Saying Goodbye...It's The Hardest Thing

 Years ago I happened upon a little British show called Top Gear. There were several things that drew me to the show. Of course, the cars, but they also had excellent cinematography. If you doubt me, check out the years between 2004 and afterwards (I'm sure the episodes preceding 2004 are excellent as well, but I found the show a few years later...). Even my wife loved watching--and she's not necessarily a car person.

All those things help add to the show, but the genius behind the show's success is because of three people...Jeremy, Richard, and James. I know in the history of comedic teams, duets flourish, but on Top Gear, it's the trio.

The boys were fired in 2015 and created another show on Prime TV. They called it Grand Tour. They tried to follow the previous show's format, but eventually it devolved into a season of epic adventures across the world, and next month...apparently...it all ends.

Bummer.

To say they'll be missed is an understatement, at least for me. The chemistry between the hosts is almost impossible to duplicate. We've known them for decades, at least their TV personas. I know there's no way we actually know them, but they connect on on such a personal level, they seem like they'd be a blast to chill out with.

Those of you who enjoy and watch the show know exactly what I'm talking about. BBC struck gold when they assembled this amazing team.

Seriously, it's time. Nothing last forever. After more than two decades they are closing the book on this chapter of their lives. Yes, I'm sad, but also happy they are able to pursue other ventures. It's rare when people create such art disguised as entertainment. God speed, boys. You done well.

Introducing The Younger Generation To...Jeremy, Richard, And James

My wife and I found ourselves watching the early episodes of Amazon's Grand Tour. We'd seen most of the newer season offerings, but we missed many of their first couple of years. Grand Tour, and before it, the original Top Gear is one of the most entertaining shows on TV. Usually, after dinner, the kids return to their rooms to work on their projects. Lately, though, our youngest..

Sat in and watched Grand Tour with us.

Now, he's hooked.

And, why wouldn't he be?

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May are an almost perfect entertaining trio. Their personalities, incredible writing, and beautiful cinematography create a trifecta of fun. My wife and I have enjoyed Top Gear for years and years. We tried watching the later renditions of Top Gear, including the American version (which we liked...), but the cannot hold a candle to the original.

Currently, we're watching the Lockdown episode where each chose an enormously huge 1970s American car for their transportation. Another classic.

We'll soon run out of shows for our son to watch, which will be sad. I'm hoping there will be more seasons for all of us to enjoy, but I'm glad we were able to convert at least one of our children to the miracle that is Grand Tour. Happy to know our parenting hasn't been a complete disaster.

Man...I've Missed These Guys!

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My son, the student, recently signed up for Amazon Prime. Students apparently get a killer deal when it comes to Amazon Prime. And I support that. There are many deals, advantages, and perks to being signed up for this service. But one I looked forward to utilizing was watching three British journalists talk about cars. Yes, I'm talking about Grand Tour.

I assume most of the fans of the Jeremy Clarkston, Richard Hammond, and James May trio have already signed up for Amazon Prime and therefore, have watched all the episodes. We're usually late to most parties, especially if attending the party comes at a price. In other words, we're cheap.

But thanks to the student discount, we get to enjoy the show (we're still cheap, of course...).

I watched the premier on my iPad and took several screenshots to use for this blog post. When I went to post them here, they were completely black. I guess all images are protected. I hope it's okay to use the one I was able to download. It's not flashy, but you get the point. Too bad--the opening sequence of the new show is, in my humble opinion, brilliant. The music provided an emotional cherry on top of the entertainment experience.

Top Gear, Grand Tour's predecessor, was as good a show that's on TV now, or possibly ever. The cast is such a well-oiled (to use a car term...) comedic a troupe, many seasoned comedians might well be jealous of that chemistry. But what continued to impress me about Top Gear was its beauty. The cinematography for that show blew me away. They made the world's most beautiful cars even more beautiful. It was a pleasure to just sit back and watch the show for that reason alone.

I wondered if Grand Tour would live up to its earlier version. As far as the premier goes, it succeeded. The show, for the most part, followed their tried-and-true recipe, and why not? If it works, why change? It will be interesting to see how things develop for the rest of this season and seasons to come.

Yes, it's been a while since I watched the three men interact and test cars. You don't know how much you've missed something until it returns. Turns out, I missed them a lot.

* Photo used without permission from Amazon