A show's missed opportunity.

"davlac89" (davlac89)
05/03/2014 at 17:15 • Filed to: None

I've always liked TV shows about cars. Especially the one in which they build cars. The thing is, I had never found a show in which, in all honesty, they did cars that I mostly thought were cool, cars I would own. But then, something happened...

It was early in June 2012. As I was surfing online looking for a new TV show, I fell upon the words Fast N' Loud . Out of curiosity, I got the first 2 episodes. I watched them on the spot, and a weird feeling came to me. ''Wow, I think we got something over here!'' For the first time, the vehicles on the show were appealing to me. I thought that even though that salt-and-pepper dude was mildly annoying, if they went on feeding me with brown hot-rodded Model A with 4-bangers and Olds 88 with 303s, I might have finally found ''my''show. As the early seasons went on, everything was just getting better, '64 Galaxie, '32 Pontiac and even a Gasser, this show was a real treat. Until a certain Ferrari pointed the tip of her bumper...

That Ferrari was a F40, a wrecked F40, and this was the cliffhanger at the end of the 2nd season. As the 3rd season started and they begun rebuilding the hot-blooded Italian machine, I started to have a weird taste in my mouth. The 3rd season rolled on and I was less and less in a hurry to get the latest episodes. What was happening?

By the end of the 3rd season I had finally diagnosed the issue. The show that had started in a small garage, with less than a handfull of mechanics, a weird owner and real cool builds had switched from being about the cars, to being about the characters. For the petrolhead, it was doomed. The quest for the perfect show was on again. It had gone from a niche ''car guy'' TV show about amazing hot rods, to being a general family, reality TV show about a Bar N' Grill and a long ''beard''. And as it went on, it got more and more obvious that a ridiculous amount of the footage was staged, or as I would say ''fake as f*ck''.

In the end, I admit it, I still watch it. I can't help it, as long has there will be cars in it, it will have a tiny bit of my interest. But sadly I'm just not excited anymore about the next episodes.

Lately, I regained hope in the gods of car TV shows, as in the same way I had found Fast N' Loud , I found Restoration Garage . It is flawed, but seems to have potential.

Have a good evening OPPO ;)

DISCUSSION (11)

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > davlac89
05/03/2014 at 17:20

Wheeler Dealers

TheJWT > davlac89
05/03/2014 at 17:21

If you haven't already, check out Roadkill on Youtube. It's infinitely better than anything on TV. (US TV that is...)

davlac89 > TheJWT
05/03/2014 at 17:26

Good Lord, you are right sir! But Roadkill being as of now produced online on the Motor Trend's Youtube channel, I didn't qualify it as the usual 45 min slot regular TV show. But I admit, as automotive entertainment goes, it's the best you can get now!

Dave Hays > davlac89
05/03/2014 at 17:43

My son and I still watch the show. I agree that things seem to focus on the people more than the builds. Probably why some have left the show for oilier pastures.

I hope that they get back on track.

djmt1 > davlac89
05/03/2014 at 17:44

Thanks man, I found the show around that time as well but under slightly different circumstances. The website I used had an alledged problem of someone posting straight up hardcore porn. Anyway the mods said the problem was fixed so imagine my suprise when I look up the newest episodes to find 'fast n loud' anyway against my better judgement I opened the link as it was a bit of a sore thumb name wise. So here I was expecting porn and getting ready to look for a new stream site when I see burnouts, busted cars and beards. I realised this was a car show I somehow missed and gave it a shot and was glad I did. With Top Gear's series shortening and /Drive's content relatively short this was a welcomed addition to my weekly viewing schedule.

However there has been problems lately and I wasn't sure why but your post put it best. I gave that show a shot and stayed with it as despite the reality tv look it was about the cars and I even liked the Ferrari series. But. WTF, why we spending most of the episode at a bar, why we following Richard gone his random adventures, why aren't we seeing cool cars. I was getting ready to call it quits but mercifully the series ended.

Luckily I saw it on Tv again for the " UK Premiere" and thought why not and good news the show seemed to return to what made it so great, sure there have been wobbles here and there but anything is better than that bar nonsense. In the end, thanks again this had been bugging me for ages and you put it better than I could.

Vince-The Roadside Mechanic > davlac89
05/03/2014 at 17:50

I agree I am also mad they fired Tom.

Svend > davlac89
05/03/2014 at 17:55

Watched a few episodes of Fast and Loud and each one I watched just got worse for me. The one with the big beard (Aaron I think, not sure) seems an honest and decent guy who has a real interest in cars while the rest I either can't understand what they are saying or too much into theatrics and over dramatising events.

Thankfully here in the U.K. we've got some good car tv on at the moment with 'car sos', 'for the love of cars' and at a push 'wheeler dealers'.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Vince-The Roadside Mechanic
05/03/2014 at 18:18

Really though, if his lateness and ability to fuck everything up wasn't staged, then I don't see the problem.

BJohnson11 > TheJWT
05/03/2014 at 22:04

I hate to say it because I love Roadkill so damn much, but I feel as if the last few episodes have slipped in quality. Sure, it's tough to do something as awesome as going to a junkyard and throwing nitrous on a Barracuda that hadn't ran in years every episode, but the Corvette episode was fairly weak and the Rotsun had SOO much potential yet I feel like the episode just wasn't as great as it could have been (still good). The Charger was a great episode, but Roadkill is slowly moving towards TV, and whether it's just not enough build ideas (can't blame em) or having to be more sensible, I'm not a huge fan of the more recent shows.

crowmolly > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
05/08/2014 at 14:36

WD is hands down my favorite one of these shows. I think it's because they took the reality drama and threw it in the fucking trash where it belongs. And Edd shows REAL work and repairs with reasonable monetary amounts.

If WD was an American show they'd force Mike and Edd to bicker and use musical cues to build drama.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > davlac89
05/09/2014 at 01:50

Yeah it was like the first season (maybe 2) of Orange Country Choppers, when they showed how they did the stuff. Then it became grown up male soap opera.