Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Network Delays Launch Amid Pandemic, Reveals First Slate, Sets Preview Special On DIY

Nellie Andreeva
·6 min read

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Magnolia Network, Discovery’s joint venture with Fixer Upper stars Chip and Joanna Gaines, has delayed its launch, originally slated for October 4, due to production shutdowns caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The network, which will take over Discovery’s DIY Network after a rebrand, also has unveiled its inaugural slate of original series. It includes eight new unscripted shows — mostly in the home renovation and food space — Bespoke Kitchens; Family Dinner, hosted by Andrew Zimmern; Restoration Road; The Fieldhouse; Super Dad, starring Taylor Calmus; Home Work; The Lost Kitchen; and; Inn the Works, about The Oak Knoll Lodge in Big Bear, Calif. They join previously announced Growing Floret and Home on the Road.

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Viewers will be able to sample the 10 series during Magnolia Presents: A Look Back & A Look Ahead, a four-hour preview on DIY Network featuring Chip and Joanna Gaines, beginning Sunday, April 26.

DIY Network is distributed to 50 million homes across the country, but currently available to approximately 75 million households as part of Free Preview offerings during the coronavirus crisis.

“Right now, it’s important that we all continue to look out for one another by upholding the guidelines set forth by the experts, leaders and front-line heroes working tirelessly to get us all through this difficult time,” said Chip and Joannna Gaines. “With this as our top priority, we’ve decided to delay Magnolia Network’s launch until we can safely resume production. We have an incredible team behind us and we look forward to the days ahead when we can get back to work, telling good stories that encourage, motivate and inspire hope. In the meantime, we are hosting this special preview where we’ll give you a peek into what we’ve been working on and more of what’s to come for this network we’re building!”

The four-hour network preview event will kick off with “a look back” at where it all began: Fixer Upper—at its peak, with nearly 17 million weekly viewers tuning in to watch the beloved HGTV series. In the preview, the Gaineses share intimate, never-before-seen footage complete with candid commentary and previously untold stories about their five-year Fixer Upper journey.

Leading up to the rebrand, select episodes of Fixer Upper will begin airing on DIY in the coming weeks. The total Fixer Upper library will remain on HGTV until Magnolia Network’s launch when it will migrate to the new channel.

In the preview, the Gaineses take a look ahead at what’s to come on the forthcoming Magnolia Network, including an exclusive sneak peek at the network’s first slate of original programming. Here are details about all projects.

● Growing Floret: The previously announced show features Floret Flower Farm—one of the most successful organic flower farms in the United States—and follows founder Erin Benzakein and her talented team as they attempt to tackle an expansion that puts their company’s future at risk.

● Home on the Road: The previously announced show follows Amanda Sudano Ramirez and Abner Ramirez— as the music duo JohnnySwim—and their two kids as they tour the country seeking out home and community wherever they go.

● Bespoke Kitchens: Journey across the pond with England-based deVOL Kitchens and their collective of remarkably talented craftspeople as they design and transform stunning kitchens and interiors for their clients.

● Family Dinner: Host Andrew Zimmern visits families across America to explore how the cultural, regional, and historical facets of who we are inform what and how we eat, and all the ways food brings people together.

● Restoration Road: Woodworker Clint Harp travels the country in search of some of the oldest, most beautiful structures still standing today, examining how they were built, restored and given new life by some of the country’s most talented craftsmen.

● The Fieldhouse: When Justin Bane’s NFL dreams were cut short due to a serious injury, he turned his passion for the game into a passion for helping others. In 2011, he and his wife Annie used every penny they had to open The Fieldhouse gym in Abilene, Texas, where they’ve committed their lives to helping people turn broken dreams into an inspiring, new reality.

● Super Dad: Comedian, father and DIY expert Taylor Calmus and his squad of builders team up with families that have an inspired idea for their children—from a pirate ship in the backyard to a custom ball launcher mounted to their family truck. Taylor and a fellow super dad, will get to work building these one- of-a-kind projects.

● Home Work: After moving from their 900 square-foot home, husband and wife Andy and Candis Meredith and their seven kids work together to convert a 113-year-old, 20,000 square-foot schoolhouse into their family’s dream home.

● The Lost Kitchen: Erin French is the owner of The Lost Kitchen, a historic mill turned restaurant in Freedom, Maine, population 722. Every year, hundreds of visitors from around the world make reservations not by phone or email, but by submitting postcards in hopes of experiencing a meal they will never forget.

● Inn the Works: Lindsey Kurowski purchased The Oak Knoll Lodge in Big Bear, Calif. This four-acre campground, constructed in the 1920s has fallen on hard times, but Lindsey and crew aim to restore, renew and polish this gem for a new generation to enjoy.

“It’s been seven years since we first met Chip and Jo. A shared passion for their work is what first attracted an audience looking for great home renovations, but it was their authenticity, relatability, family focus and zest for life that made America fall in love with them,” said Magnolia Network President Allison Page. “We are so excited to introduce viewers to their next chapter, sharing tales of courage, risk, humor, triumph, failure and rebirth in an effort to celebrate good stories and the people that live them.”

The joint venture has plans to unveil its own direct-to-consumer product at a later date, as well.

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