I was so bitterly disappointed with this episode, I wanted to give it a much lower score than I already have.
The episode has a few witty jokes, and some of the same chemistry that made the trio of Hammond, Clarkson, and May so successful. However, it lacked any real substance. They introduced a whole lot of new elements to the show that were clearly aimed at mimicking the old Top Gear format, but didn't really pull it off as they appeared to be getting too outlandish, just to get a giggle.
The old Top Gear began to become less and less about the cars and more about the dynamic between the hosts anyway, but this first episode just came across as a shameless copy. Rather than look to distinguish themselves from the old Top Gear, they've just tried to do the same...but different...and sadly feels more like a cheap fake Rolex, than the real deal.
The episode also has something rather significant to answer for, as their lap time for the "holy trinity" of hypercars yielded different results to another journalist test conducted at the exact same time, but who aired their results some time ago now.
The show certainly has the potential to do well with that trio, but they need to work out if it was the hosts' chemistry that made the show, or the format. If it's the format, then stop mimicking Top Gear, and let them define their own show. If it is the format that made the show successful though, then go back and watch the old Top Gear. Either way, this show will be doomed to fail if it doesn't get into its own track soon enough.
The episode has a few witty jokes, and some of the same chemistry that made the trio of Hammond, Clarkson, and May so successful. However, it lacked any real substance. They introduced a whole lot of new elements to the show that were clearly aimed at mimicking the old Top Gear format, but didn't really pull it off as they appeared to be getting too outlandish, just to get a giggle.
The old Top Gear began to become less and less about the cars and more about the dynamic between the hosts anyway, but this first episode just came across as a shameless copy. Rather than look to distinguish themselves from the old Top Gear, they've just tried to do the same...but different...and sadly feels more like a cheap fake Rolex, than the real deal.
The episode also has something rather significant to answer for, as their lap time for the "holy trinity" of hypercars yielded different results to another journalist test conducted at the exact same time, but who aired their results some time ago now.
The show certainly has the potential to do well with that trio, but they need to work out if it was the hosts' chemistry that made the show, or the format. If it's the format, then stop mimicking Top Gear, and let them define their own show. If it is the format that made the show successful though, then go back and watch the old Top Gear. Either way, this show will be doomed to fail if it doesn't get into its own track soon enough.