Not long ago on a television network not far away called the BBC, Top Gear was revamped from its old informative editorial format into a weird comedy/talk show/reality/documentary. By season 2 the show settled on their starring lineup: Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond, three very British and somewhat incompetent automotive journalists who reviewed the latest models, revisited classics, discussed automotive news, and interviewed celebrities in their own unique way, Most amusing of all were their challenges, road trips, and hair-brained schemes to apply their automotive knowledge and passion to make life easier and the world a better place (often with disastrous results).
Top Gear worked so well in this format because of the chemistry between the three presenters. They were genuinely organic and funny, contrasted with the cringe-inducing subsequent hosts. When Jeremy was fired in 2015, James and Richard stuck to their guns and resigned as well, knowing all three of them are what contributed to the show's success. We will never see Top Gear in this format again, but The Grand Tour is just about the best replacement we could've realistically asked for.
It follows the same general format as the old show: reviews, interviews, discussions, challenges, and adventures. It's the same 3 presenters, but this time (for the first 3 seasons anyway) each episode is filmed at a different location in the world. My first annoyance with this, is that because they're following the old format so closely, and they can't use the same titles and lingo from Top Gear, the replacements are so transparent. Instead of The Stig they had The American who was soon replaced with Abby. The Stig was a huge part of Top Gear's identity. Granted he was more of a prop than a character, but his anonymity and socially removed behavior allowed for some great gags. Jeremy now says "terrible disappointment" and "back to the tent" instead of "bombshell" and "back to the studio". Conversation street is clearly just the news, but at least Richard gives a unique intro every time and the animated shorts are hilarious.
My second, bigger gripe with the Grand Tour is how some parts are a lot more obviously staged than in Top Gear. TG had many staged scenes, but the show somehow managed to make all the dialogue, actions, and body language feel natural. It's hard to explain without spoiling many scenes in GT, but the dialogue feels noticeably more scripted and the events more convoluted.
Many fans are sad that the show (for the time being) will not be continuing in its old format with the tent. I however look forward to season 4 since it will be entirely adventures, which were always the high point of any season of TG or GT. The Grand Tour is not really about the cars anyway. Everything Top Gear has done season 23 and on is proof of that. Jeremy, Hamster, and Captain Slow are the heart of GT, specifically their humor, unbreakable optimism, and sense of adventure. Though there are minor annoyances with the shows presentation, I love how the spirit of Top Gear was still successfully carried over.
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