According to the Colonial arm of Top Gear’s website, the U.S. version of everyone’s favorite motoring show has been passed up by NBC. The report doesn’t go into any detail about why the Peacock people said, “Thanks. But no thanks” to the show, but the BBC is supposedly actively pursuing a cable network to air the series. We’re tapping our sources inside Top Gear, NBC and the assorted media to get the full story, so stay tuned.
Is Jay Leno still going to host it? He better have a few good back-up guys like Hammond and May or that’s going to be one hard-to-understand show :lol
wow, your way behind in the news. They picked adam corolla to host it and two other queers
Shows how little interest I have in an American verson :lol I’m watching season 9 episode 4 right now ;D
Jay said it himself that he will not host it, because he afraids the USA version will be a gimped version due to auto advertisers; So he wants no part of it. Read his article here: The Times & The Sunday Times: breaking news & today's latest headlines
Another problem for Top Gear in America is the biting humour and criticisms of the cars. My great fear in America is that, for instance, if Kia was our sponsor this week, we’d have to say the car was fantastic.
I said on The Tonight Show recently that the new Kia was available with a heated rear window, so if people needed to push it in winter they could keep their hands warm. Boy, the phones did not stop ringing. So imagine what Jeremy would have to put up with.
I don’t think you could be quite as freewheeling with your opinions as you can on the BBC, because sponsors pay for the programmes. Sponsors would be unlikely to embrace any criticism.
Americans don’t really see personalities like Jeremy on commercial television. They know that they have to be somewhat watered down. When Jeremy rips into some sponsor such as Ford or Chrysler, well, that’s the last time they sponsor that show. Then what you have is “the meeting” after the show, where they tell him to tone it down. That’s just not what they do at Top Gear.
See this official Top Gear blog article: http://www.topgear.com/us/blog/more/bbc-passes-on-the-peacock-for-u.s.-top-gear-tv-show/
BBC is trying to take the show to cable.
We have a scoop on the much-anticipated U.S. version of “Top Gear”: BBC has decided to take the show to cable, where presenters’ funny mouths, from which often spill foul words, will be more at home. There are no hard feelings and NBC will be sharing custody of “Top Gear” dog. A number of cable networks were delighted with the news… watch this space.
This gives us an opportunity to clear up some of the confusion regarding why TopGear.com is here. Lots of people, judging from comments and discussions in the forums, think we’re the support website for an American “Top Gear” television show. We’re not. Heck, we couldn’t even discuss a pilot that was allegedly filmed at some point last summer somewhere much warmer than the frigid climes that surround our office in New York.
We, dear readers, are indeed so much more. We are here because Top Gear — all of it, the show, the magazine and, yes, even the stunt spectaculars — kicks ass. We know lots of you Internet-savvy fans agree, despite Clarkson’s assertions that we’re fat and sleep with our sisters.
We are here to nourish you, letting you feast on the very best of the U.K. television show, bring you the best stories from the U.K. “Top Gear” magazine, and feed you blog entries, features, car reviews, photography and video made right here in the U.S. (and Canada!). So there it is. Tell us what you wish there was more of, what we’d shut up about, or just sit back in your grease-stained “I am the Stig” T-shirt and sop up all the fun stuff we have planned for you.
…Never thought Top Gear USA is a good idea anyway. Just like Hollywood movie remakes, they will ended up pissing off the original show’s core fan base here but fail to appeal to anyone who has never heard of the show before at the the same time.
:nod Top Gear is excellent as it is. Doesn’t need any syndicates here in the USA.
Now create a different show with similar parameters but take a different approach to the mix…that’s what should be aired. Jay Leno was smart saying he wouldn’t host a show like that.
I love Top Gear. I love all the hair raising stunts and comments they can get away with. That, plus the cars, the Stig, and ensuing English humor make the show what it is.
:nod
Their accents and English humor make the show. American “Top Gear” would blow fat dick if it ever was made.
i agree with all the comments here…i dont think the US could pull it off like the UK version at all…
american top gear has already been made, they have tapped multiple episodes.
the austrailian version sucks. the american version probably wont be great, but i’m really looking forward to the russian version.
and they didn’t pass, read the update, they put it on hold, so bbc took it back to bring to another channel.
AMEN