Chris Harris is brilliant and is the only true car guy -- he knows his stuff and his passion comes right through the screen... his back must be in tremendous pain from carrying this show by himself.
The other two -- Paddy McGuiness and Freddie Flintoff -- are painful to watch. Their voices are annoying, they're sometimes hard to understand, and they're just not funny. There is no chemistry with these guys, no character buildup or development, and no reason to care. The old trio (Clarkson, May, Hammond) were friends -- and enemies -- and there was conflict and resolution. It's like Paddy and Freddie were just two generic bodies swapped in to host... which is likely what happened.
In the old Top Gear, there were moments were you had to suspend some disbelief as to whether certain vehicles were truly built by the hosts or whether certain things happened on their adventures... but at least you felt they were somehow deeply involved... in the new Top Gear everything is unbelievable. Again, aside from Chris, they're not car experts or handy guys.
It would be the exact same show if you had Chris driving/competing along with the camera guys or other Top Gear staffers.
To be fair, the other hosts post Clarkson/May/Hammond and before this crew were a mixed bag... but a moot point since they are no longer hosting.
Aside from the hosts, the writing/ideas feels a bit unoriginal but again, I'm wondering if that's partially or fully due to the current hosts. The production quality is still top notch with access to quality vehicles, beautiful cinematography, etc., but I don't think that's enough to save this show as that is not a point of differentiation anymore today with other shows on the air or online.
Oprah with Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special (2021)
Read More »Oprah speaks with Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex covering everything from stepping into life as a royal, marriage, motherhood and philanthropic work. They are then joined by Prince Harry, as they speak about their move to the United States.