Grand Tour Season 3: Final go around for current format

The Grand Tour Season 3 is underway and the biggest news is that this is the last go around for this particular format. Well, let’s take that back a bit. Basically, the “tent” that was suppose to travel the world and instead ended up mostly in Jeremy’s back yard is done at the end of this year, and the Grand Tour Season 4 is suppose to be a little bit different. Let’s have a look at Season 3 so far and look at what’s suppose to be coming for season 4.

First off, I am three episodes into Season 3 at this point. The first episode was the standard three guys in the tent with a drooling audience, going through the motions as they have done for probably 20 years now. It’s actually not bad, and the whole Detroit thing was actually pretty cool. However, I felt like they were trying just a wee bit too hard to touch all the normal things that they do every time out, the same ribbing, the same name calling, the same silly “we can’t do this because so and so said so” stuff. It’s all just a tiny bit contrived, a little too obvious. But these guys know cars, they know settings, and they know how to power slide some pretty impressive cars.

There was also Jeremy testing out a car (McLaren something, I think) and then their test driver who remains entirely nameless took it for a timed lap and of course, it spanked everything else they had by a couple of seconds. While I never enjoyed “The American” in season 1, having the test driver now be both mute and unnamed seems like a bit of an extreme over-reaction.

Episodes two and three are a two part romp through Columbia in 4 by 4s looking to shoot animal pictures for amazon’s front page or something. The car choices were (as always) a little contrived, Jeremy with the supposed best choice, James with the small but mighty underdog whatever, and Hammond with a massive lifted 4×4 American pickup. I honestly much prefer when they have to either buy local or are given more or less equal starting points. This one seemed a bit of a setup and to a certain extent, it was. The good news once again is the guys had quite an adventure, the scenery is amazing, and the crew doing the filming got the very best out of the location and the action. Not their best ever romp, but certainly visually enjoyable.

Hopefully, the rest of season 3 turns out to be a little more unique and a little less cookie cutter. It’s bordering on self-parody at points, which is really too bad.

Now The Grand Tour Season Four is apparently going to have some changed. Or there isn’t going to really be a Grand Tour Season 4. Essentially, the show will be diminished to a series of specials, that may or may not include all of the group at any one time, and those specials will be sporadic in nature and not at all a season. While Amazon will continue to be the home for these three:

Jay Marine, vice president of Prime Video said: “We’re proud to say that Prime Video will continue to be the home for Jeremy, Richard and James, They’ve got some ambitious new ideas that Prime members are going to love. We’re excited to be bring more Clarkson, Hammond and May to Prime Video for years to come.”

So take that for all it’s worth. Meanwhile, enjoy season 3 on Prime.