Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Making It’ On NBC, Where Amy Poehler And Nick Offerman Host A Feel-Good Crafting Competition

Amy Poehler has had a low-ish profile since Parks and Rec ended a few years ago, preferring to produce shows (Difficult People, Broad City) than act in them. Nick Offerman, on the other hand, has been all over our TVs now that he’s been freed from Ron Swanson’s mustache and pompadour. So anything where we see both of them on-camera together is going to be funny. But a crafting show? Yes, a crafting show. Read on to see why Making It is the summer’s biggest breath of fresh air.

MAKING IT: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A sweeping shot of a farm in the middle of the woods. We zoom in on Amy Poehler under a sign that says “Wood Shop.” “Hi, I’m Amy Poehler, and I’m in this wood shop surrounded by what I believe are called tools.” Then Nick Offerman enters the frame, carrying a beautifully-made wooden paddle. “I use tools like these to make a paddle for my canoe, which I also made.”

The Gist: If you think of Making It as a crafting version of The Great British Baking Show and its American offshoots, except with crafts instead of sweets, then you’ve got the gist of this show. Oh, and it also hosts two of the funniest people on the planet, who have known each other for years.

Eight contestants (the show calls them “Makers”) are introduced throughout the first episode; all of them craft in different materials and media. Some do their crafting full-time, selling their handiwork through website, Etsy shops, and elsewhere. Others do it part-time. Some work with paper, others with wood, others with needlepoint. All of them have an artistic flair and a detail-oriented style.

Each episode has two competitions: The “Faster Craft Challenge,” where the makers get three hours to make something of a particular theme — in the opener, a 3D representation of themselves. Then there’s the “Master Craft Challenge”, where the makers make a larger project — in this case, an unconventional take on a photo album and a quilt that are meant to be family heirlooms. The time they’re given is not mentioned in the first episode, but we can’t imagine they get anything less than 12 hours, and probably up to 24 hours, given the intricacy of the finished products.

The results are judged by Simon Doonan, the former Barney’s creative director, and Dayna Isom Johnson, an Etsy trend expert. Helping the makers in the shop is Jimmy DiResta. At the end of the Master Craft challenge, one maker is sent home — or, actually, sent to drink wine with Amy and Nick on the porch of the farmhouse.

Our Take: Shows like Making It are more than just comfort food; they’re like a relaxing whirlpool bath after a hard day. It takes place in a bucolic setting that makes you say, like Poehler’s best friend Tina Fey would on 30 Rock, “I want to go to there.” The makers all root for each other, and want to celebrate their lives and families through their creations. And Poehler and Offerman are just there to encourage everyone, make them laugh, and show viewers how much fun and fulfilling crafting can be.

The added factor here, of course, are the former Parks and Recreation co-stars. We know that Offerman would rather talk about his latest woodworking project (and he’s pretty damn good at it) than anything involving himself or his acting career, and Poehler’s personality is only slightly more cynical than that of Leslie Knope, the role she played on Parks. She brings the feel-good vibes and cheerleader spirit that a show like this absolutely needs. Doonan and Johnson provide constructive criticism without being snarky, and any of the jokes that Amy and Nick give are just goofy fun instead of anything that makes fun of the show, it’s format, or the makers.

This is perfectly demonstrated during one of their many improvised interstitials, that are likely shot while the makers do their projects, because let’s face it — the hosts have a ton of downtime on that farm. Amy challenges Nick to identify types of wood just by their smell. The results are, as you’d imagine, pretty friggin’ funny:

Parting Shot: When the first contestant gets eliminated, we see he/she lounging on the porch with Amy and Nick. Not a bad consolation prize.

Sleeper Star: The resulting crafts from the makers. We want to sign onto Etsy and buy all of it right now.

Most Pilot-y Line: Poehler: “Are you ready to make twice the number of things?” Actually not clunky; it’s pretty funny.

Our Call: STREAM IT. It’s just a ridiculously relaxing, happy show that doesn’t hit you over the head with its happy vibe. And Amy and Nick take the fun to the next level.

Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, VanityFair.com, Playboy.com, Fast Company’s Co.Create and elsewhere.

Watch Making It on Hulu