LAST TIME we took a look at the ratings for the latest series of Top Gear Australia, the prognosis wasn’t good. Now it’s even worse.
The first and second episodes of season two pulled in 689,000 and 628,000 viewers respectively, however hopes were high that quality would improve and viewership would bounce back. It largely hasn’t, and people are deserting the good ship TGA in their thousands.
Episode three saw just 608,000 people tuning in to see the show and ranked 30th nationally, while this Monday’s episode only managed to rustle up 595,000 viewers and also ranked 30th. Before the first episode went to air Aussie auto enthusiasts were ecstatic that we’d finally have a Top Gear to call our own, now it appears the faithful are shunning it in a big way. What went wrong?
It appears the presenters are finally (albeit slowly) settling into their roles, but the program itself is in dire need of a tune-up. While it had its moments, Monday’s episode was fairly ho-hum and the challenges and reviews lacked the energy of the show’s British parent.
Will next Monday’s installment be any better? We can only hope.
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I actually thought the latest episode was the best one yet. Not brilliant, just better. The Audi vs. Holden wagon thing was quite well done and worthwile perhaps. Pastor Morrison drifting was no sillier than TGUK getting grannies doing donuts (doughnuts? lol). The Kia Soul bit was just pants though and felt very forced.
So overall, it’s getting there. TGUK wasn’t much better in the first two series either, so i’m happy to stick with it (hey, what else is there for us petrolheads?)
I think the problem with Aussie TG is that it presumes we are all Falcodore ute driving redneckst that just love seeing guys doing burnouts and donuts in a paddock. WRONG! Start driving and comparing different sorts of cars. Pitt a prius against a mini diesel, which is the best hot hatch?, SUV vs sportswagen, etc. Keep the exotics coming but guys seriously, commodores with superchargers are not supercars.
It’s mostly the presenters and the unrelenting cliche that affects the program. It’s dross - I just can’t cope with it. The show is also dishonest with its viewers, something they did from day one with the mostly faked casting call. What a pointless waste of time and energy - they hired three people with TV experience and Pizzatti’s links with VW/Audi/Porsche were a direct contravention of the casting call criteria. Anyway…
James Morrison is miles ahead of Charlie Cox, but Cox was utter rubbish and possibly a worse casting choice than Jennifer Aniston in anything. And the lack of imagination in the scripts and the delivery of said uninspired scripts in such forced ways (James and that Pizzatti halfwit approaching the ice cream van pretending to squint was squirmingly poor) runs it down further. It doesn’t matter what the cars are, it’s pretty much irrelevant - the local scene is run by people with a similar lack of imagination to the producers and presenters, so nobody is game enough to take a real risk.
I’ll step off my soap box now.
the problem is Top Gear it self, they should’ve used a different name and create their own style and approach to the car show.
at the moment we are always comparing to its benchmark in the UK… The UK is the original and will be hard to beat it no matter how hard you try.
The cast in the UK also have spark between the three hosts and they have humour too…not to everone’s taste of course.
The aussie version is dull, the segements are too long, the cars reviewed have no interest to most people and the three hosts dont look comfortable…specially James Morrison.
if SBS take time to ready the feedback from their viewers such as TMR and us bloggers, they could potentially improve on their show.
anyways my 2 cents….TOP Gear Australia watch out…Season 3 may not come.
I participated in the fake social media casting call too and it sucked. So I was suspicious about TGA from the start and it’s as crap as I expected it to be. TGUK is funny because it features eccentric English gits, like the Goodies but with cars. It’s not a car show as such, and making an Australian version simply removes the best part - the English humour. TGA = fail. The show’s producers are typical of the sheltered workshop of Australian film and TV idiots if they think that we want this shit.
The english show is as much about the personalities of the hosts as it is about the vehicles they drive. You can’t do an exact copy without the exact people . The austrlian show has a lot of cringe factor as they try and be someone they arn’t . Give me re-runs any day .
TGAU seems to think that if they try to keep along the same lines as TGUK, then everything will be ok. I beg to differ though, as the general feel i get from my mates every Monday night, just want to see car reviews and the STIG burning it up on the track. Mind you a lot of us are looking to upgrade within the not to distant future, so rather than having one 10min review, and 50min of the hosts pulling themselves, why not have 50min of reviews and 10min of the later.
The personalities dont seem to mix either. You’ve got a Jazz player that should stick to playing Jazz, an old fart that seems to be intimidated by everyone else, and a young fella (prob the only guy i would listen to during the car reviews anyways as he doesnt seem to speak $hit). Again trying hard to do what TGUK does, but at least their personalities work, the back cheak litterally rolls off their tongues (especially Clarkson), and we’re in stitches 90% of the time.
Get a grip fast TGAU, because you might end up like the final season of McLeods Daughters - half the season thru, then straight to DVD…
i find solace in the fact that these dropkicks hosting the show will probably deny ever being apart for it in a decades time..
twenty to 1 failed shows of all time… TGAU
Why does everyone always have to hack anything half decent to pieces? Last week was the best of the bunch and we can only hope it continues together. But it does work on chemisty and the show needs to find its own identify. But Id rather watch this than the other crap on Monday nights and more re runs of the early TGUK.
I agree with Starsky - come on guys - it’s all we’ve got! Fair enough that we shouldn’t have something mediocre (like the first series) but it is getting better. Better than watching McCloud’s Daughters any day!
^^ getting better? as if, its getting worse every week!
It is definitely getting better. Season 2 is 100% better than season 1. People out there are convinced TGUK is perfect, and therefore anything TGA does that is different (most of it) is wrong.
Give this show a chance, watch it, and I think you will enjoy it. There is room for a unique TGA and TGUK.
Stop whinging and enjoy what is a pretty good show (and catching up fast to TGUK).
Its quite clear why the ratings for Top Gear Aus are not good,
ridiculous over acting, terrible jokes, poorly thought out stories/tests, the show is not being justified by the creative team that make it.
The hosts are not overly bad, its just the way the go about it, there seems to be a direction for the show to be very low brow
(i.e.Bogan) in its humor.
The Top gear audience doesn’t want stupid jokes that were never funny, we dont want to see clowns.
Just find a natural balance like the UK show has, get a better creative team behind it and give the format what it deserves.
i have given TPA a chance, and sad to say nobody wants to see holdens. SS AND HSV’s etc etc are not supercars. Do some challanges, maybe compare which ECO cars realy do the fuel mileage the makers said they would!!
Not tell us how much the holden competes against the euro monsters
THE LAST SHOW FEATURING THE CARS APPEALING TO GIRLS SEG . COMPARING TRADIES TO OLD DUDES AND NERDS WITH MG’S WAS BEYOND RIDICULOUS AND THE HOSTS GET CHEESIER AND CHEESIER.
NOT LONG BEFORE THE DEATH OF THIS PIG.
Season 2 has more originality and is less scripted but it’s still a show made by a bunch of people who are only technically talented (Freehand).
The biggest disappointment for me with season 2 was that the first episode was its strongest, I thought it was an indication of what the season would shape up to be but it’s back to the old season 1 quality. It is also permanently hamstrung by having to cater to commercial interests, lack of creative freedom always results in mediocre television.
Shows like this are the excuse that SBS uses for having advert breaks and I would much rather have an ad break-free SBS without Australian-made infotainment of dubious quality.
From an outsiders point of view (Canadian) the biggest problem is the presenters. Warren Brown is a moron, and the fact that the producers decided he should play the “Clarkson role”, being the head presenter, was a horrendous decision in every aspect of the word. And choosing James Morrison as the new presenter… WHY!?!? All he did was add a whole new level of boring.
If TGA wants to actually make even an attempt to have a fraction of the popularity as the original, they need presenters that make the viewers want to watch. Clarkson and the gang are simply a riot to watch, even James May is funnier than every member of TGA; with Steve Pizzati being the best presenter because he can at least relate to the audience and closest resembles a real “car guy”.
While the writing does need a lot of help (the “what were they thinking” wall??? What were you thinking when you decided that was the best Aussie alternative to The Cool Wall?), I strongly believe that having better presenters would improve ratings, and improving ratings should hopefully attract better writers and producers.
but hey, like i said, I am just an outsider, but even canada (notoriously bad production quality) is making shows that people want to watch.
the main probs are its a bit forced and you can see that its forced. i dont mind watching it but its more of a time filler while i wait for TGUK to release new series.
also ive noticed the editing is kinda dull. The UK version has very crisp edits eg they show a split second of smoking tires and then flash to another angle of the car flying past and very close to a camera. also they have good music selection that draws you into each segment. they seem to just have a long panning shot alot of the time which is kinda boring. also the track out at bankstown doesnt seem that interesting but maybe thats just the camera positioning atm.
need better editors really and then presenters need not force it so much.
perfect example is what were they thinking wall. that just got really annoying cos they were like ” WHAT WERE THEY THINKING” after every car they put up that really pissed me off. just little things like that where writers and editors havent really thought about what its like for the watcher.
but hopefully it will get there