Top Gear USA Reaches the End of the Road

–Top Gear USA, the History cable channel’s version of the long-running BBC automotive show, has been canceled. Co-host Rutledge Wood announced in posts on Facebook and Instagram on Sunday night that the episode set to run on June 28 will be the last to air on History.
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Top Gear USA had an uphill battle when it first hit the air. The show had to compete against the years-long popularity of the original BBC version starring Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May. In the first season, the U.S. version didn’t have the polished production or the unfakeable charm of the long-running British hosting trio.

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But U.S. hosts Rutledge Wood, Adam Ferrara, and Tanner Foust thankfully stuck with it. And as the trio worked together, they defined a Top Gear that could stand on its own, with enough unique features and local flavor to distinguish it from the British show it was named and modeled after.

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And as BBC Top Gear imploded in the wake of Clarkson’s firing, the History version offered U.S. viewers a distinct and sincerely enjoyable alternative.

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Of course, having a U.S. variant of the show only became more important when the BBC put in the original Top Gear for a full post-Clarkson revamp. While the BBC’s new six-member Top Gear team tries to figure one another out, having Wood, Ferrara, and Foust as the well-oiled U.S. team was welcome and refreshing.

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• In Colorado, a Big Budget and Crew Try to Make Top Gear–Style Magic

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It’s unclear what happens next. As Wood points out in his Facebook post, it seems like the History network has severed its ties with the program. Perhaps a different network, either on cable TV or online streaming, is interested in continuing with the show. We’ll just have to wait and see.

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This story originally appeared on Road & Track.

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from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com/top-gear-usa-reaches-the-end-of-the-road/