Ask The Best And Brightest: What Advice Would You Give "The Car Show"?

Have you caught The Car Show yet? If not, the first episode is currently streaming at Hulu, so go ahead and waste part of your Sunday on a show that offers (according to Matt Farah) “everything you’re looking for from a proper British motoring show, but from a uniquely American perspective.” Having peeped the first episode myself, I’ve got some seriously mixed feelings…

On the one hand, it’s got a more freewheeling, diverse feel than Top Gear America. On the other hand, like TG:A, it’s still got some serious chemistry issues to work out. Whereas the quintessential “proper British motoring show” gels totally different personalities into a whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts, The Car Show’s presenters don’t seem like they actually like each other yet, and seem too self-conscious for what should be a laid-back show. Carolla, Neil and Farah have a lot of potential as odd-couple representatives of car guy diversity (I still don’t know what Salley is on hand for), but all three still seem too caught up in looking funny, smart and cool respectively. They need to remember that a huge part of Top Gear’s appeal is that the hosts have perspective on the characters they are playing, which allows them to relax and have fun with their dramatis personae (Neil comes the closest to this in the “game show” segment, but it’s still hard to tell how much fun he’s having with his egghead car-nerd character). Also, I would have saved a LeMons episode for a later date, when the chemistry had congealed a bit better.

Otherwise, The Car Show seems to be America’s best answer to Top Gear to date, and I do think that it has the potential to be downright entertaining once its presenters develops some confidence and comfort with their characters (and perhaps make a few tweaks to segments like 0-60). But you may have a different perspective? Go ahead and let us (and, I’m guessing at least a few people involved with the show who read TTAC) know what you would do to make The Car Show a “proper motoring program” that America can be proud of.