Once upon a time in a land that had not Brexited, there was a show called Top Gear. It was hosted by three guys who seemed to have a good time driving exclusive supercars at ungodly speeds on the track. They also seemed to have a good time on grand, impossible adventures.
Then there was a punch and Top Gear as we knew it was dead.
The new Top Gear came with six hosts, because more is always better. That’s what someone at the BBC must have figured, but they figured wrong. Host Chris Evans led the pack of presenters with great enthusiasm, but the public wasn’t impressed.
It wasn’t just a case of mild dislike, but more a case of complete hatred of the red-haired guy who was over-excited, shrill, and not at all fun to watch. The six episodes comprising the first season aired and then Evans promptly quit the show.
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The BBC says this was Evans’ decision and that he felt it was the best thing for all involved. He still has a radio show and a bunch of other stuff that he’s working on, so leaving Top Gear isn’t the end of him, just the end of him trying unsuccessfully to fill Clarkson’s very large shoes.
The world rejoiced, but now what?
The BBC says they won’t be replacing Evans, which so we will have five presenters when the show returns next season. That means we’ll see Matt LeBlanc, Rory Reid, Chris Harris, Sabine Schmitz and Eddie Jordan picking up the pieces. Can they actually do it?
It was a hard knock when the original trio left the show. Love them or hate them, Clarkson, Hammond, and May were Top Gear, and it was hard for people to imagine the show without those hosts. The new version of the show aired to initially good ratings, but those slipped at an alarming pace over the six-episode season
People are mad. People are sad. People gave it a chance and many aren’t willing to give it another one.
There was no standout performance from the five remaining cast members. None of them were deemed as horrid as Evans, but none of them stood out as a personality that resonated with the public. Each was okay in some episodes, but none of them managed to capture the hearts of their declining viewership.
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It’s like that old saying. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. We all held out hope that the new Top Gear would be good. It couldn’t be the same, but it could have been good. It wasn’t. It was bad. We were fooled and many fans aren’t will to be fooled again by watching season two.
