The Ten Best Non-Car TV Shows For Gearheads
Top Gear UK is off the air until 2013 and you can't survive on Rutledge, Tanner, and Adam alone. Luckily, Jalopnik readers picked out ten TV shows that have nothing to do with cars, but are so packed with automotive eye candy you won't even miss your TGUK friends.
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Why it's a fix: National Geographic's factory show has visited Ferrari, Rolls Royce, Corvette, Lamborghini, Audi, Maserati, and Porsche workshops. It's not about track tests or whatever Clarkson is shouting about, but it's got quality car porn.
Photo Credit: Ultimate Factories
9.) The Simpsons
Suggested By: Ravey Mayvey Slurpee
Why it's a fix: From Mr. Burns' Stutz Bearcat to the Canyonero, to the Homermobile, The Simpsons has had some great car-nerd moments. You won't find any glorification of Lambos, but you'll get some quality satire of American car culture.
Photo Credit: The Simpsons
8.) The Legend of Korra
Suggested By: StreetsideStig
Why it's a fix: It's a kid's show, but it's a kid's show with steampunk racers. If you're going to watch something with your offspring or pint-sized relatives, this is the way to go.
Photo Credit: Legend of Korra
7.) American Pickers
Suggested By: Brian, The Life of
Why it's a fix: Along with the shows of its ilk, like Pawn Stars and Storage Wars, American Pickers is a guilty pleasure. Still, it often drops knowledge on vintage bikes and cars, making it a cut above the others.
Photo Credit: American Pickers
6.) James May's Man Lab
Suggested By: MannyBones
Why it's a fix: This one stretches the rules a bit, as it really has nothing to do with cars or vehicles of any kind. If you want a great show by a Top Gear presenter with a few more wheels, check out Hammond's Crash Course. Man Lab, though, covers everything from making your own toilet paper to building your own bar, to cheesily wooing ladyfolk. It's surprisingly brilliant.
Photo Credit: James May's Man Lab
5.) Burn Notice
Suggested By: Picklehaube
Why it's a fix: Aside from the regular car chases, the main character drives a sweet, all-black '73 Dodge Charger. There is also Bruce Campbell. That is all you need to know.
Photo Credit: Burn Notice
4.) Supernatural
Suggested By: stratity
Why it's a fix: Hokey shows about hunting chupacabras and demons might not be your thing, but it's hard to argue against one of the best casts of cars on TV. Even when the characters have to hijack some crap ride, they still manage to find themselves in a rusty 1970 Challenger or a V8 Nova. The '67 Impala dubbed "the Metallicar" is in nearly every episode and it's by far and away the star of the whole show.
Photo Credit: Supernatural
3.) Breaking Bad
Suggested By: 87CE 95PV Type Я says GO CELTICS GO!
Why it's a fix: Breaking Bad is excellent not because they throw sexy cars onscreen and just hope it sticks, but that the cars are all perfect for their characters. It's called car casting. The main character has an olive green Aztek, there's a sweet '81 Monte Carlo, a 4WD '86 Toyota Tercel, and a Volvo wagon. What makes them great is how well they're integrated into the story.
Photo Credit: Breaking Bad
2.) Archer
Suggested By: Altemus Prime
Why it's a fix: There's a single episode where the drunk psychotic/sometimes spy Sterling Archer has to join what is basically the Monaco Grand Prix in 1960s Formula One cars. Archer just says, "This might be hard to drive with such a huge, throbbing erection." The whole show is like that, and it's full of Challengers and chases, too.
Photo Credit: Archer
1.) Mythbusters
Suggested By: waveridin1959
Why it's a fix: Sometimes you really couldn't give a shit about what a car does from 0-60. You want to know if a car would be faster if it drove backwards. You want to know what happens when a car gets crushed between two eighteen-wheelers. These are the kinds of questions Mythbusters asks, along with all kinds of other fairly nerdy mechanical explosioney tests.
Photo Credit: Mythbusters