Television series

Making It

Name: Making It
Released: 2018
Cast: Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Simon Doonan, Dayna Isom Johnson

Comedy
Light-hearted

Making It is a craftsmanship competition where eight makers compete in hands-on creative challenges, hosted by Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman. It's warm-hearted and genuinely funny, celebrating the joy of making things by hand rather than the cruelty of elimination. Perfect for anyone who watches people work with their hands and finds it soothing, or who makes things themselves.

TVMaze rating

3.6

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy watching skilled hands solve odd problems under a clock, and you like hosts whose jokes sit comfortably beside the sawdust and glue.

Skip it if you want a show with a strong narrative arc or deep stakes, since each contestant gets little room to develop beyond a single project.

What it asks of you: Expect hour-long episodes in a steady, cheerful rhythm, two projects each, with attention spent mostly on hands at work and the jokes landing between them.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Great British Bake Off2010

The spiritual ancestor of all modern maker competitions. Cosy, kind, and genuinely interested in both the craft and the people doing it. The British warmth is infectious.

But If you've already binged six seasons, the formula becomes very familiar. Some find the constant innuendo tiresome.

Nailed It!2018

Poehler's fingerprints are all over this too—chaotic, hilarious, and endlessly forgiving of spectacular failure. The joy comes from trying, not winning.

But The humour can feel forced, and watching people struggle deliberately loses its charm if you watch too many episodes back-to-back.

Get Organized with The Home Edit2020

Two organizers transform chaotic homes with warmth and zero judgment. It's meditative, satisfying, and genuinely moving—people cry because their spaces suddenly feel like home.

But If you hate aspirational lifestyle content or have strong opinions about aesthetic minimalism, this might feel shallow.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Making It

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Abstract: The Art of Design2017

Both celebrate the maker as a complete person, not a competitor. Making It's hosts and this series share the belief that craft tells you who someone is.

Each episode follows a different design master—graphic designer, illustrator, footwear designer, architect—in their actual studios and creative process. Hypnotic, meditative, completely alive to the pleasure of making.

But No competition, no drama, no clear resolution each episode. If you watch for narrative tension, you'll find none.

Making the Cut2020

Fashion design competition hosted by Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, genuinely international and thoughtful about craft. The stakes feel real without being nasty.

But It's more serious and less funny than Making It. If you want levity, you'll find less of it here.

Queer Eye2018

Five experts transform someone's life across food, fashion, culture, grooming, and home. It's about skill, generosity, and the power of paying attention to someone.

But The emotional manipulation is deliberate and heavy-handed. Some episodes veer into saviour narratives that don't sit well.

The Great Pottery Throw Down2015

Ceramicists compete in challenges testing technique and creativity. Deeply satisfying to watch skilled hands work clay. Hosted with genuine warmth.

But Less charismatic hosts than Poehler and Offerman. If pottery doesn't interest you, the narrow focus might drag.

The Toys That Made Us2017

Documentary series about iconic toys and the makers behind them. Nostalgic, expertly paced, genuinely fascinating about craft and commerce.

But It's retrospective rather than live competition. If you need the tension of real-time stakes, this won't provide it.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi2011

Where Making It celebrates making as joy and self-expression, this explores making as meditation and obsession. Both trust the audience to find beauty in sustained attention to craft.

Documentary following an 85-year-old sushi master refining his craft across 50 years. Quiet, meditative, obsessive about excellence. About a lifetime spent perfecting one thing.

But Glacially slow. No conflict, no drama, and the man making the sushi barely speaks. Requires patience that some mistake for boredom.

High Score2020

Makes the invisible visible—code, design philosophy, creative problem-solving—the way Making It does for physical craft. Both find the human story inside technical skill.

Documentary series about video game design and the artists who shaped the medium. Gorgeously illustrated, genuinely moving about the craft of play and creation. Makers talking about making.

But Focuses on a specific era and medium. If you have no nostalgia for games or no interest in digital craft, the appeal is diminished.