Can The Great American Baking Show match the GBBO?

The Roku Channel just launched the first episode in its new series The Great American Baking Show. It is a celebrity-baker, holiday-themed program so we don’t yet get to meet the bakers who will be competing in the ‘real’ program, but it does give us a flavor of what to expect. I watched this first episode and so far I give the program a grade of B-.

I am not sure what it says about my cultural awareness that I was only aware of two of the celebrities, but it was a diverse and interesting group. Naturally I had to root for D’Arcy Carden (from The Good Place), but the remainder of the contestants provided a nice mix of sass, sweetness, and bravado. Hosts Ellie Kemper and Zach Cherry need a bit more experience as they seemed uncomfortable interrupting and conversing with the bakers.

However, with Paul and Prue at the helm, and the comforting and familiar environment of the tent surrounding the contestants, the show did have a good vibe. The Roku Channel streaming worked well without requiring me to log in or create an account, and there was only one commercial at a time so they were not obtrusive. I have a good feeling about the upcoming regular episodes.