Magnolia Network: More HGTV Than HGTV

[Automne]

If somebody comes with with a more clever subtitle, by all means.

Since the channel has launched on Discovery+ and will soon takeover DIY Network, it's time for it to have its own topic.

I've been watching on Discovery+ and...I don't hate it. It's basically what HGTV should have been all this time. It's not a 24/7 Chip + Jo show. I actually haven't watched her cooking show or the new FU episodes. There are plenty of non-competition food shows, gardening shows, renovation shows, and interior decorating shows. I do truly appreciate that there are actual baking shows that aren't ridiculous competitions *gives Food Network the hairy eyeball*. And I'm enjoying the DeVol Kitchens show. I've been following them on Instagram for a long time and have serious kitchen envy.

It's all definitely in JoJo Gaines' beige farmhouse aesthetic, which is a pro or a con depending upon your viewpoint. It's giving basic bitch, but I actually don't mind it. It's comforting like a pumpkin spice latte.

The other thing I appreciate is that from the outset, they have more diversity as a baby network than Food Network and HGTV in the almost 30 years those channels have existed.

[Spunkygal]

I’m glad you’re liking the network, but I don’t know anyone IRL who subscribes to it. I do look forward to reading yours and other viewers’ reviews of the shows but I just can’t shell out for another channel.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Starting 5 January, 2022, Magnolia will take over DIY channel, and it will be regular cable.    

[annzeepark914]

2 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Starting 5 January, 2022, Magnolia will take over DIY channel, and it will be regular cable.    

That sounds good to me. I'm tired of all these new channels that I have to pay extra for...not when we pay enough for cable already (well, for a gazillion shows that I mostly have *no* interest in).  

[SusanwatchingTV]

I follow Save 1900 on Facebook, which is the page for the couple that have the Saving Galveston show on DIY. They just announced a few days ago that they'll be part of the Magnolia Network lineup of shows, so I'm very happy about that.  I hope that also means Stone House Revival and Restored will still be on that network.

I'm also hoping that the popularity of the new Magnolia Network will mean that Xfinity will put that channel on their regular channel lineup service. Right now it's on IP which means it isn't available on my TiVo.  I can only get it with an Xfinity DVR.  For now I'm watching on D+ which I get free through Verizon.

[chessiegal]

The new network pulled one of its shows - Home Work, after accusations of shoddy workmanship by the hosts, Andy and Candis Meredith.

Home Work pulled from Magnolia's line-up.

Quote

That all unraveled on Wednesday, when accounts surfaced detailing alleged overcharges and shoddy work by the Merediths on some prior renovations. While all of the shows on Discovery’s roster have demonstrated that renovation projects often can run into delays and overages, the specific charges against the Merediths also allege poor communications when things went south on their dealings.

 

Edited January 8, 2022 by chessiegal

[Automne]

I saw the reports this morning. The Merediths claim it's a hit job because the allegations are becoming public right when their show premieres, but it's at least three different couples that have similar complaints. Also, the show has been out on D+ for a while now; it's only premiering on TV with Magnolia Channel's official takeover of the DIY Channel.

[SusanwatchingTV]

I was both surprised and unsurprised by those reports this morning.  I watched the first few episodes on D+ and liked the idea of it and was interested in what the school would turn out like, but I really didn’t like their style and the parts of the show where they worked for other people didn’t seem like they went well, and I really hated their designs. I wouldn’t let them pick anything for my house.

 

I don’t like the timing of this, but I guess it’s what they felt they had to do to get Magnolia’s attention.  I would have just filed suit immediately, while the show was on D+ rather than waiting for it to be on the channel, but I guess they got what they wanted - attention.  Hopefully the Meredith’s make it right.

[stewedsquash]

I am just starting to browse the Magnolia channel over the last couple of days and have started to record a few of the new shows. 

I watched the previews a few months ago of Jo's cooking show and I loved it then and when I was watching a bit as it was recording earlier while I was cleaning up my house I realized I still love it. While I do watch her house shows and like all of the Gaines, I think I like her cooking show more. I don't gravitate towards her design choices but I am going to absolutely make some of the foods from her two shows so far. 

I will probably get reamed for it but I also admire that they took a chance and said to each other (I am thinking this). "just a show? nah we are going for a whole network". I hope they and their family continue to thrive, along with the shows and people that they are bringing along with them.

 

[chessiegal]

1 hour ago, stewedsquash said:

I am just starting to browse the Magnolia channel over the last couple of days and have started to record a few of the new shows. 

I watched the previews a few months ago of Jo's cooking show and I loved it then and when I was watching a bit as it was recording earlier while I was cleaning up my house I realized I still love it. While I do watch her house shows and like all of the Gaines, I think I like her cooking show more. I don't gravitate towards her design choices but I am going to absolutely make some of the foods from her two shows so far. 

I will probably get reamed for it but I also admire that they took a chance and said to each other (I am thinking this). "just a show? nah we are going for a whole network". I hope they and their family continue to thrive, along with the shows and people that they are bringing along with them.

 

Chip and Jo are not my cup of tea, but if you are enjoying them and the other shows on Magnolia, I don't think you need to apologize for it. Enjoy in good health.

[SusanwatchingTV]

3 hours ago, stewedsquash said:

I am just starting to browse the Magnolia channel over the last couple of days and have started to record a few of the new shows. 

I watched the previews a few months ago of Jo's cooking show and I loved it then and when I was watching a bit as it was recording earlier while I was cleaning up my house I realized I still love it. While I do watch her house shows and like all of the Gaines, I think I like her cooking show more. I don't gravitate towards her design choices but I am going to absolutely make some of the foods from her two shows so far. 

I will probably get reamed for it but I also admire that they took a chance and said to each other (I am thinking this). "just a show? nah we are going for a whole network". I hope they and their family continue to thrive, along with the shows and people that they are bringing along with them.

 

I don't cook, so I hadn't planned to watch the cooking show, but I do like Joanna's natural way of talking in the previews I've seen so I've decided to check it out.

I don't know how exactly the new network came about, but it has long seemed to me that the DIY channel needed an overhaul, so I'm happy to see some changes.  I like several of the shows, but it was feeling a little stale to me overall, so I think this will be good if it's done well and I do like several of the shows.  The Clint Harp traveling show is really wonderful, imho.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I loved the Fixer Upper Welcome Home first episode.   

I applaude them for pulling Home Works.    I read a couple of articles about that show, and the behavior of the hosts, the time lines, and the massive budget overruns are awful.  The shoddy work was expensive to fix, and that's unacceptible.    When there are three homeowners coming forward with similar stories, then something is very wrong with that show.    

[stewedsquash]

5 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Chip and Jo are not my cup of tea, but if you are enjoying them and the other shows on Magnolia, I don't think you need to apologize for it. Enjoy in good health.

I didn't mean to come across as apologizing and I probably could have just left that thought off. I do watch whatever I want and enjoy what I want yet I guess I had a moment of remembering how a lot of people hate watch stuff,ha. 

Home Work I am not at all familiar with, haven't even seen any promos for it. Shallow and judge-ey on my part but I don't think I would even want to watch the show, just going by the affected looks of the two hosts. I have tried to watch that Fabulous to Fixer(?) show and I get the same feeling for those two, not their looks but their personalities. 

So far I have had Zoe Bakes, that lady from Maine (can't remember her name or the show!) and Zimmer's show, Family Meals (?, again I can't remember the name of the show) and they seem interesting. Although I think the Zoe lady will annoy me. And the lady from Maine seems to be a little bit of Vivian Howard-ish from A Chef's Life. Hmmm, I wonder why Vivian hasn't worked her way into Magnolia? I did check out her newest cookbook from the library and she said honestly that if she had not shut down her restaurants she would be a divorced woman. Ha.

[stewedsquash]

On 10/17/2021 at 12:03 PM, SusanwatchingTV said:

I follow Save 1900 on Facebook, which is the page for the couple that have the Saving Galveston show on DIY. They just announced a few days ago that they'll be part of the Magnolia Network lineup of shows, so I'm very happy about that.  I hope that also means Stone House Revival and Restored will still be on that network.

I'm also hoping that the popularity of the new Magnolia Network will mean that Xfinity will put that channel on their regular channel lineup service. Right now it's on IP which means it isn't available on my TiVo.  I can only get it with an Xfinity DVR.  For now I'm watching on D+ which I get free through Verizon.

Is it Saving Galveston as in a new show or the Restoring Galveston show? 

[chessiegal]

20 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

Is it Saving Galveston as in a new show or the Restoring Galveston show? 

Looking at the channel lineup for the upcoming weeks, I'm seeing repeats of Restoring Galveston starting Friday, January 21 at noon. I think the OP meant Restoring Galveston. I don't see a show called Saving Galveston, but Mr. Google tells me Restoring Galveston and Saving Galveston are one and the same show.

Scrolling through the Magnolia lineup I see lots of marathons of old shows pulled from other channels - HGTV, FN, Cooking Channel. New content seems sparse.

[RoxiP]

I watched all the episodes of Home Work.  I liked it (I was also unemployed and didn't have much to do).  They basically renovated this huge school, and also would show historically correct renovations they would do for their clients and their various properties.  Their taste is not mine - some of their renovations were way too fussy and specific for me but this was their house, and seeing how they came up with their ideas to transform these oversize spaces was interesting.

[Minivanessa]

On 1/8/2022 at 4:32 PM, chessiegal said:

The new network pulled one of its shows - Home Work, after accusations of shoddy workmanship by the hosts, Andy and Candis Meredith.

Home Work pulled from Magnolia's line-up.

I found this topic here at PTV to see if this has been discussed. It has. Good. 

On 1/9/2022 at 2:02 PM, chessiegal said:

Chip and Jo are not my cup of tea, but if you are enjoying them and the other shows on Magnolia, I don't think you need to apologize for it. Enjoy in good health.

They aren't my cup of tea either.  I watched the first couple of seasons of FU, and i got tired of seeing the same old same old display of Jo's smarmy taste, and Chip's increasingly hammy behavior for the cameras. My reaction to them started as, oh that's a nice couple, but now it's different. They ring my BS-meter pretty loud, but they have zillions of devoted fans who line up to buy their merch and coo over their shows, so more power to them.

I hope the DIY shows that I like, will end up on HGTV, but I suppose I can't avoid the Magnolia Empire completely and will finally watch a show or two on that network. The Gainses have been very savvy at building their business empire. 

And, as @chessiegal said, nobody has to apologize for enjoying/liking/loving whatever shows or personalities they do. Even Chip and Jo. 

[chessiegal]

6 hours ago, Jeeves said:

They ring my BS-meter pretty loud,

Me too.

[SusanwatchingTV]

I'm not a huge Chip and Jo mega fan or anything, but they seem very normal to me.  Chip is almost a cookie cutter copy of the class clown from my high school days. That type of guy is common enough around here.

Jo's style is very Texas. Shiplap is under almost every wall of any old house you find here, so she was really in many ways, restoring those old houses to their glory days of shiplap walls and exposed brick.  I still have relatives who live in shiplap walled houses, some which have never been covered.

I enjoy their show and their style, and I'm liking what I've seen of the network so far.

I watched the first episode of Magnolia Table and actually thought I might be able to try those recipes!  I was shocked at how straightforward most of it was, and she seems so natural. I enjoyed it.

I noticed that they're bringing back Home Work after a review of the situation. I had a feeling they'd work it all out.

https://www.deseret.com/2022/1/14/22883714/home-work-hosts-magnolia-network-utah-renovation-show-ulled

 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I'm not going to watch Home Work.     I don't like the explanation the hosts gave for taking many times the timeline, and massive budget overruns, plus complaints of shoddy work that had to be redone.      I really don't care to hear anything else from the hosts, after they claim that the entire controversy was a plot against Chip and Joanna.    

[rcc]

2 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I'm not going to watch Home Work.     I don't like the explanation the hosts gave for taking many times the timeline, and massive budget overruns, plus complaints of shoddy work that had to be redone.      I really don't care to hear anything else from the hosts, after they claim that the entire controversy was a plot against Chip and Joanna.    

I could never stand her anyway. Now this revelation makes this show a no watch for me.

[SusanwatchingTV]

I can understand that and more power to you  (I, too, feel free to not watch programs or people whose values clash with mine), but I feel the opposite.  It's pretty obvious that there's a lot of hate and bullying aimed at the Gaines and their network because of their religious views, so this kind of attack doesn't really surprise me.  I want to support them just due to that kind of bullying.

I watched the first few episodes of Home Work and all the people they worked for were really wealthy privileged types, so I'm not really feeling that sorry for them, and the timing of this "revelation" and not handling it like any other person would do with any other contractor just turns me off of any sympathy.   

Plus I really want to see that completed school house.

[Chit Chat]

On 1/22/2022 at 5:14 PM, SusanwatchingTV said:

Plus I really want to see that completed school house.

I remember when the promos for the Magnolia Network aired (1-2 years ago?), and Home Works was one of the shows I wanted to see, but I didn't want to pay extra for the streaming service.  Now that it's on DIY/Magnolia with Dish Network, I tuned in to see how their school/home reno was going.  I will probably continue to record the show just so I can see how their home turns out.  I love seeing old buildings like that repurposed.  

I've only seen the first episode, and I really hated the reno they did for that couple (copper tub/green everything.)  It does appear that dark green is on trend now.  I love the color, but I once painted a bedroom in Hunter Green and figured out that I'm just not that bold of a person!  I lean toward neutral colors, but in the right space, I think it can look good on cabinets and walls, but not so much when everything is painted in one color!!  I hate to hear that the Home Works couple are in trouble though.  I hope it's not true, but it doesn't sound good.  

I'm loving the Zoe Bakes show.  I like the way she explains each step in her cooking process, rather than to just mix things together!  Her home is a beautiful backdrop for her show too.  

I'm still posting on Chip & JoAnna's new Fixer Upper show on the Fixer Upper forum (in case anybody was wanting to discuss that specific show there).  

[stewedsquash]

I had Magnolia on while doing other stuff and caught a bit of Home Work last night. Just casually looking I grudgingly admit that I want to watch it, ha. I want to not like them for some reason but I want to see the school finished! I will wait to form an opinion afterwards on the controversy with the other homeowners. I am slightly leaning towards it being overblown with a bit of ill intent thrown in towards the hosts by the homeowners. 

I also have Zoe Bakes, The Lost Kitchen taped but haven't fully watched an episode of either. I did watch the end result of the train car on that Harp show! I loved the finished product. I haven't liked much else of that show. Again, I am just catching glimpses of Magnolia lately since I am in a dry spell of actually sitting down and watching a complete tv show lately. I have so much to catch up on before I die, ha. 

One irritation I have come across is that the guide is sometimes mislabeled! I was somewhat watching a repeat of a new Fixer Upper episode and when I checked the guide while watching to see what episode it was, the guide said I was recording The Lost Kitchen! So I guess when I start watching some more Magnolia episodes that have been recorded I might get some surprises. I hope not.

[Chit Chat]

5 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

I will wait to form an opinion afterwards on the controversy with the other homeowners. I am slightly leaning towards it being overblown with a bit of ill intent thrown in towards the hosts by the homeowners. 

I've only watched the first episode, and I liked them.  Like you, I'll wait to hear the facts about the complaint before commenting on it.  For now, I'm just in it for the school reno!!  

7 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

I also have Zoe Bakes, The Lost Kitchen taped but haven't fully watched an episode of either.

I wanted to like The Lost Kitchen, but I was kind of bored with it.  Probably because it's showing them navigating their business from 2 years ago when the shit hit the fan with Covid.  I might tune in later on once they get things going again at the restaurant.  I'm trying not to get too many shows on my DVR.  I get overwhelmed when there's 10+ shows waiting for me to watch!  

[SusanwatchingTV]

I haven't tried the Lost Kitchen. I'm not into food so I usually don't watch the food oriented ones, but I'm still enjoying Joanna's cooking show. She's funnier than I realized.

I'm re-watching the school house show and enjoying the school house parts. I'll keep fast forwarding through their renos for other people, though.  I just didn't like the ones I've seen.  I think I watched the first 3-4 episodes before I dropped my D+ sub.

I'm still enjoying the Clint Harp show, but it moves too slowly.  Thank goodness for the FF button.

[RoxiP]

The Lost Kitchen and Growing Floret are both favorites of mine (I am one of those people who actually subscribe to Discovery Plus since I cut my cable cord last year).  I also like the Clint Hart show but do agree that it goes a little slowly.  Fixer to Fabulous took a while to grow on me but now it's one of my favorites.  If you like gardening watch Home Grown.  It is about a woman who establishes gardens in urban neighborhoods.  She is truly fabulous.

Edited February 2, 2022 by RoxiP

[CrazyInAlabama]

I really like their new shows.   First Time Fixer, which is a mix of a few flips, and the rest are people fixing up their own house is a really good show.    Some Chip and Jo help, with the Waco residents, and sometimes over video call.     No one is a total danger, like on the old  reno amateur shows.    One recent one was a designer in Waco, redoing a house she bought there, and she also appeared on Jo's design staff. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I loved all of the First Time Fixers, a lot were Magnolia employees doing fix ups on their house.    I really like Making Modern, with Brooke (a phamaceuticals rep for her day job, and she's the builder), and Burke (orthodontist by day, and he's the designer).    However, the first episode is what looks like a big house, and they want a room changed for the woman's father to visit a lot.   So, they put the two little girls in the same room, with bunk beds,  and still have a big oversized toy and play room.   I find it hard to believe that a big house like that only has three bedrooms, and not a den or big office that would be easier to change to a bedroom for the other little girl. 

I really like the Magnolia Workshops series too, and some of the other new shows.  Self Employed, is a man in Dallas / Ft. Worth, who goes to visit local entrepreneurs and find out their story, Magnolia Table is fun too,   I really like For the Love of Kitchens, a British import with small kitchens.  

Edited May 15, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[tvchick]

I decided to binge For the Love of Kitchens today and I'm hooked.  I was particularly smitten with the fourth episode which was focused on a small flat in St. Ives, a coastal town in Cornwall.  Paul, one of the principles in the series, was from the area and he purchased the flat in a six unit terrace as a vacation getaway/rental.  Of course, the renovation that was shown was primarily a kitchen and living area and they used cabinetry removed from their show kitchen. 

What captivated me was the location.  I'll never get to SW England to see St. Ives, but it was amazing.  And I can understand why Paul and his partner Helen would want to spend time there. 

[ChelleGame]

On 6/18/2022 at 6:01 PM, tvchick said:

I decided to binge For the Love of Kitchens today and I'm hooked.  I was particularly smitten with the fourth episode which was focused on a small flat in St. Ives, a coastal town in Cornwall.  Paul, one of the principles in the series, was from the area and he purchased the flat in a six unit terrace as a vacation getaway/rental.  Of course, the renovation that was shown was primarily a kitchen and living area and they used cabinetry removed from their show kitchen. 

What captivated me was the location.  I'll never get to SW England to see St. Ives, but it was amazing.  And I can understand why Paul and his partner Helen would want to spend time there. 

 I really love that show. I was especially enchanted by the castle in Cornwall, and the couple from House of Hackney. That property was amazing. A nice show. They all seem like real artisans.