4. Baking It

The holiday magic

Peacock’s description ► “eight teams of two talented home bakers” are “judged by tough critics - four opinionated real-life grandmothers, who happen to be fantastic bakers themselves!”

why I recommend it ► Baking and judging grandmas?! Amazing.

where to watch ►

• subscription: Peacock

• free trial: Peacock Premium on Prime Video

Why you should watch

I enthusiastically recommend Peacock’s Baking It primary for its judging panel of four grandmas.

Yes, the show has assembled four grandmothers to judge its bakers. It’s quite clever—and actually works, too.

Baking It! is essentially Making It! with baking instead of crafting, with pairs instead of individual contestants, and with Maya Rudolph and Andy Samberg (in season one) instead of Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman.

The grandmas are Bubbe Norma, Gigi Sherri, Grandma Anne, and Nana Harriet. While the contestants are baking, they sit and chat.

They taste the teams’ desserts and don’t hide any of their pleasure. When it comes to giving feedback, they offer precise notes but are also empathetic. They’re as good as the best Food Network panel.

The contestants, in Amazing Race-like teams of people who know each other, are vying to win brooches that the grandmas pull out of their purses.

The grandmas also handle eliminations, which makes everyone emotional. “You’re not going to get out of here without a hug from Nana,” Harriet tells the first team eliminated.

The grandmas are helped by the fact that it’s easier to objectively and subjectively judge baked goods versus art made out of completely different materials, which may be one reason why Making It’s judging just did not work.

The show is a little generic when the grandmas aren’t around, but when they’re interacting with each other and the bakers, they make Baking It worth the time.

✨ 13 Days of Holiday Reality TV ✨

1. Ultimate Thanksgiving Challenge

2. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat

3. Finding Mr. Christmas

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