..........this Friday? I don't have an Amazon Prime, Netflix or whatever subscription you need to see it, so I'll have to rely on others to tell me how it goes.
While I really enjoyed most of Top Gear (England) when it was on, I confess to being tired of Jezzas screams for power as he slid yet another Mercedes sideways around the track.
I really liked James Mays alternative shows, and Richard's usually good for a smirk or two.
It would be great if someone could record it somehow and post it up here for us poor underfunded school teachers..... 4.gif
I cant wait for the show! Pure entertainment ....
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I would politely suggest borrowing someone's prime subscription (login and PW for access :)
Don't you have to pay for the show also?
Pay per Episode or Show. = No way not with prime.
The Grand tour + other Amazon Originals and Exclusive Shows are a perk view with your Prime Membership subscription.
https://www.amazon.com/b/ref=atv_tv_hom_3_slct?_encoding=UTF8&filterId=OFFER_FILTER%3DPRIME&node=2864549011 (https://www.amazon.com/b/ref=atv_tv_hom_3_slct?_encoding=UTF8&filterId=OFFER_FILTER%3DPRIME&node=2864549011)
Another great way I have never owned a cable subscription! Content galore these days.
If you don't have Prime = Take the trial 30 days. its free , its easy and easy to cancel too.
Prime - i havnt been to walmart in 6 months = all my walmart goods are delivered in 1-2 days with prime... my choice of products not Walmarts abismial stock of things when needed, you go there= and not in stock...
Dogfood , baby supplies, toiletries , tune up parts for mowers and cars. I swear i get a prime box every day between the wife and I... We also share are prime account with my Mom and Dad and Sister... Choose your shipping address and payment method. and share.
Give it ago Enjoy!
Just checked, it is included with your Prime subscription.
I know what I am doing this weekend. ;D I forgot this launches.
Cool, I have a friend with a Prime account.....
I'm really looking forward to it.
And, I seem to remember hearing they were not going to release the full season's episodes all at once. I hope that is correct. I'm not a fan of the current "binge watch" fad. It seems way too much like finding 4 gallons of ice cream in the freezer and deciding to eat it all at one sitting.
I prefer delayed gratification - to ration my viewing out and have something to look forward to. Easier for me to do if they cooperate and don't put the whole shrimp platter right in front of me.
I watched episode 1 and here are my thoughts:
Grand Tour = Top Gear. Shocking, isn't it?
GT is basically the familiar Top Gear show we all love, but with what appears to be a bigger budget. Many (all?) of the familiar elements are there, staring with the three hosts, fantastic videography and editing highlighting striking visuals accompanied by great background music. I guess they figured, if it ain't broke...
Here are the differences:
Instead of an audience standing around in a hanger, they have an audience standing around in a (traveling) tent.
Instead sitting around on green leather car seats, they sit behind a desk on little stage.
Instead of using a track around an airport, they have a track sort of built in an abandoned factory area back in the UK which runs near an old lady's house.
Instead of "The Stig" running lap times, they have a crass "The American" driver (not sure if the Brits thought this was hilarious, but it wasn't)
Instead of writing lap times on magnetic strips with a Sharpie and posting them, they now have a electronic monitor showing lap times!
Instead of a celebrity guest driving around a track in an inexpensive car, they um... treated some celebs differently.
Quote from: BruceK on November 15, 2016, 03:10:29 PM
And, I seem to remember hearing they were not going to release the full season's episodes all at once. I hope that is correct. I'm not a fan of the current "binge watch" fad. It seems way too much like finding 4 gallons of ice cream in the freezer and deciding to eat it all at one sitting.
I prefer delayed gratification - to ration my viewing out and have something to look forward to. Easier for me to do if they cooperate and don't put the whole shrimp platter right in front of me.
Yes, unlike when Netflix or Amazon Prime releases a TV series and typically makes all episodes available at one time, the Grand Tour is apparently being released at the rate of one new episode per week.
Planning on watching this evening.
Amazon Prime is worth the cost even without GT! Love 2 day shipping and all the shows/movies on my fire stick
The opening sequence was VERY well done. Cannot express how much I liked it.
I actually went back and watched the first 5 minutes a second time because I thought it was that powerful.
Good the see the boys back, I am not going to compare this to TG. This is a new show with a similar format. I am just happy to see not that much has changed and it appears we are in for a fun season of car shenanigans.
Quote from: Jims5543 on November 18, 2016, 03:49:54 PM
The opening sequence was VERY well done. Cannot express how much I liked it.
I actually went back and watched the first 5 minutes a second time because I thought it was that powerful.
Good the see the boys back, I am not going to compare this to TG. This is a new show with a similar format. I am just happy to see not that much has changed and it appears we are in for a fun season of car shenanigans.
With the episodes being rationed out a one per week, I think a lot of people will be watching them several times while waiting for the next one to be become available.
I know I will re-watch Episode 1 again.
I'm with Bruce on this one, the show is basically Top Gear with enough changes to avoid getting sued by the BBC. However, the production team is the same and the cast is the same, so the vidography is going to be the same.
I like that they are making the studio mobile. I also like that they are ditching the interviews. I enjoyed the interviews on Top Gear, but wouldn't miss them for more car shots. I have been a big fan of American-Top Gear format where they spend time on adventures, so I hope that without a real track, they will do the same.
The Top Gear track was developed by Lotus to fully test a car to the limits. The Ebolatrack is clearly set up to get some good shots of the cars. Not sure if I like it, and I am not sure if they really need the lap-time board anyway.
I don't think that the American Stig stick will last. I think that it was a one-shot joke. I have seen some clips where they have dragged out other drivers, including the actual driver who was the black stig, to race these cars. The stig thing was to allow them to use different drivers while making it look like it was the same guy. I don't think they care about that this time...
The show looks good though. Jalopnik reported that the opening scene cost 3 million to film, so they look like they are going to put some cash into this. Let's see what next week brings.
I thought it interesting that they made it look like they were at Burning Man, but they weren't, they were at Edwards......
I don't understand why the test track is in England if the show is based out of California, but whatever....and I also think the Ebola track was chosen so they could get lots of shots of Jezza sliding a car around and smoking the tires off of it. If he wants to be a drifter he should go to Tokyo and just do it.
Frankly I'm tired of expensive cars being slid around sideways shots.
BUT, I did like listening to the sounds of that Mac and the Ferrari The Ferrari on track.....wicked!
So Portugal, England and the USA on this show, next show they're in South Africa, they mentioned Barbados....they certainly are getting around the world.....but I wonder what they'll do next year? How long can they keep trekking around?
Well Crap! I'll have to try again later it will play the trailer but not the first episode even though it shows up I get a dark screen.
The one thing I want to watch out of all the crap on amazon and it won't work go figure.
Lots of very good and insightful comparisons and reviews here. Bottom line for me, now that it has sunk in is that it is very good and looks like it is going to be a lot of fun.
I suspect some of the world tour stops they make will be less "car-centric" and more about doing stupid things with stupid cars.
Quote from: jeff10049 on November 20, 2016, 01:12:09 PM
Well Crap! I'll have to try again later it will play the trailer but not the first episode even though it shows up I get a dark screen.
The one thing I want to watch out of all the crap on amazon and it won't work go figure.
If you are using a Firebox try rebooting it. Mine gives me problems from time to time and a reboot fixes it.
Quote from: MiniDave on November 20, 2016, 08:51:43 AM
I thought it interesting that they made it look like they were at Burning Man, but they weren't, they were at Edwards......
Did you see they called it Burning Van? :)
Quote from: MiniDave on November 20, 2016, 08:51:43 AM
I don't understand why the test track is in England if the show is based out of California
Is it? I kinda got the idea they were going to be traveling nomads from now on - with no particular home base.
Yes, the Ebola Dome is in England, someone on Jalopnik found it....
But their tent is going to wander around the world, each in-tent audience will be from a different country - South Africa is next I think....
I watched a great interview with Andy on the making of this show and it turns out that the change in tracks and leaderboards are all lawyer driven. It was deemed that handwriting the times was grounds fora lawsuit and a track at an airfield was grounds as well. Christmas special shows are a no-no as well as doing the "news".
One of the next episodes will have them going through the skeleton coast and the lawyers sat down and watched the "Botswana Special" and picked out things that they couldn't do or say during the filming.
Check it out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVZIx9e592k
I just watched the 2nd episode. The honeymoon is over.
And I am remembering what my mom taught me: "If you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all".
Actually, I can't hold back. This episode was... not good. I'd give it a 4/10 at best. The whole SAS training bit in Jordan was an unfunny mess that would not end. We all know a lot of the interactions of the guys on Top Gear seemed improvised, but were, in reality, fully scripted. This time, there was no pretense about the scripting and it was a quite bad amateur effort in doing so. Plus, I'm sorry to say, the not funny "The American" driver was back again.
That sucks about the second episode I got the first one to play it locked up again on the second but I guess I didn't miss much I hope it gets better. I want it to be a good show.
Jim, It's a smart TV that I play it from not sure what the problem has been. I had to watch the final 10 min. of the first on my laptop as it locked again. Anything else I pick plays just fine I'm hoping it just fixes itself with a update or something. Worst case I can try using the xbox to play it after reading bruce's review I don't know if I care.
There were some funny moments, but frankly I got bored with the Groundhog Day take-off after a while and turned the sound off .....why couldn't they shut off/disconnect the beeper on the truck?
I'm also already tired of the killing off the "celebrities" joke......
Is it us, have we just become jaded?
At this rate I don't see a second season for this.........show.
Quote from: MiniDave on November 26, 2016, 06:13:34 AM
There were some funny moments, but frankly I got bored with the Groundhog Day take-off after a while and turned the sound off .....why couldn't they shut off/disconnect the beeper on the truck?
I'm also already tired of the killing off the "celebrities" joke......
Is it us, have we just become jaded?
I don't think we've become jaded - nothing wrong with expecting more. We know they can do it.
Quote from: MiniDave on November 26, 2016, 06:13:34 AM
At this rate I don't see a second season for this.........show.
I believe the Amazon deal was for 3 years at 12 episodes per year, so there should be 34 more of them in the pipeline.
Lots of time to do better and get it right. I hope.
The second episode played for me today... I thought it sucked really really sucked I also turned the sound off and then completely lost interest. I hope the next is better.
I completley agree with all comments.. Epi 2 was = bad... boring, repetitive and gross.
My thoughts, they are needing to distance The Grand Tour from a carbon copy of Top Gear. If BBC owns many of these items of the automovie show, they must be something Different... and the different adventures can appeal to other audiences too.
I'm sure they also need to build their trust in manufactures to earn honors to feature new cars = Ford GT , Mustang R , Corvette's . Or will this remain - ebola track.. European heavy cars...
They did manage to get Mclaren Porsche Ferrari to play together . Also the Aston but will Ford + GM join the fun??
Week by week everyone will still watch = hopefully looking back on it the producers will be able to refine future seasons as the 12 are already produced and recorded or the next 12 weeks.
That Aston Martin sure sounded incedible tho, didn't it?
Quote from: MiniDave on November 28, 2016, 03:18:32 PM
That Aston Martin sure sounded incedible tho, didn't it?
Yes, the Aston piece was the best part of that show.
I just watched the 3rd episode. Still a bit clunky, but some glimmers of hope emerge. Just some touches of the old TG.
Most of the episode was filmed in the beautiful Italian countryside. They are still very noticeably scripted, but with Italy as a gorgeous backdrop, it's easier to forgive them a little.
Good news: No "The American".
Bad news: They still had the same bit about killing off a guest celebrity. Still not funny.
The final segment concerning home remodeling was kinda fun.
Top tip: when they show the silhouetted black and white intro to the Conversation segment, pay close attention toward the bottom of the screen. Nice little touch there.
I beg to differ on the killing off guest celebrities. I am sure they cannot have them on bacause of lawyers. So they are basically throwing up a middle finger. I love it. I cannot wait to see how they are going to kill more.
Well, as I said before it could just be me but........another show another Aston......
This show has really lost it's mojo to me, they're trying so hard to be Top Gear without actually being Top Gear that they don't know who or what they are and it's just the same old same old......the idea of the grand tour part of this last show was good, but the execution sucked.
I'm really tired of seeing the same lux and exotics slid around the track sideways smoking the tires - I know they're trying to make a point about the cars being controllable at the limit but come on......the fact that a 90's Mercedes platform engineered by Dodge could compete heads up with an expensive spots car was interesting, but the lead up to it was tiresome. I agreed with Jane May - stop that, Hammond! Just stop......
And what about showcasing something other than a Jag, Aston, Benz, Porsche or VW group cars? What about the new lux cars from Hyundai and Kia? Wouldn't a road test of those against the established brands be worthwhile? What about the new Lincoln (and I don't mean a Lincoln truck!)
C'mon boys, I know you can do better.
Quote from: Jims5543 on December 02, 2016, 07:47:57 PM
I beg to differ on the killing off guest celebrities. I am sure they cannot have them on bacause of lawyers. So they are basically throwing up a middle finger. I love it. I cannot wait to see how they are going to kill more.
You might be correct about the basis for this segment. But if it is for the reason you describe, it's a lot like watching a good friend flip the bird to someone you don't know and someone you don't care about. IMO, it just looks petty and dumb when viewed from the outside.
....
So, did anyone see the thing I mentioned on Conversation Street?
No, I would have to go back and reload it......or look for it next week.
Quote from: BruceK on December 03, 2016, 03:51:14 PM
Quote from: Jims5543 on December 02, 2016, 07:47:57 PM
I beg to differ on the killing off guest celebrities. I am sure they cannot have them on bacause of lawyers. So they are basically throwing up a middle finger. I love it. I cannot wait to see how they are going to kill more.
You might be correct about the basis for this segment. But if it is for the reason you describe, it's a lot like watching a good friend flip the bird to someone you don't know and someone you don't care about. IMO, it just looks petty and dumb when viewed from the outside.
....
So, did anyone see the thing I mentioned on Conversation Street?
yep i caught that, got a laugh out of it.
I just watched Episode 4. Hmmmmm. Used the same tent location in the UK again.
It is getting better, but they are still struggling to figure out what exactly they are doing with The Grand Tour.
There was a boring segment with some stupid Porsche on the track follow by some stupid BMW M car, with of course, lots of gratuitous power slides in slo-mo. As Dave commented above, why do they do this? Personally, since I am no longer 15 years old with a Countach poster on my bedroom wall, I have pretty much grown out of any interest in these types of cars. I'd much rather see something more practical and interesting being featured (no, those two things are not mutually exclusive)
Still sucking:
- "The American" drive with the "thinks it is communist" so-called jokes introduction.
- Killing off a celebrity yet again. Continues to be not funny, and not entertaining.
Not sucking so much:
- A filmed segment about building environmentally responsible cars. Still stilted a little with obvious scripting, but I did like the Stairway to Heaven joke. This was more like the old TG segments.
I actually liked the comparison between the Porsche 911 GT3RS and the BMW M4 GTS, I was actually surprised by the negative review on the M4. I predicted Jeremy would have to concede the RS was a bad ass car, and it was. Over 500HP NA from a flat 6 is an amazing feat in engineering.
I thought the Renewable car thing was silly, but enjoyable.
I get a chuckle over the dead celebrity thing only because I know why they are doing it, it in itself is not very funny nor entertaining.
I am tired of Skinner "The American" and I am not too really digging on the Ebola circuit, I think it is more of an Autocross course than a track.
I too was surprised to see them parked in the same place for a second week, not that it is that important.
It was a nice distraction, I did notice something, when they hosted TG I was always disappointed it was over, now I am kind of happy GT is. Which says a lot.
Meanwhile over at TG.....
I do not understand the adulation for this guy, when he tried to do actual rally driving he stunk up the place......and this mindless circling around stuff while burning off the tires gets old quickly.....to me.
Now you kids get off my lawn!
Harrumph.......
;D
I get bored with burning off the tires too.
BTW, BruceK, what did I miss on the conversation intro panel that you mentioned? Whatever it is, I didn't see it.....
The "drifting" in ok in small doses, very widely spaced apart. Not really my cuppa either.
(http://cdn.breitbart.com/mediaserver/0CF4C17320B244B1A406EFBD864991BB.jpg)
Quote from: MiniDave on December 16, 2016, 09:28:17 AM
BTW, BruceK, what did I miss on the conversation intro panel that you mentioned? Whatever it is, I didn't see it.....
Several episodes ago, they put a little "Easter Egg" in the silhouette: Clarkson was wearing a woman's high heel shoe and tapping it. And last week something funky was going on with Richard's hand. I guess this will be a feature each week to spot the 'thing'.
Thanks, I'll watch more closely this time.....
I watch Episode 5, and I enjoyed it more than the others. Either it is getting better, or I am getting used to it. Probably both.
I really like the segment they filmed at the airport - silly, but fun too.
I never realized Morocco in N. Africa was so beautiful - stunning.
I dunno about it being stunning, parts were pretty for sure but to me it looked mostly like rock and sand and HOT.
I liked the Battleship game, tho it did seem to go on a bit.
The bit about weighing the cars just didn't work, too bad too because till they brought the animals in it was going OK. I immediately flashed on the scene from The Holy Grail - "it's a fair cop"
Nowhere else would I get to see cows on a roof rack.
Yeah, Rose saw those before I did, we both wondered how in the heck they got them up there? 8.gif
Most of the trees we saw were just scrub, so I wondered where they got those large planks they used to build the ramps and platforms, let alone the pivot arm?
I just watched Episode 6. Might as well call it Episode Sux.
Are they only doing this for the money? Yes, Amazon is paying them many, many £'s, but I had hoped they'd actually put a little bit of effort into the Grand Tour. But it just seems they are going through the motions without really trying.
So, this time they set up the their tent in rural Finland in winter. Why? There was no reason. Don't get me wrong. I'd like to learn more about Finland and about the car culture there. After all, this little country has produced a lot of F1 drivers (including several F1 world championship drivers), not to mention many generations of world class winning rally drivers too. But did any of that get featured? No. Did we get to see any interactions with the Finnish people? No, not even with the audience members in the tent. The Grand Tour might was well have set up the tent in any anonymous snowy field in any unnamed country with stuffed audience members.
Watching them eat chocolate candy bars and play with condoms? Really?! That's they best the could be bothered to do?
Okay, the mini-documentary of the GT40 was well-done. But that was it. The RHD Mustang bit? Huge yawn.
And they still had the two worst segments, which remain painful to watch: 1) the kill off of another celeb (still not funny), and 2) The foul-mouthed American driver (not even entertaining the first time).
The show is in real trouble. Yeah, I'm still watching it, hopeful it will turn into something worthwhile. But I honestly don't know if they will save it.
Finished watching the 2 part special with the Beach Buggies, thought it was well done even if parts were staged.
I as happy to see they can get away with doing these type of specials.
I totally agree. Episodes 7 & 8 with the beach buggies were great - up there with the best of any Top Gear episode I would say.
I think the fact that in these two episodes there was no portion inside the tent (other than a very brief intro), no "The American", and no stupid celebrity fake death skit, meant they concentrated on the good stuff instead.