If you’re a fan of cars, British programming, and all things charming, you are likely aware ofTop Gear. The long-running BBC show is simple in its pleasures – give some delightful onscreen personalities the chance to drive all kinds of dope cars in all kinds of dope terrains, and let the good times roll. Now, the good old U S of A is getting its chance to join in the automotive revelry.Top Gear Americais coming to subscription streaming service MotorTrend in the spring of 2020. Andas reported by the magazine-turned-network, it’s found its hosts:Dax Shepard,Rob Corddry, andJethro Bovingdon.
Shepard and Corddry are both comedic actors you likely recognize. Shepard has appeared inParenthoodandBless This Mess. He’s from the Motor City (Detroit for those uninitiated) and has loved cars his whole life: “Cars are my full-time hobby. It’s the only reason I act: to acquire money to buy s–t that you put gas in.” By his estimate, the man currently owns around 17 cars and trailers on his ranch, and has some surprisingly technical opinions on race tracks and car parts. Corddry, known forChildrens HospitalandBallers, is self-admittedly less technically profound than his new co-star: “I made a choice to not get all bogged down in the details… I’m just gonna fool them for as long as I can. And then they’re finally going to be like, ‘Wait a minute, this guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Let’s get some boring dude in here.'” Something tells me Corddry will be anything but boring on-screen. As he puts it, “If we’re ever given a script, I promise the viewers that I’m going to light it on fire and throw it away.”
So who is Jethro Bovingdon? If you’re already a fan of MotorTrend, or of car culture in general, you may know his name. The Brit appears on several programs for the burgeoning streaming service, and is quite the racer. Or, in his words, “I love cars, I love driving cars, and I love doing stupid stuff in cars.” Bovingdon spends much of his time with a litany of incredible cars on incredible tracks. But he’s got some stiff racing competition – and not just with Shepard or Corddry. Joining the trio will be the mysterious Stig, an anonymous masked racer from the original series who sets lap times and never reveals his face. But Corddry has a strategy for dealing with him: “They gonna want me to wrestle the Stig? I’ll wrestle the Stig. I’ll Greco-Roman wrestle the Stig.”
Top Gear Americawill come to MotorTrend in the spring of 2020. For more on Shepard, here’sourCHIPSinterview with him. For more on Corddry, here’saDaily Showreunion onStephen Colbert. And for more on those metal machines that go “vroom, vroom,” here’sour review ofFord v Ferrari.
