TV power couple

Texas' famed Joanna and Chip Gaines unveil first 10 shows on new Magnolia Network

Chip and Joanna are taking over the old DIY Network.

Photo courtesy of HGTV

Chip and Joanna Gaines have the guts to take on a Fixer Upper-free future. And fans finally get to see what it looks like.

Two years after saying goodbye to the HGTV show that became a worldwide phenomenon, the Texas TV power couple is ready to unveil their cable channel, Magnolia Network. The official launch of Magnolia Network — which will take over DIY Network — has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, they announced recently.

But in an April 26 special called Magnolia Network: A Look Ahead, the couple gave viewers a sneak peek of 10 shows coming to their network, plus a few teases about how the Gaines family will be featured, too.

"The aim of our network will be to tell good stories — stories that unite instead of divide; stories that serve to inspire and uphold beauty; stories that entertain and draw out curiosities; stories that feel like home in all the ways a home should feel," they say on the network's website.

Readers of their Magnolia Journal will recognize the same kinds of inspiring stories now coming to life as series on TV. They'll focus on people who are living life passionately and authentically, the Gaineses say. They will cover topics the couple themselves are passionate about: home design, restoration, and renovation (of course!), as well as gardening, cooking, wellness, business, family, and traditions.

"We knew we wanted this to be a very well-rounded place where you could come, you feel like it's time well spent," Joanna says in the preview. "And we wanted to make sure that families found this as a time when they could come together and enjoy programming that left them feeling encouraged and inspired."

Here's a quick look at the first 10 shows they've slated:

Home on the Road
The show follows musicians Abner and Amanda Ramirez, better known together as Johnnyswim, as they navigate life on tour with their two young children and one on the way. The Ramirezes are good friends of the Gaineses (their song "Home" was the Fixer Upper theme song) and reportedly were the first to be approached about a show on the network.

Restoration Road
Fixer Upper favorite, carpenter Clint Harp, travels around the United States to help chronicle restoration of significant structures. In the preview, he visits the Philadelphia area to check out a 270-year-old inn where George Washington once stayed. He'll follow it as it's deconstructed, moved to Texas, and restored to operate as an inn once again.

Family Dinner
Celebrity chef and veteran TV host Andrew Zimmern explores life, love, relationships, and family traditions around the dinner table. "Family dinners are like church and group therapy and game night combined into one," Zimmern says. He'll engage with families about heirloom recipes, cooking through the generations, and more.

Growing Floret
Erin Benzakein, the founder of Floret Flower Farm in Washington state, embarks on a major expansion, growing her family-run, sustainable flower farm from two acres to 20. Not everything comes up roses along the way.

The Fieldhouse
Justin Bane, a former Baylor University football player whose NFL dreams got dashed due to injury, helps people navigate their own wellness journeys at his 20,000-square-foot gym called The Fieldhouse in Abilene.

Inn the Works
Lindsey Kurowski and her three siblings head up a team taking on the restoration of the 1920s-era Oak Knoll Lodge in Big Bear, California — without closing it to occupants while they do the work.

deVOL Kitchens
The design show goes inside the work of England-based deVOL — headed by Paul O'Leary and Helen Parker — as they create and build dream kitchens for clients. "I always want somebody to walk into their kitchen and feel that it's their favorite room in the house," Parker says in the preview.

The Lost Kitchen
Maine restaurateur Erin French runs her farm-to-table eatery The Lost Kitchen with a unique reservation system: potential diners must mail a postcard and be selected by French and her all-female staff. She's not attempting to serve the best meal in the world, but "I'm trying to make you feel the best feeling in the world, and there's food involved," she says.

Super Dad
Taylor Calmus, an actor-comedian and DIY guy known as "Dude Dad," guides intimidated dads through kids' projects (think backyard playgrounds) so they can "bring their kids' dreams to life and become their heroes in a whole new way," he says.

Home Work
Married couple Candis and Andy Meredith, who once starred in the HGTV series Old Home Love, take on their biggest project yet: converting a three-story, 20,000-square-foot abandoned schoolhouse into a home for their own family of nine.

The network also promises plenty of Gaines family footage. On the heels of her second cookbook release, Joanna will be cooking with friends. And Chip will get plenty more "demo day" action as they continue to take on big renovation projects around Waco.

"We're excited about what's next," Chip says in the preview. "And honestly we're excited to introduce you to more shows and more people that I hope you'll engage with just like you engaged with us in Fixer Upper."

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Movie Review

Dark comedy Oh, Hi! takes relationship anxiety to the extreme

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Logan Lerman and Molly Gordon in Oh, Hi!.

Movies that depict new or burgeoning relationships tend to focus on the romantic side of things, as the prospect of love is intoxicating whether viewers are in their own relationship or not. Less often depicted is the awkwardness and confusion that can arise when getting to know someone new, something that is done to extreme effect in the new film Oh, Hi!.

Iris (Molly Gordon) and Isaac (Logan Lerman), who’ve been dating for a few months, decide to take a weekend getaway to the country, which for them means a small town called High Falls, New York (a broken welcome sign has Iris mistakenly call it O High Falls). Having rented a farmhouse for the weekend, the new couple get strawberries from a roadside stand, enjoy the charming nature of the countryside, and, of course, have sex.

The discovery of some S&M gear in the house inspires Iris and Isaac to get a little kinky. But some post-coital talk turns tense when Iris gushes about how happy she is to have a great boyfriend, and Isaac, still chained to the bed, tells Iris that he doesn’t consider them to be exclusive. This revelation breaks Iris to a degree, and instead of unchaining him, she uses his vulnerable position to try to convince him that they should be together.

Written and directed by Sophie Brooks, the film is initially an interesting twist on the anxiety that can come with new relationships. Typically manifested in things like obsessing over what to wear or when to call/text someone back, Brooks and Gordon (who came up with the story together) instead decide to go all in on a woman acting “crazy” when confronted with information that doesn’t match her reality.

Iris’ bad decision to keep Isaac chained to bed and obliviousness to the off-the-wall way she is acting are heightened for effect, although the feelings she’s experiencing remain relatable despite her actions. The conversations Iris and Isaac have, as well as the Google deep dives Iris does to try to discover ways to get Isaac to see the error of his ways, are light and funny despite the seriousness of the situation Iris has created.

Brooks brings more characters into the story by having Iris call her best friend Max (Geraldine Viswanathan) for help, with Max deciding to bring along her boyfriend, Kenny (John Reynolds). Although their presence adds to the humor of the situation, it also distracts from the main point and leads into some territory that gets a bit too broad. If the story had remained just Iris and Isaac, it might have been able to dig a little deeper than it actually does.

Gordon, who might be best known for playing Claire on T he Bear, does a great job of playing all sides of Iris, from sassy to manic. Although what her character does isn’t defensible, Gordon keeps her likable throughout by never going too over the top. Lerman, a rising star in the early 2010s when he played Percy Jackson, settles nicely into a more adult role, and he too never overplays the absurd situation.

There are no real insights in Oh, Hi!, but it’s a pleasant watch that accomplishes the goal of delivering a completely different type of romantic comedy. Unless viewers have had an experience with someone who acted anywhere close to Iris, they should be able to enjoy the movie thanks to the committed performances of Gordon and Lerman.

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Oh, Hi! is now playing in theaters.

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