There’s a push to bring back more instructional programming to HGTV
Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
In an effort to draw a younger, more diverse audience, the network started to focus on drama over information. High production value, scripted shows driven by product placement and sponsorships, and a slowly slipping viewership — down about 5 percent in 2020 — has many original fans calling for a return to the days of Trading Spaces and Design on a Dime.
Former viewers have taken to the forum on design website Houzz to lament the current state of HGTV programming. As one user posted, “we used to get design shows: they worked with a budget and weren’t sponsored by ANYONE. No Sears, no Wayfair, no product plugs or placement. Just crafty ingenuity.” Unfortunately, the days of how-to shows are over for the network at least for now. According to Variety, HGTV’s president, Jane Latman, revealed in a recent interview, “We are kind of stretching the HGTV brand. We are looking for more storytelling — deeper stories, richer stories — leaning more into emotions around relationships. In a sense, we are moving away from the strict format.” As for shows like Simply Quilts, and Kitty Bartholomew’s You’re Home, perhaps the network should consider a spinoff channel so viewers can get the best of both worlds. Until then, HGTV will continue on the same trajectory as TLC and even MTV, scripted reality shows versus the bread and butter they were built on.
HGTV: Things You Forgot About The Early Days Of The Network
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Unfortunately, the trajectory of the network changed, and these early shows were canceled — even though viewership was high — because they didn’t fit in with the new “soapy storylines,” as dubbed by Variety.
There’s a push to bring back more instructional programming to HGTV
Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
In an effort to draw a younger, more diverse audience, the network started to focus on drama over information. High production value, scripted shows driven by product placement and sponsorships, and a slowly slipping viewership — down about 5 percent in 2020 — has many original fans calling for a return to the days of Trading Spaces and Design on a Dime.
Former viewers have taken to the forum on design website Houzz to lament the current state of HGTV programming. As one user posted, “we used to get design shows: they worked with a budget and weren’t sponsored by ANYONE. No Sears, no Wayfair, no product plugs or placement. Just crafty ingenuity.” Unfortunately, the days of how-to shows are over for the network at least for now. According to Variety, HGTV’s president, Jane Latman, revealed in a recent interview, “We are kind of stretching the HGTV brand. We are looking for more storytelling — deeper stories, richer stories — leaning more into emotions around relationships. In a sense, we are moving away from the strict format.” As for shows like Simply Quilts, and Kitty Bartholomew’s You’re Home, perhaps the network should consider a spinoff channel so viewers can get the best of both worlds. Until then, HGTV will continue on the same trajectory as TLC and even MTV, scripted reality shows versus the bread and butter they were built on.
Former viewers have taken to the forum on design website Houzz to lament the current state of HGTV programming. As one user posted, “we used to get design shows: they worked with a budget and weren’t sponsored by ANYONE. No Sears, no Wayfair, no product plugs or placement. Just crafty ingenuity.”
Unfortunately, the days of how-to shows are over for the network at least for now. According to Variety, HGTV’s president, Jane Latman, revealed in a recent interview, “We are kind of stretching the HGTV brand. We are looking for more storytelling — deeper stories, richer stories — leaning more into emotions around relationships. In a sense, we are moving away from the strict format.”
As for shows like Simply Quilts, and Kitty Bartholomew’s You’re Home, perhaps the network should consider a spinoff channel so viewers can get the best of both worlds. Until then, HGTV will continue on the same trajectory as TLC and even MTV, scripted reality shows versus the bread and butter they were built on.
