Done with GBBO after one appallingly unjust episode. Alternative?

October 16, 2023 7:21 AM

I need a cozy alternative to Great British Bake Off

[Spoiler] I will not watch another episode after Amos was so absurdly and illogically kicked off. But it was so nice for a second there to feel like I was settling into a new season of a comforting, personality-focused show like that, and I really do need some comforting tv right now. Any ideas? I typically dislike ‘reality tv’ beyond GBBO, but I’m desperate for something. I usually gravitate strictly towards Science Fiction media, often with a humorous angle but not exclusively. If things are interesting personality-wise, I can overlook a lot. For instance, Billions is the last thing I would normally watch, but the sense of delving into personalities did engage me. I also like nonbinary representation, so the character of Taylor was enough to keep me interested too. But I need an engaging show with more warmth right now. Any ideas? I’ll try anything.

posted by asimplemouse to Media & Arts (36 answers total)

Sounds like you're open to different types of shows? Some shows I find personality-focused and comforting or full of heart, from a smattering of different genres, include:

Schitt's Creek
Making It
New Girl
Derry Girls

I've also been meaning to check out the Great British Sewing Bee and the The Great Pottery Throw-Down, for more direct analogues to GBBO.
posted by mosst at 7:30 AM on October 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

Have you seen Face Off? It's the best reality TV show, even better than Bake Off, yeah I said it.

It's a competition show from the SyFy channel for SFX makeup. Unlike cooking or whatever, which I alas cannot eat through the screen, I have 100% of the faculties required to judge if makeup intended for screen viewing is indeed good to view on screen.

The judges and guest hosts are all industry professionals with actual hands on experience. The makeup actor models are also really talented and get coaching.

And then finally because the industry is so small and requires so much team work, everyone just cooperates. There's no shitty backstabbing like so much of competition TV. Everyone's pretty chill with each other and gets their work done.

It's obviously a different vibe than GBBO (monsters, aliens, gore, horror, too many teeth) but it's very very nice.
posted by phunniemee at 7:35 AM on October 16, 2023 [15 favorites]

Are you mad a GBBO original only? Because there is a Canadian version you might be able to access with completely different judges. Season 6 in particular might interest you if you want non-binary representation on your shows.

There's a show called School of Chocolate that's on Netflix that I liked because it's a reality competition show, but no one ever gets kicked off.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:39 AM on October 16, 2023 [4 favorites]

There's only one season, but Jim Henson studios did a reality/competition show in 2014 that I quite liked - and not only because I was dating a puppeteer at the time. :-)

It was blissfully drama-free - the feedback from the judges was always constructive, and in the cases of negative feedback, all of the contestants' reactions were something like "yeah, that's fair".
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:41 AM on October 16, 2023 [4 favorites]

Great Pottery Throwdown (by the same producers as GBBO, I believe) is incredibly touching and warm. 5 seasons available.
posted by Pantengliopoli at 7:44 AM on October 16, 2023 [30 favorites]

The Great British Sewing Bee and the Great British Pottery Throwdown to a lesser extend have not suffered from the same fate as GBBO. They fit the niche of what GBBO did in terms of low key, friendly competition from seemingly good humans.
posted by furnace.heart at 7:46 AM on October 16, 2023 [19 favorites]

Response by poster: I’m so sorry for the spoiler btw!!! I wish I could edit the title!!
posted by asimplemouse at 7:52 AM on October 16, 2023 [3 favorites]

Not having a telly, I have limited experience here. But I have enjoyed Richard Osman's House of Games, whose conceit is 4 very minor celebs competing for very small prizes. There is a bit of gentle ribbing, but the vibe is wall-to-wall low stakes nice.
[TMI alert]: Now here's a weird insight into the mechanics of making House of Games. The programmes come in a batch of five going out at 1800-1830 hrs Mon-Fri on BBC2. Obviously, for something that gives the appearance of being shot in real time, it would be a huge drain on everyone's schedule to spend a week . . . in Glasgow . . . to compile 2.5 hours [say a day's work with bloops, fluffs, outtakes and re-shoots] of material. I'm told that all five episodes are shot back-to-back in a single day's studio-time. So when Osman wraps up Tuesday's prog with a rhetorical flourish "Today's winner is Jason Celebski. Shall we play again tomorrow and see if the winning streak continues?". What he means is "listen up everyone, you have 45 minutes to shrug into a different set of clothes, refresh your studio make-up, have a cup of tea and a pee and sink back into these same chairs for the next episode".
posted by BobTheScientist at 7:53 AM on October 16, 2023 [4 favorites]

Seconding the great Canadian baking show
posted by leslievictoria at 7:54 AM on October 16, 2023

Repair Shop?
posted by maryellenreads at 8:00 AM on October 16, 2023 [15 favorites]

If you have access to the Australian version--the Great Australian Bake Off, which just concluded its 7th season (so lots of prior seasons to binge)--watch it. It's better than the GBBO.

To clarify: The bakers are all skilled, the hosts are affable and fun, and the judges know their stuff. No strange dynamics, no spectre of Paul Hollywood creepiness.

I agree with other commenters that the Canadian version is also great. Probably also better than the British version, as is the Great Kiwi Bake Off.

But seriously, go for Australia if you can find it.
posted by yellowcandy at 8:01 AM on October 16, 2023 [2 favorites]

Junior Bake Off also has different judges and is delightful.
posted by HeroZero at 8:03 AM on October 16, 2023 [8 favorites]

Go back to season GBBO Season #1. Also, for the GBBO, sometimes to a viewer, the decisions are questionable, but if you watch the special features and tell-alls, they don't really call out all the times that food is almost inedible. Which is part of the kindness.

So take that into account that you can only see and not taste the food.
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:04 AM on October 16, 2023 [8 favorites]

Blown Away on Netflix is a reality competition about glass blowers. I only saw/remember Season One, but it was good: The host was kind of meh but the judges were interesting, and the contestants were warm and supportive and genuinely talented. (It's a pretty small niche!) I think they may have tried to shoehorn in some sort of rivalry toward the end, but throughout the season you could definitely sense a deep respect between the competitors and a profound love of the art form itself. Also it's fun to learn about glass blowing!
posted by mochapickle at 8:06 AM on October 16, 2023 [14 favorites]

Go back to season GBBO Season #1. Also, for the GBBO, sometimes to a viewer, the decisions are questionable, but if you watch the special features and tell-alls, they don't really call out all the times that food is almost inedible. Which is part of the kindness.

Seconding, and Sue and Mel are lovely, as is Mary. I hate Noel so I stopped watching because of him.
posted by mochapickle at 8:07 AM on October 16, 2023 [6 favorites]

I was also going to recommend the Canadian version of the GBBO (I believe it's called the "Great Canadian Baking Show"). I found it more cooperative and a lot more positive than the British version. The hosts (not the judges) on the first two seasons (Dan Levy and Julia Chan) are just delightful, too -- they have a lovely rapport and just seem to be having so much fun. They were really much more of a presence on the show than the hosts on the British version.
posted by number9dream at 8:16 AM on October 16, 2023

Miriam and Alan: Lost in Scotland
Celebrity Antiques Road Trip
posted by indexy at 8:24 AM on October 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

The repair shop is excellent, pleasant, chill.
posted by chasles at 9:03 AM on October 16, 2023 [3 favorites]

The Big Brunch, hosted by Dan Levy of Schitt's Creek (which I second as a comfort show), felt akin to early GBBO to me. Lovely, interesting bunch of contestants who cheered each other on and helped each other out. And Dan is a charming host. I wish there was more than one season.
posted by EvaDestruction at 9:03 AM on October 16, 2023 [5 favorites]

Not reality TV, but you might really like Rutherford Falls (though it only got two seasons and was cancelled). Great and nuanced characterization, funny, and has wonderful nonbinary representation.
posted by carrienation at 9:13 AM on October 16, 2023 [2 favorites]

Can’t quite tell if you’re up for fiction - thinking possibly you are as you mention Billions - if so, Detectorists is absolutely the thing. Also Ted Lasso, though there are one or two baddies in there alongside all the feel good stuff, so YMMV. But really, Detectorists.
posted by penguin pie at 9:24 AM on October 16, 2023 [2 favorites]

Thirding Repair Shop. It's very chill and there's no competition aspect, so as much as there's "drama" it's of the "will the client like this?" variety. It's so soothing watching conservation experts work.

Your mileage may vary (I personally don't quite vibe with it) but a lot of my friends like Escape to the Country, which is people shopping for rural homes, and there's usually a bit of local history or craft. The tone is very relaxed and kind.

Pretty much any of Monty Don's work is also going to give you those kind of GBBS-when-it-was-better vibes--he's an English gardening expert who has done many shows over the years. Big Dreams Small Spaces is a very gentle yard-makeover show, and Monty Don's _____ Gardens (French Gardens, Italian Gardens) is more cerebral and historical--for example, he visits a chateau garden and discusses how it was affected by the French Revolution and then WWII. He's very warm and charming and I like how he talks to the people he interviews.
posted by Nibbly Fang at 9:28 AM on October 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

The Makanai is a short Japanese televisions series on Netflix about girls training to become geisha in a historic district in modern Kyoto. It's a gentle show about the friendships they form. One of the main characters is the cook for the communal house, and every episode features a traditional Japanese dish that she makes for a holiday or an emotional event in the house.
posted by tofu_crouton at 9:36 AM on October 16, 2023 [5 favorites]

youtube.com/c/Taskmaster !!
posted by lolibrarian at 9:38 AM on October 16, 2023 [8 favorites]

Dancing with the Stars is, I've realized, the show I like the way I like GBBO because everyone seems so genuinely nice and excited for each other (with some exceptions).

If you like personality driven dramas, I'm currently working through "The Fosters" after having watched "Good Trouble" and although they have some after-school-special type story lines, for the most part, I love watching the people on this show interact in a way that they become almost real.

Also, The West Wing, always.
posted by dpx.mfx at 9:52 AM on October 16, 2023 [2 favorites]

For cozy "we're all in this together" reality TV, The Great British Sewing Bee, and Making It are both great. For Sewing Bee, start at season 5 or later. The earlier seasons are good too, but Joe Lycett is a terrific host and definitely brings a lot to the show.

Making it really feels like
a Parks and Rec spinoff with Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman, but it can veer into twee sometimes (especially the holiday baking version Baking It), but that might not be a bad thing.

Outside of reality TV, Sprung is excellent. It is set during early COVID, but it is honestly the most heartwarming show I've seen in a while. I'm not sure how to describe it - maybe if you take the doing-crimes-for-good from Leverage but remove all of the stakes and add in adorable characters? Just watch it. Martha Plimpton is so much fun in it too.

Lodge 49 is my go-to for cozy TV, but it might not be for everyone. Sure, it does start a little slowly, and it is about the soul-crushing nature of capitalism and the hollowness of the American dream, but it ends up as the warmest collection of characters on TV ever, with a great surreal/magical realist mood.
posted by Garm at 10:52 AM on October 16, 2023 [3 favorites]

My goodness, have you seen Nailed It? It's a baking "competition" show, and yes, it is a competition, but it's between home bakers with no astounding level of skill asked to make typical baking-show fancy creations, and the results are HILARIOUS! What makes it fit your question for me is that the judges look for bright spots through their tears of laughter and everything is so warm and upbeat. It's so kind! Highly recommended.

Other options, depending on what you have access to:
-the later the season of Top Chef, the more warm/collegial/supportive. It's gone from "I'm not here to make friends" to "I am ABSOLUTELY here to make friends and maybe cook a little"
-If you have Disney+, The Muppet Show is a delight.
posted by epj at 11:25 AM on October 16, 2023 [2 favorites]

I know it's been mentioned above, and it seems odd as an alternative show when 'arbitrary judging' is your problem, but Taskmaster is a great choice. It has a set of 5 comedians compete to complete tasks over the course of the series, and the joy is in how they accomplish them. The judging is arbitrary, but the stakes are so low and everybody stays. You get to learn and appreciate the personalities of the contestants as the series goes along.

A thing that might be important for you to know is that Alex Horne, the Taskmaster's assistant, is actually the brains behind the show; he developed it, is the producer, it's even his band playing the theme song. He's realized for comic purposes it works a lot better with him as the feckless assistant and someone else as the thundering authority figure, which is why he's hired Greg.

As a Bake Off fan, I recommend starting Taskmaster at Series 4, which includes Mel (just after she left GBBO), Noel (just before he joined GBBO) and as mentioned above future Sewing Bee host Joe Lycett. (As far as I know, the only nonbinary contestant to date is Mae Martin, series 15.)

PS: Top Chef turns collegial somewhere between the New Orleans and Colorado seasons, although the Los Angeles All Stars 2 series brings back a few jerks from the "not here to make friends" days.
posted by Superilla at 11:42 AM on October 16, 2023 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: So many of these seem like they’ll hit the spot, thanks so much everyone. (Also, I know I’m being a lil histrionic about the judging, and I’ll probably relax about it soon. My ‘justice’ meter is always tuned super-rigidly at the best of times, so I do tend to overreact to this kind of thing.) Thanks again!
posted by asimplemouse at 1:24 PM on October 16, 2023

I'm a hobbyist glassblower and have definitely watched Blown Away, but it's not really the cozy vibe I think you're after. The judging sometimes seems a bit arbitrary, and the producers are doing their best to ramp up the drama. Some seasons the contestants play into it, others, not so much. After season 3 (which was relatively lovely, all contestants friendly to each other), they were explicitly looking for more drama as they cast the (not yet aired) season 4.
posted by Metasyntactic at 2:12 PM on October 16, 2023

I can't deal with Blown Away at all; they kick good people off way too early to the point that I'm screaming at the TV.

Junior Bakeoff is really good, but... there are problems. The kids losing makes me cry worse than regular bakeoff people losing, which also makes me cry more than I like to be made to cry by a stupid gameshow about baking. Junior... Oh, God, it's giving me pain even now. Okay, the other issue there is that there are kids of all ages packed in together and it's sometimes spectacularly unfair when you've got somebody 14 or 15 with upper body strength near adult levels and near-grown-person height and coordination competing with an eight-year-old who can't reach the freezer, who's opening the oven and their sweet, hopeful little face is like 12 inches from the "360 fan" blast of heat issuing forth from where they're trying to bake their gingerbread representation of their dad riding a bicycle. They can't hold a full piping bag because it's too heavy and unwieldy, so then end up frosting mostly themselves and the counter and floor and not achieving their imagined perfect, whatever, lemon orange peanut poppyseed rhubarb cake in the shape of a soccer pitch with them kicking a goal. It can be nothing short of Dickensian in pathos levels achieved.

Competing with my urge to completely hate it and never let it brighten my screen again are the many and completely believable and compelling scenes of kids helping out other kids and cheering and crying with the other kids when they succeed or fail. It is at once the sweetest and the most painful of all the bakeoffs I have seen. Definitely give Junior a try.
posted by Don Pepino at 2:30 PM on October 16, 2023 [3 favorites]

You might like The Repair Shop. Nice people bring in their busted heirlooms and a team of experts fix them. They talk about their things and where they came from and the experts explain what they're doing. There's no competition element, but it's still very engaging.
posted by blnkfrnk at 2:57 PM on October 16, 2023 [2 favorites]

I want to echo the recommendation for The Great Pottery Throw Down. It's completely lovely. I'd start with series 4 or 5 -- it took the show a few seasons to really find its feet, I think. Plus series 5 has a nonbinary contestant. :)
posted by peperomia at 3:21 PM on October 16, 2023 [2 favorites]

Faking It was recently posted to FanFare. It's a competition show but of a completely different sort. You might like it.
posted by sardonyx at 6:09 PM on October 16, 2023

While I do enjoy Taskmaster, and nobody gets kicked off, I should say: if injustice is what bothers you, then you will be better served elsewhere.

If comedic, inconsistent, and obviously petty injustice is fine then go right ahead!
posted by Acari at 6:22 AM on October 17, 2023 [1 favorite]

We had a joke that The Repair Shop was for days when GBBO was too stressful. There's no competition involved, so nobody gets kicked off. People bring in antiques that are damaged and a team of extremely competent people repair them in ways that sometimes seem impossible and the owners come back and thank them and say how wonderful it is. That's pretty much the show. I don't think there are many seasons of it but it might last you a little while.

There's also the pottery version of GBBO and I'm forgetting what it's called but it's very similar and the judges are very nice and one of them constantly cries when he's talking about someone having done well, but no guarantees on this one as people do get kicked off and you might disagree with the decisions.
posted by less-of-course at 7:12 AM on October 17, 2023 [2 favorites]