The Great Escapists

This is a fantasy sitcom about two guys who get stranded on an island. One guy desperately wants to get off the island, while the other wants to stay and enjoy it. They build ridiculous contraptions in their efforts to either stay or to enjoy themselves. The two guys happen to be Richard Hammond and Tory Belleci playing themselves. OR This is a parody fantasy version of what would happen if Richard Hammond and Tory Belleci got stranded on an island together.

Once you realize what this show is, you might find it funny and cute. If you sit down thinking that it's a documentary / reality show / builder show, like Top Gear, Grand Tour or Mythbusters, you're going to be disappointed. It's a fantasy TV show. Or it's a parody. Or it's Gilligans Island where Tory and Richard play themselves. After I accepted that, I enjoyed the stupid humor and binge watched the whole season. I hope they make more. I've enjoyed Hammond and Belleci over the last 20 years and thought they were fun together. I hope they make more of these or that they do some kind of other show together.

The negative reviews are really the result of expectations minus reality.

Warning do not watch this, it's unbelievably shallow, contrived and nonsense lol. Right, now I've got that out of the way, let qualify that statement. It should read, do not watch it with your grown-up brain engaged, people, giving it a right slaying but failing to get that it's definitely aimed at kids. I sat for the first 15 mins with my head in my hands, turned and looked at my 8yo and he loved it. So forget the science, acting, depth, building, survivorship and everything like that kind of Bear Grills type show. It's entertainment for kids and in that context it works better than first thoughts.

OK, definitely no Swiss Family Robinson. And zero authenticity, which is disappointing. But It's filmed in a nice location and you could imagine this fitting into a monkey island computer game in a way. Shame that Hammond has to rely on using the Clarkson name for entertainment rather than relying on his own reputation. Definitely the least meritorious of the Three G. T. presenters spinoff shows bug entertaining all the same.

I have never watched Top Gear and I have no idea what Mythbusters is. So these guys are new for me. As I dont have any previous experiences which fills my head and creating bias in my view, I watched this with fresh mind... and liked it!

Yes it's not big deal, yes it's not very much creative but scenery is excellent and it's lighthearted fun for passing time.

Also I couldn't smile at the adorable cuteness of reviewers who complain that "this is scrpited" :D Guys, this is TV! When did you see anything NOT scripted here? Still this show is way more natural than any news broadcast that any mainstream channel shows these days!

This show had so much potential to build on previous formats like Scrapheap Challenge, Mythbusters, Bear Grylls, Top Gear, The Grand Tour etc. Hammond and Tory are both fantastic presenters and the location is beautiful but the content is edited so poorly that it feels like a trainee swept up all the clippings off the floor and spliced them together in the dark.

The sequencing makes zero sense, there are scenes which clearly refer to earlier ones which have not yet been shown and what the hell is the part about recounting the story to interrogators? Were they 20% short on material and got as drunk as possible to come up with this idea for a filler?

All in all, I am very dissapointed but believe this series could be saved. Pull the show now, edit it properly and include more of the actual making process and you'll have at least a half decent show. As it is, it is simply not worth wasting your time. 1 out of 10 - must try harder!