Relaunched Top Gear gets social media drubbing

A beloved show undergoing an overhaul is bound to get a bumpy ride when it returns, but a vocal segment of Top Gear fans are giving the revamped BBC motoring show a vehement thumbs down. 

The internationally popular series debuted a rejigged version Sunday night after more than a year off and featuring a new cast, including central presenter Chris Evans and U.S. actor Matt LeBlanc among its fresh slate of co-hosts.

The season premiere drew an audience of between 4.3 and 4.4 million viewers, a figure that is expected to rise with repeat and on-demand viewings this week.

According to the BBC, Top Gear was the "biggest show at 8 p.m.," but some observers noted that the figure was low compared to past seasons premieres of the popular program. The negative criticism over ratings
and other statistics particularly seemed to irritate new host Evans.

Since the dramatic exit of former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson (following an off-air altercation) and the subsequent departure of colleagues Richard Hammond, James May and others, the BBC's decisions regarding the much-watched series have been intensely scrutinized by fans and TV observers — especially as Clarkson and crew quickly landed a brand new, big-budget motoring show set to air on Amazon (and recently revealed as The Grand Tour).

Evans earned the brunt of the backlash on Sunday, with fans largely lambasting the veteran British presenter for being too "shouty"  and seemingly trying too hard.

Praise for LeBlanc, Schmitz

Viewers were much kinder to LeBlanc, best known from TV's Friends as well as more recent series such as Joey and Episodes, and German professional race car driver Sabine Schmitz, with some declaring the two the best part of the new Top Gear. Other new co-hosts include Rory Reid and Chris Harris.

Television writers and critics were less inflammatory, but many found the debut —​ which included a segment with celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and actor Jesse Eisenberg — unimpressive and unremarkable, with the new, still-getting-their-feet-wet cast serving as the most significant change and producers eschewing any true innovation to the show's existing format.

"Same shtick, different presenters," read one review, while another proclaimed the revamp "reasonably slick and perfectly dull."

Still, some said they were willing to give the show some time for the new hosts to get some experience and improve their chemistry.

Others, however, said the new Top Gear has simply increased their anticipation for the yet-to-be-announced fall debut of Clarkson's The Grand Tour