Once upon a time, there was a program called TOP GEAR USA on the History Channel. A mere shadow of its UK parent program, it sucked. It tried hard to be interesting and entertaining, but up against the seasoned original with presenters like Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond and the polish of BBC production values, TOP GEAR USA just couldn’t compete. That was from 2010-2016. Move ahead to 2017: Now there’s TOP GEAR AMERICA on BBC America, and it’s a whole new car show.
I won’t say that TOP GEAR AMERICA is perfect. Barely seven episodes in, the presenting team of William Fichtner, Antron Brown, and Tom Ford barely gel as a unit. But then, when TOP GEAR (UK) began, Clarkson, May, and Hammond didn’t gel, either — it had to be retooled. What they had going for them was that they were all seasoned car journalists and media presenters in one fashion or another. On the other hand, Fictner is an actor who has done a little racing. Brown is a professional drag racer. And Ford is a car journalist. They have never worked together before, so it is understandable that they won’t seem like old buddies palling around the garage talking the latest automobile trends.
However, I think given some time, Fictner, Brown, and Ford may have a future — if Fichtner can lose his stiffness and the irritable attitude he sometimes exudes. The stiffness appears in the studio, while the better fit shows off on the road. It couldn’t be any worse than the revised TOP GEAR (UK) with Chris Evans from two seasons ago, when Evans didn’t gel with Matt LeBlanc and others and had to be replaced, after Clarkson was fired for boorish behavior and May and Hammond refused to continue without him. They’re now on GRAND TOUR on Amazon Prime.
What is good about TOP GEAR AMERICA is its improved visual presentation. They have picked up the BBC’s quality cinematographic tone and pacing. The studio has shine and panache, and it’s at a race track. Show graphics are top notch. There’s a new professionalism to everything, a refined feel. In addition, this show has latched on to “The Stig” persona for testing cars on the lap track and working out celebrities in the everyday sedan on the lap track, all which make for fun viewing. Just as important, this show is about hot cars and the love of spending time in them, usually with an emphasis on American cars, with Fichtner, Brown, and Ford going on long excursions in luxury automobiles, muscle cars, or exotic racers, even in off-track buggies, for the excitement of experiencing the great American drive. And in all this, they reproduce the fun and aura of TOP GEAR excitement.
Now, I understand die-hard TOP GEAR fans who won’t accept anything but the good old days of Clarkson, May, and Hammond. They were great and having watched them on GRAND TOUR, they’re still great. But unless you’re willing to pay out for Amazon Prime to watch them, those days are long gone. And if what you want is a show about cars and the fun of the drive and the dream of the cool automobile, with an emphasis on the American product, then I suggest you give TOP GEAR AMERICA a try and give it some time for the presenters to gel as a team. Maybe it will take some retooling. Or maybe things will smooth out like a Corvette on a long stretch of new asphalt.