Season 1 |
Episode Guide
Qualifier 1: Ready to Launch
Qualifier 2: Roll the Dice
Qualifier 3: Enter the Assassin
Qualifier 4: Go Hard or Go Home
Knockout 1: Head to Head
Knockout 2: Checkers or Wreckers
Knockout 3: Track is Hot
Wild Card: A Chance at Redemption
Semifinal: Last Chance
Finale: The Monster
Hyperdrive’s biggest problem also happens to be Netflix’s achilles heel. If there was ever an argument against releasing an entire season in one go – Hyperdrive is it. Acting as the racing equivalent of Ninja Warrior and Wipeout, this 10 episode racing series sees talented drivers from across the globe competing in one of the most elaborate, high-stakes obstacle courses ever designed.
The premise is very simple. Gathering some of the best street racers from across the globe, this knockout competition pushes its competitors – and their cars – to the absolute limit in a number of challenging and elaborate obstacles. At the end of each run their time is recorded, with each qualifier seeing 12 racers compete. The top 3 times qualify for the knock-out rounds while the bottom 3 are eliminated from the competition completely. The middle pack of racers are then forced to compete again in another qualifying round. With each episode ending on a cliffhanger, oftentimes partway through races (except for some of the later episodes), there’s a real incentive here to watch more than one at a time.
The competition continues through knockout rounds to the semi-final, which sees each of the familiar obstacles we’ve become accustomed to made even more challenging, with extra targets, turns and speed required to push racers to their limits. The final six racers who survive this then compete for the coveted title of champion in the exhilarating hour-long finale.
From drifting through water to hit targets through to gut-wrenching 6-storey high suspension bridges, Hyperdrive peppers its episodes with enough excitement and thrills to make for a really enjoyable competition. Unfortunately the experience feels more like a high-speed drag sprint than a stylish, 3-lap race, dropping all episodes at once and failing to build any sort of hype for its finale.
Because of this, Hyperdrive is probably the most frustrating show I’ve watched this year. As I watched through all 10 episodes, I couldn’t help but feel this reality series would work far more effectively if the episodes were released one or two a week, building momentum, and an audience, along the way for a hyped-up finale. Unfortunately, in Netflix’s eagerness to drop the series in one go, the finale lacks the same exciting tension and build-up other weeky competitions have, feeling ever-so-slightly anticlimactic despite some excitement late on as the racers compete for the best time. In this competitive wild-west setting of streaming services vowing for attention, Hyperdrive feels like a missed opportunity to capitalise on this.
Stylistically though, Hyperdrive adopts all the usual tropes you’d expect from a reality series like this. There’s a slew of slow motion shots of vehicles drifting and hitting targets, as well as some surprisingly effective split-screen shots that help show off the skilful moves racers adopt as they drift round tight corners and speed through targets. The over-the-top, dramatic music does well to build tension but it all feels standard fare for this sort of show.
With the presence of ex-UFC heavyweight Michael Bisping on commentary duties, the narration is hilariously over the top, exaggerating every move and mistake with an edge of UFC commentary to proceedings. Hearing the team gasp and shout or hilariously sprint for cover on a bridge overlooking the finish line are particular highlights here and certainly make this a bit of a guilty pleasure as you watch through.
Hyperdrive itself is incredulous enough to build a following through word of mouth and easy enough to watch in the background or as light evening entertainment. It’s disappointing then that like it’s previous reality ventures, including Awake and Blown Away, Netflix hasn’t capitalised on this idea out and released these episodes in chunks rather than in one hit. It’s something that’s been a big talking point with recent series on the platform too but here, in the reality TV market, Netflix could really benefit from slowing its roll and building a sustainable audience, incentivised to come back for more every week.
It’s not perfect, and there’s certainly room for improvement with this high-speed series but if you’re a fan of other reality competitions, Hyperdrive is the perfect nitrous-fuelled competition you’re looking for. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel but it does deliver something that’s sure to whet the appetite for car enthusiasts and competition-junkies alike.
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Verdict - 7/10
7/10
Scott and Taser Face it’s not scripted everything is real. and about diego higa going back on walk on water in KO3 there are rules stated that you can choose these go back to walk on water and maintain your car or rail slide risk your car’s suspension.
T.J The rack was removed in most rounds because of some obstacles like force perspective.
Rose just some horrible video edits i hope they can improve.
There is no way Diego got 35 seconds in penalties then completed leveler 8 second faster the leader at this point he is still 27 seconds behind then he misses one of the targets in the water goes back after missing it then has to go the long way to finish and he managed to beat the leader by 4 seconds . How did he make up the 27 seconds keeping in mind it took at least 10 seconds to turn around and get the target he missed and then get to the finish really totally bogus and scripted from day 1 who was going to win!!
keren bosku
I hope hyperdrive will get another season because it has everything that a car guy dream of. an autocross combined with drifting, drag racing, and circuit racing this is the ultimate test to the best drivers in the world. no doubt this is the best car competition that i ever seen By the way i hope they add more drivers, obstacle course but no water canons because of one accident and hoping sport car manufactures and professional drivers will be interested to be part in this competition.
Designing hazards that destroy the cars regardless of the drivers skill is a old ploy that still gets ratings. Looked like a demolition course by episode 7. Feel sorry for those that were screwed by this production. Very sad a potentially great show had to be ruined with suffering and well lit broken glass. Reality is reaching reality shows making them depressing and failures . Is it about success or engineered pain for profit. Wish this show continued to be a fun to watch.
While I think Diego Higa performed brilliantly in the competition, he shouldn’t have been allowed to go back into the water track.
The course of the track was to go through the rail slide at the end and he missed the 2nd water track mark.
Other racers missed it too, but did they have the opportunity to go back? Not a mention of it.
They bent the rules so he could win IMO as it would have left him in second if he had to follow the course correctly with the penalty.
To me it felt very scripted in the last minutes of the finale without a proper follow up and interview of each driver.
Well done to Fielding Shredder to come back so strong and claim 3rd.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching it though, looking out for season 2 ;).
Please add captions for all the foreign languages. I enjoy the show but would like to know what is being communicated. Not to mention, viewers need to learn the back story so we can identify with the drivers. C’mon, add captions. I love the show but want just a little bit more. Thank you
I noticed the same things as T.J above, such as in Episode 3 “Qualifier 3: Enter the Assassin” Alexandre Claudin’s helment had a different number of signatures from scene to scene so no way that race was done in one go . Noticing little things like that kinda made it less enjoyable to watch myself.
On last chance Graf in the BMW had nothing in the roof rack at the start of the race then the next clip there was something on there!! Bad editing meaning they take the best footage and cobble it together maybe!! Too much hype and imaginary drama and too many presenters. But not to bad! Do I get a prize for spot the difference?
On episode 5 the beamer definitely would’ve had the huracan whether it was the front of his car or the back. He was swinging the back. I think it’s unfair they aren’t strict on the rules until the more intense and better laps. Let alone the beamer won by all means. Hyperdrive is super hyped just to get streams I assume.
Thank you for commenting, really appreciate the alternate view. Personally, I have no issue with binging a show through but I also think momentum for a series like this builds with word of mouth too. There’s a lot of shows that have grown audiences over the weeks and become really popular thanks to lasting appeal but the drop off rate for this may be a lot higher than it otherwise would be with an episode-a-week adoption.
I guess the point I was trying to get at was will there be people talking about Hyperdrive a month or 2 down the line or is this a fleeting, spur of the moment show?
Thanks again for commenting and reading our review!
Greg Wheeler.
But nobody forces the viewer to watch all episodes at once. If people had a bit more character one could easily watch just one or two episodes each week and get the momentum you mention. Just because all episodes is released all at once doesn’t mean you have to binge them.