There have been a handful of attempts to translate the hit UK show Top Gear to American audiences and up until the current version, they haven’t been successful. It’s hard to fathom why not, though. Get three interesting and vibrant hosts with strong interests in cars, mix with some improbable stunts and multiple challenge style events, and what ought to be left is a show that shouldn’t have a problem drawing an audience. Americans have shown a love of cars that one would think would translate to television. Perhaps it just took three great presenters to pull it all together.
Standup comedian and supporting star of Rescue Me Adam Ferrara, professional racer Tanner Foust and racing analyst Rutledge Wood combine for an American version of the legendary British television show focusing on the power of the automobile. From the extremely high end to things such as $1,000 challenges on junkers, the three engage in shenanigans with each other while exploring every facet of the automobile. And this type of show is going to survive, or fail miserably, based on its hosts. The material has been honed to perfection overseas, so finding out the proper format and tone has already been done.
When you eliminate everything else from the equation, the show is going to be entertaining (or not) based on the hosts. It’s perhaps why the prior versions never were picked up to series; perhaps the hosts didn’t have quite the chemistry and accessibility to the viewer as the show needs. And as they explore this world, two things become apparent.
The first is that all three are knowledgeable and well prepared when it comes to the automobile. These are guys who are car enthusiasts when they aren’t on the show, as opposed to merely playing the part, based on how they discuss the cars and drive them. It’s not all that shocking for Foust and Wood, who work in the racing aspect of the automobile industry, but Ferrara doesn’t stand out like a sore thumb either. He can hold his own with these two when it comes to the tests, et al, as he clearly knows what he’s discussing. It’s refreshing because he’s a comedian who’s not faking it; he knows cars.
The other is that the hosts have tremendous chemistry with one another. It makes the show’s material more accessible and more fun when you have three guys who obviously enjoy working with one another, work well together and have good material to work with. You don’t have to be a car guy to get into the show because of it, but it certainly helps.
And that’s the show’s one real downside. This isn’t a show for diehard car aficionados, nor is it one for those who don’t view their cars in such a manner, as the show tries to straddle that line between being strictly for gearheads and being for the casual automobile user. In doing so it tends to not find the right tone. It doesn’t know which direction it wants to go, mixing high end level knowledge and discussion of the automobile with more practical concerns, and tries to straddle that middle line of appealing to both sides while doing neither excessively well.
Top Gear is an entertaining show, regardless, and is worth the watch despite the slight issues with tone.
Top Gear is presented in a widescreen format with a Dolby Digital surround and has a solid, but not spectacular, presentation. It’s clean and crisp but it isn’t significantly special.
There are a handful of Websides and Poolside Chats included that are entertaining.
You can do a lot worse than Top Gear when it comes to a show about the joys of the automobile, but you can’t do much better.
BBC presents Top Gear (Season 1). Starring: Adam Ferrara, Tanner Foust and Rutledge Wood. Running time: 440 minutes. Not Rated. Released on DVD: July 19, 2011. Available at Amazon.com.
