Verdict:
This is not a linear professional documentary one would expect.
First, it needs to be noted that although the premise indicates that the show will talk about a whole bunch of countries these guys pass through, that is not the case. There are only 7 episodes (10 + special features in the special edition) and there is no way you can cover all those countries in a meaningful manner in that time.
So instead, the show concentrates on events in Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Russia.
Secondly, the structure of the show is very…non-existent. Even though there is a whole support team assembled and following our two hosts, the show feels more like it is someone’s home-video. This is not necessarily a bad thing.
This documentary is like a good home-cooked meal, with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman in it. Rather than a full documentary with narration about the local culture, it concentrates primarily on the encounters with the weird characters and situations that these two guys found themselves in.
Would it have been better to have a proper 10-episode production that covered all the countries they rode through, including Europe and US? Yes, but this off-beat version was cool too.
Because there is a film crew and actors involved, the two travellers at the centre get a lot of attention from various people and governments, which makes their experiences feel unrelatable. You and I, we would not get police escort through Kazakhstan. This may seem like a good thing, adding to content, but it creates a distance between them and the cultures they encounter.
Nonetheless, it was still very personal and interesting. The two main characters, being friends, have a good chemistry. Definitely worth a watch.