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Top Gear coasting?

StingrayStingray Elite Ranger
in Zocalo v2.0
Apparently this top rated UK show [URL="http://uk.tv.yahoo.com/blog/article/386537/"]has lost a large part of its viewership.[/URL]

Gee, I wonder why? It can't have to do with wasting everyone's time with silly skits, can it? I mean if you analyze last week's episode, it was definitely not the most inspired even though it was not that bad. Some people actually watch it for the car reviews. The show hasn't done any for most of the season. But who in his or her right mind watches Top Gear for serious advice?

The show is basically divided into 4 segments. The first one introduces some new super car which their team racing driver [I]the Stig[/I] races around their track, then the trio dishes out some "news," then a guest star drives their reasonably priced car around the same track and finally they end the show on some silly challenge generally making fools of themselves.

Fortunately this week's episode will feature a race somewhere in South America. That's the Top Gear I like and I hope this will reinvigorate this lukewarm season.

The problem I think is that they shifted too much towards the silly side of the entertainment scale and abandoned what used to be in essence a show about cars and everything that has to do with it. They mentioned the lack of car reviews themselves in several episodes so it's not like they don't know that the iceberg is heading their way.

One of my favorite Top Gear episodes is the one about the [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kmfx2uNzss"]Toyota Hilux.[/URL] Top Gear at its best. :D

Comments

  • WORFWORF The Burninator
    [QUOTE]"Viewers can rest assured that Top Gear will be around for a long time yet. The BBC is extremely proud of what it achieves, attracting more than 7 million viewers per week, and there is an ongoing commitment to keep it at the heart of the BBC Two schedule."[/QUOTE]

    Sounds to me like they're planning a change of executive producer and thus taking the show in a different direction than cancelling it.

    Worf
  • FreejackFreejack Jake the Not-so-Wise
    Its refreshing to hear a TV exec say something like this:

    [quote]"There is a grumble and a rumble in the air from some of our regulars that we have lost the plot, we've disappeared up our a***s and we're predictable.

    "It's fair to say that this incarnation of Top Gear is nearer the end than the beginning and our job is to land this plane with its dignity still intact."[/quote]

    versus this:
    [quote]"Viewers can rest assured that Top Gear will be around for a long time yet. The BBC is extremely proud of what it...blah...blah...blah"[/quote]

    For all the grumbling, most of the British car shows are far better than what we get here in the states.

    Jake
  • StingrayStingray Elite Ranger
    Silly me, and there I thought Jeremy, James and Richard came up with the funny bits. :D

    It's probably going to help the show if they come up with fresh ideas. The people-will-watch-regardless-what-we-do approach is probably a way of doing this show that can't go on for too long.
  • Falcon1Falcon1 Elite Ranger
    This series has been a bit hit and miss. Some cool funny stuff but some equally poor half arsed bits where they obviously couldn't be bother or the BBC bean counters said here's £1... spend it wisely.

    At least this time round they have focused a bit more on the cars. That Lancia piece was excellent. Thats what they missed from the last series.

    As Clarkson has some of the rights to the show, he has a vested interest in keeping it going. He might get bored soon but it is still one of the coolest jobs going.
  • ShadowDancerShadowDancer When I say, "Why aye, gadgie," in my heart I say, "Och aye, laddie." London, UK
    I really quite enjoy it, altho I admit it can be rather over the top at times
  • Falcon1Falcon1 Elite Ranger
    Don't get me wrong, I love the show. Sunday evenings just aren't sunday evenings without Top Gear for me. But there's a few of us (friends of mine) who are starting to think it needs some fresh ideas. I think the worst one from last series was the VW Scirocco advert. That was such a waste and filler stuff. They didn't even look at the car! And I was looking forward to seeing what they had to say about the 1.4 turbo & supercharged engine option.

    Still though its miles better than 5th Gear with is just terrible. Average production values, average presenters (except Vicki of course... hubba!). And to think the 5th Gear prod team used to be the Top Gear prod team...
  • ShadowDancerShadowDancer When I say, "Why aye, gadgie," in my heart I say, "Och aye, laddie." London, UK
    The trouble with 5th Gear is that they actually try to review cars, which just isnt interesting to the masses any more
  • StingrayStingray Elite Ranger
    I like both shows, but Fifth Gear is indeed not in the same league and could be considered a light-hearted car review show. Nobody on the cast is particularly funny, even though some have a funny bone. You couldn't do this job if you didn't I guess.

    Top Gear is for having a good laugh, most of the time anyway.
  • CurZCurZ Resident Hippy
    Does anyone actually look to a TV show for reviews on anything these days? I mean, for any given type of product, there are probably a million and a half sites dedicated to that specific thing, and reading a certain number of the reviews found online will paint a much more complete picture of its pros and cons than a single TV show could.
  • StingrayStingray Elite Ranger
    There is something about the video format that gives you a better feel for how the car is without actually driving it yourself. There are countless car magazines too at the news stand and there are still people who buy those as well.

    I don't think I would ever decide on the purchase of a car through one of those TV reviews alone.
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