On Sun, Nov 21, 2010 at 9:09 PM, David Bruggeman <[email protected]> wrote: > A solid start to the US edition, IMO. The chemistry between the co-hosts is > getting there, and they're more entertaining together than by themselves. > Tanner Foust could loosen up a bit. At least May is in on the joke with his > pedantism.
It was different. The chemistry will take time, but there is evidence of it already. A few things missing are "the news" (which is regularly cut from the BBCA edits for time) and the gear-shaped stage (the US raised platform is just a circle). Neither are essential to the show, but the news segment is when the hosts get to banter and ad-lib live, and -- well -- the show has the word gear in the title, and there was no reason to not have it. I'd have thought the producers would have addressed the Stig controversy in both the Aussie and US versions, but they seem to be ignoring it for now. The UK hosts out on their live tour have a video clip of the "Stig farm" where they raise and harvest all of their Stigs. I didn't see the point of the giant video screen for the animated Stig in the studio when a banner/picture of him would have worked just as well, but whatever. The Viper segment was nice... would have been nice to have seen the classic Shelby Cobra take a cruise around the track. I did like the GPS graphic while the cars went around the track. It is still lacking from the UK version, and it helps to orient viewers around the course. I've always liked Adam Ferrara, so I hope if the series continues into a second season that he stays around. I still haven't made up my mind about the other two guys yet. Though I will say that, during the snake race, I found Rutledge's voice annoying. One other thing lacking from the US series (at least the pilot) is a sense of place. The UK and Aussie hosts always make a point of saying where they are or where they are going. To me, it is a way of saying, "You might not ever drive a Veyron, but you can drive on the same road." With the exception of the snake race, they didn't really indicate where they were in any given segment. I know the hanger they're using is at the old El Toro base in Orange County, but I don't know where they did the "tractor" race. It is a nitpicky thing, but -- as regular viewers know -- the series is about more than the cars. -- Kevin M. (RPCV) -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en
