Yay for Whose Line! Such an amazing show.
And now it's time for me to kick off my Top 10!
#10: Top Gear (UK) (2002-____)
Comedy, Talk Show, British
Mega Mana's Ranking: Not on list
Opening:
I am not car guy. I am definitely not a gear head (or as the Top Gear guys would say a petrol head). This show is still amazing and hilarious. Much like Mythbusters this show benefits more from the people on it than what they are doing. I would watch Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond sew quilts, and it would be hilarious and amazing.
Jeremy Clarkson is the "lead" of the show. He is big, loud, brash, boastful, arrogant, condescending, snarky, and probably insane. He makes up the weirdest metaphors you will ever hear, and half the time you aren't even sure if he was saying something is good or bad. Let's put it this way, he once described a car he was driving as "actively trying to kill me". That was high praise. Jeremy mocks everyone, especially his co-hosts and is a sore loser. He often plays the bad guy on the show, but no matter what he is doing he is hilarious.
Richard Hammond is a short and more practical guy most of the time. Except for when he is acting like an American (the shows words not mine). He likes muscle cars, power, and vehicles he can steer around a track without hurting himself. He and Jeremy butt heads constantly with him usually on the losing side. He also seems like a genuinely good guy and not only is he funny but he can also take a joke better than the others.
And finally, in season 2 a third man was added to the show. James May, or Captain Slow as he is often referred to, is a techie. He can repair cars and loves all the little details that most of us pay no attention to. He could go on for hours about how an engine runs, and is often considered the most boring of the crew. However, he still has a great sense of humor and plays off the other two perfectly. He graciously accepts his position as the butt of all jokes and has some skill when he decides to get them back.
Together these three will have you laughing no matter what you think about cars. Their antics are great, they play jokes on each other, and they will constantly try to one up each other.
The show itself is a mix of car reviews, track tests, celebrity races, car news, and challenges. Challenges are the highlights. The producers are vicious when setting them up, and there are a couple of times where it seems like they are actually trying to kill the guys. Sometimes the guys will even come up with their own crazy challenges. This show is brilliant, even if you are like me and find the actual car talk boring.
If you want to find a great jumping on point watch one of the specials where they go someplace and do an all episode challenge. America 1 or 2, Vietnam, Sahara, Antarctica, all of them are great. Then you can watch some normal episodes after. One warning, the early seasons are more serious and car focused (though still funny and often crazy) while the later seasons have a bigger focus on the guys doing stupid stuff.
Here is an example of them being idiots:
Here is one of the specials (part 1):
This show is on Netflix, go watch it.
Oh and finally, the American version is an abomination and I will say no more about it.
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"Hope is allowed to be stupid, unwise, and naive." ~Sir Chris