shakespeare.

Yes, some of the bits don't work. And, I get tired of Jeremy's claim "it's just EPIC" for every super car review. Ok, I could do a little less of the whiney sniping between them. And it is true that some of the bits are obviously completely scripted...but, it's really inventive, usually quite funny, well photographed and edited, and covers cars that rarely get even get mentioned in the states.

I thought the trip from Miami to New Orleans and the trip across Africa were superb -- some of the best things on TV I've seen whether a car show or not.

 

I think Top Gear is a great show if you take it as an entertainment show. (even if they had to make a documentary the second time they visited the US) The North Pole episode was great IMO and that was within the last three seasons.


BTW The season finale of Burn Notice was awesome and I can't understand how anyone still watches Lost.

 

im one of them, but i dont know why. ive watched every episode and i hate it, but i need to keep watching to findout what the hell is going on