For a show with speedy vehicles at its disposal, Jeremy Clarkson's latest project The Grand Tour has surely taken some time in getting itself ready for a viewing audience. The Amazon project has been in development for over a year now, and there hasn't really been much of a release window outside of "late 2016." Now, we finally know when it will stream its burned rubber for fans: Friday, November 18. Just in time for that most non-British holiday, Thanksgiving.
The Grand Tour, with its swanky logo, will take former Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May and put them right back behind the wheels of some of the sweetest automobiles on the planet, as well as some other forms of travel. (I'm hoping to see Clarkson ride on an alligator.) After that initial premiere, The Grand Tour will make its way into your living rooms and elsewhere every Friday. That should inspire quite a lot of weekend warriors to hit the road.
Amazon is likely hoping that landing Clarkson, Hammond and May will drive up subscriptions for Amazon Prime, as well as episode-by-episode orders. Top Gear was an international phenomenon, and after Clarkson got fired early last year, it was obvious that a lot of the show's audience was in it more for the personalities than the concept. And it was made more obvious when the new version of Top Gear debuted this summer to disappointing ratings. (Far from the only problem that reboot had.) It'll be interesting to see if November brings a ton of good news for Amazon.
One reason why the company is almost definitely looking to make some money on The Grand Tour is the enormous price tag that came with the 36-episode order. Of course, it was revealed that a big chunk of the fees come from the use of 4K film equipment, which was apparently something Amazon really wanted, despite the money and obstacles. It might have been cheaper on Netflix, but we'll never know.
Below you can see where some of that money went, as the announcement came coupled with a snazzy teaser. Check it out!
So remember to make sure your oil and other fluids are in line and that your tires have enough air in them, as The Grand Tour is going to tear some roads up when it first hits Amazon on Friday, November 18. You can currently head to the show's site to watch some behind-the-scenes videos that are sure to get you revved up and plenty more car puns. To see when everything else is coming back to the small screen, check out our fall premiere schedule.
