5 Reasons why Top Gear Season 23 Episode 1 Flopped
Reason # 1
The show was a fake copycat trying to live up to old “Top Gear” and failing miserably right down to some of the things that used to make it good. It was utterly hard to watch this show; with no personality or character development within the entire segment. Interaction between the two hosts seems very forced, almost as if they secretly hate each other. Many of the skits and dialog can be pulled directly from a previous season’s.
Matt Leblanc seemed unenthusiastic and like he had better places to be and cooler things to be doing.... (Since hosting the biggest car show on T.V is apparently is not the coolest thing he has ever done or will ever do, cause he's a celebrity ya know).... In conjunction with Matt's attitude his mono-tone voice with the most American accent (more American than any American as ever heard) and super slow speaking, just makes you want to fall asleep. All jokes and little quips that his character was given fell completely flat, not to mention the delivery of these “jokes” was utterly awful. - “like your mother’s panties”.
Reason # 2
Chris Evens performed poorly as well with a halfhearted and merger effort to replicate how Clarkson interacted with the audience both in studio and at home. Sorry Chris you’re just not likable, or funny. Moreover, the so called jokes written into the script felt just that; scripted and weird. Even from the final edit of the “live” in studio parts you can tell Chris is upset with the show and the crowd.He is trying to cover up the fact he is highly annoyed with a fake smile and that he is encouraging fake laughs and applause from the audience who you can tell is highly unimpressed. Not to mention after the airing of the first episode Chris seemed a little butt hurt about how many people were totally hating on his show, he took to twitter with vengeance defending the show and himself. (“Top Gear audience grew throughout the hour. FACT. Won its slot. FACT. Still number one on I Player. FACT. These are THE FACTS folks. -Chris Evens- twitter https://twitter.com/achrisevans) I think he knows that the only people watching it, were watching it to see it bomb so badly and to write hating articles and post on social media. He knows it’s bad. I have a hard time believing that he doesn’t already know that this very well might be the end to his career.
Reason # 3
Sabine Schmitz was the best personality on the show however she only had a small part in one segment with basically zero introduction. Unlike the welcome Matt got the entire episode. Okay, we get it he’s American big whoop! Besides Matt is pretty much a-has-been, and really only known for his 10 years on the show "Friends" which by the way ended 10 years ago! Anyway they don’t forget to mention that she is indeed German not that we couldn’t get that from her last name. Which again was irrelevant to the matter. What really matters who she is as a person, presenter personality, or driver (which by the way , she is a damn good one- “you go girl”). Sadly, there is also dumb jokes littered throughout this segment as well; that instructor pilot that she “made throw up because of her driving crazy for only 30 minutes” Real? Or “Joke?” We may never know for sure, but it seems oddly fake that a trained fighter pilot would have a problem with it. They even joked about this after the scene aired because Chris himself ended up vomiting during filming because he got car sick.
Reason # 4
All the subsidiary video clips all together sucked. Sorry for using the word “suck” but that is simply the best way to put it. “ It just sucked!” Trying to revamp the old Reliant Robin episode that we so loved just did not work, neither did having Matt Leblanc’s Reliant conveniently brake down and then have him toed in the car on-top of the truck. It took a lot of magic away from the show. With the former Top Gear there was a “leave a man behind” “fix it yourself or you get a crap car” kind of set principal that made the show more fun and intresting. I understand where they were coming from with the whole it would be funny to leave him in the car on the truck, but it just wasn’t. Also you can forget the little tricks the hosts used to play on each other, or buying each other gag gifts.
The segment with the off-road Arial Atom Matt seemed so stiff and unexcited, did a couple of cookies in the sand, and bitched that is wasn’t 4-wheel drive. While some actors tried to take pictures of him for no reason, with a clearly staged outcome. One of the worse shots in the segment is when a drone “accidentally” was flown into a small rock edge with a disappointed pilot shaking his sad head. In other words, this clip should have been left out.
Reason # 5
Come on Guys you could have changed the format even a little bit! Every production value is the same down to the studio furniture, camera shots, music and script. The only slightly funny part of the entire episode is with the guests featuring Gordon Ramsay and Jesse Eisenberg (which by the way would make better hosts than the new duo.)
The reasonably priced car segment only changed by a new car (which they change periodically anyway) and a new course which includes an off-road stent effectively making it a rally course. This isn't the worst idea, however we will see how long it last since they do conduct this show and its road course on an open and operational airport run way. I am sure they do not appreciate all the dirt all over the runway. Thanks Top Gear. ( however this is only speculation).
Even the Stig stayed the same with the same introduction that the Former Hosts developed and made popular. This is just even more a blatant stab in the back to the old hosts. They didn't respect what Clarkson, Hammond and May did before them.
Remember Chris,Matt,Sabine and all the others that didn't make the first show. You wouldn't have this job without them. Not that any of you should have it at all.
So on that bombshell I will leave you…” No, no. wait we aren’t doing that” ...
Sincerely,
One True Top Gear Fan
They make to out to be exciting... but it just doesn't work
Did you see the Revamped Show?
What did you think?
References and Research
-Chris Evens- twitter https://twitter.com/achrisevans
-www.topgear.com
-Top gear episode 23 season 1 T.V show in affiliation with BBC. - Chris Evens, Matt Leblanc