I assume a good deal of you have already seen episode 1. Some may even know the British version.
As someone who helped bring THE CHASE to the US successfully, not to mention considered an awful lot of other imports over the years, I'm curious what those of you who are the most likely viewers would think.
I have very distinct thoughts of my own, but I'll defer them until others offer them.
Thoughts on Patton are secondary.
So... having watched the British and the Australian version extensively, and having a family who will care a LOT about the Mexican version when it launches later this year...
It's weaker than the other English-language versions. It's not bad, and I think the things that need improvement are less extensive what we saw in the first season of The Chase.
My first concern is... honestly... the pacing of the banter. I think Patton needs to move a bit faster to allow more room for conversation in between questions. One thing Lee Mack's rapid pacing does a good job of is keeping up the show's energy in between questions. That doesn't translate here. Understand, that's not about quality of content so much as quantity. He just speaks... so... much... slower and it hurts a bit. But that can be fixed by coaching.
I also felt the question stack on the preview episode was a bit on the easy side, but I'm assuming either 1) they picked this episode for the preview for that reason or 2) the casting process chose different qualities and they made easier questions to match, or 3) American show = easier content. Time will tell.
I think the graphical changes are a mixed bag. Not a fan of the numbers behind the contestants. Not a fan of moving the clock to the top of the screen. Neutral on the animated contestants in the background of the logo. I liked other changes.
I do appreciate that they largely kept to the spirit of the show in the round and didn't try with too much fuckery beyond that.