NBC has officially purchased the rights to produce an American version of Top Gear, and seeing as it has one of this country's biggest gear heads on its payroll, it's a no-brainer that they would at least ask Jay Leno to host. In his most recent editorial for The Sunday Times, Leno recounts being asked by a corporate suit with practically no clue about of the hit British show to host the American version. It goes something like this. "Well, the network has bought the TV show... um... High Gear? Top Gear? Top Gear! Top Gear, yes. We know you like to build cars." Sigh...
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From Dan:I agree fundamentally. NBC does not have the capability to make this show right. Think about TopGear - it has incredible production values, they knock it out of the park. It's brilliant and we don't even get to see it in HD (imagine how glorious it would be in HD).
NBC will never take the time to get that perfect shot. You know the one, a corner of the car gleaming in the sun, with just the right background. There won't be enough ROI for the work.
Car and Driver TV is shovel ware, it's the same crap the old Nashville Network put out for Motor Trend. The host is so boring. PBS's long-running show sucks too and always has. Boring.
I just don't see how NBC can do it.
PLUS, think about how un-PC Top Gear is. They make fun of homosexuals (I'm not condoning it, but it is true), they make fun of America (we're cool with it, we can laugh at it) and yet they have huge hearts (ref: their New Orleans episode, it went from making fun of Red Necks to "Oh s#$t, look at the damage done here").
Adam Carolla may be fine. I can't say. The Top Gear guys are bona fide stars in Europe. I actually think Leno could do something like it, but not quite. The hosts must be irreverent. Oh, it just hit me, Dennis Leary - yes he could do it.
Recap: NBC cannot do it - they don't have the production skill. Top Gear might not be imitable.
Thought: Why not put TopGear as-is (UK) on NBC. It couldn't hurt to try. It clearly brings in a much wider audience than the crappy car shows on Speed and Spike.
I will continue to DVR Top Gear and savor it.
