Making It

I really do love this show. Nick and Amy have a great chemistry, as seen on Parks and Rec, and they make for wonderful hosts for this show. I also love that the show is really putting crafting out there, and celebrating creativity.

The show is shot and edited in a very Great British Bake-Off way, and this seems completely intentional. The only downside to this is that the things being made here are much more intricate than baking, and so we don't get to see the majority of the stages that go into each participants creation.

I also think it might be cool if each episode a participant had a short segment where they shared a simple "make this at home" creation. One of the episodes Amber makes a very cool looking stool, which is just a paint bucket and some rope. Having a specific segment for quick crafts for the average viewer would make for a great entry for viewers to get into crafting too! Hell they could even ask you to post pictures on social media, and show them off the next episode!

Of course this all ties into run time though, so it could be a tough balancing act to do either of the things I suggest.

"Making It" is a very frustrating show to watch. While I enjoy watching Amy Pohler and Nick Offerman as well as the contestants and their fine work, the program has one huge problem that make me unsure if I'll watch a season 3 if it ever is made. The problem is the god-awful judges. They are really annoying people in so many ways. One loves to mention Etsy repeatedly....and we know they are a sponsor, but PLEASE enough already. Second, they seem really, really annoying...unlike everyone else on the show. Likable they are not! Third, their choices of the best and worst crafting projects seem almost arbitrary...or perhaps are intended to favor mommy bloggers....preferring them over more obviously talented folks. Because of that, I found so many choices the judges made truly bizarre and frustrating....and this is a HUGE part of the show. With likable and consistent judges, I might rate this show an 8 or 9...perhaps even a 10. The idea is good....but some retooling is really necessary to make it a great show. So, if you are associated with the program, I hope you read this and consider that perhaps your show could do better choosing judges who seem to have talent and likability...like Offerman and Pohler, the hosts.

By the way, I found it really weird that one of the judges who is supposed to be a god among interior decorators had no idea WHAT or WHO Chippendale was (I am NOT referring to the dancers!). I am no interior decorator but know about Thomas Chippendale and know about his impact on furniture centuries ago...impact you can still see today.

Love Amy Poehler and NickOfferman! Enjoy the crafting, BUT do not like the judges. Ugh! Snobbish and they just squash any homey feeling that Amy and Nick bring to the show. Has potential, but could be so much better.

I really wanted to love this show to the point of giving it 10 stars, but the judging and editing were too distracting. The challenges were appropriate and interesting but the viewer barely got to see any of the "how to" and just a sweeping glimpse of the finished products. I actually got in the habit of pausing the tv to figure out what the end results were. The hosts were perfect - just enough campy humor to keep it light. The judges were ridiculous. Their critiques were pointless - zero constructive criticism or explanation of why they liked or disliked items and they seemed to contradict themselves from week to week. It would have been a 10 if they had a different judging team and better yet judged each project anonomously not knowing who did what. I hope they take everyone's comments to heart and do a second season.

You *won't* be inspired, or learn anything - there's no time spent on demonstrating how the contestants are fabricating items.

Most of the time is spent on dialogue, especially between the hosts.

Fail!