Hyperdrive is the brand new release from Netflix (August 21st 2019). A show that is unashamedly targeting the highly popular car show scene. It's like the reality version of Baby Driver! This intensely competitive reality TV show, pulls 28 of the best drivers from all over the globe. These drivers come from all walks of life, but one thing is equal, they all want to win and push their incredible cars to the absolute limit.
Now, let's make this clear, Hyperdrive is like no other car show ever made before. This is a motor show on steroids and it is not just the super-powerful cars that are over the top. Imagine the wildest scenes in the Fast and Furious and you are close to the end result. Only these drivers are racing against the clock in knock out rounds, displaying the most extraordinary skills. Not only that, they are throwing their muscle monsters around the biggest and most challenging obstacle course ever made.
The course is constructed at Kodak's Eastman Business Park in Rochester NY, a huge working industrial plant that provides an authentic street racing feel. As the show progresses, so does the course, increasing the intensity and testing the drivers' skills further. There are fast straights, huge fast corners, targets for the contestants to drift into. But obstacles like walk on water, the water canon and the enormous leveler test the vehicles as much as the driver.
One thing that is clear, Hyperdrive is a big-budget show. Executive producers Charlize Theron and Chris Cowan have admitted that it was impossible to stay on budget and it is easy to see why. Not only is it an incredible course festooned with so much lighting it must be visible from space, truly impressive. But the logistics and cost of shipping all of these vehicles from all over the world is mind-boggling.
For me, making Hyperdrive a truly international competition was a real masterstroke. The viewer gets an introduction to each of the drivers, where they are from and their lifestyles. Other motor shows tend to be quite tribal, so unifying the global codes gives a true sense that you are seeing the best in the world. Another nice touch is when Charlize Theron meets the contestant from South Africa in her home town, generating a real connection with the driver for the viewer.
The catch is, the whole thing is a little over the top. It's so brash and loud that it is almost like watching WWF wrestling. The presenters are constantly shouting Wow, Awsome, Amazing etc which can be incredibly annoying in the first instance. However, once you get past the first episode which is mostly build-up. It becomes easy to blank out the presenters and focus on the contest.
Hyperdrive is just great fun, you really don't have to be a die-hard motorsports fan. All of the contestants work well together, displaying great sportsmanship. But the bottom line is, the men and women drivers display breathtaking skills. As the contest progresses it becomes very infectious. And with ten shows averaging around the fifty-minute mark, it makes easy addictive binge viewing.
If you want to know more about the contestants on the Netflix Show Hyperdrive, why not check them out here.
