Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Martha Gets Down and Dirty’ On discovery+, Where Martha Stewart Gardens, Grills, & Gabs With Celebrity Guests

Martha Stewart has worn many hats over the course of her career; cookbook author, magazine maven, lifestyle guru, gardening goddess, convicted felon, friend of Snoop Dogg. Never one to take much of a break, the American icon is back with Martha Gets Down and Dirty on discovery+, a new series that takes us into Stewart’s sprawling upstate New York residence and shows us just how dirty Stewart gets her hands to keep things growing. 

MARTHA GETS DOWN AND DIRTY: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: We get an aerial view of Martha Stewart’s beautiful estate.

The Gist: Martha Stewart is so much more than the woman we’ve seen grace the covers of magazines and cookbooks for years; she not only talks the talk, but she walks the walk, and that is made totally clear within the first few moments of Martha Gets Down and Dirty. She knows what’s happening on every acre of her property, from the state of her 220-odd fruit trees to what perches are in her peacock pen. She knows what each and every tool in her giant shed is used for, and when it’s time to maintain, remove, or repurpose the trees on her farm (many of her maples have been taken out by the invasive emerald ash borer beetle). Nothing goes to waste on her farm, and with the help of her right-hand man Kevin Sharkey and gardener Ryan McCallister, she keeps everything thriving.

When she’s not tending to her farm, she’s surprising a fan in need of some tree advice over a video call, chatting with Snoop Dogg, or admiring the handiwork that’s gone into building an impressive tree house in a video submitted by another fan. Stewart also spends some time chatting with Kim Kardashian, who is interested in adding tomatoes to her growing garden. The two plant seeds and gab about gardening, children, and how Kim hasn’t been to the store in years. And that’s just the first installment of Martha Gets Down and Dirty. 

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Martha Gets Down and Dirty definitely has that HGTV flair, but thanks to Martha’s inimitable screen presence and the show’s down-to-earth style, it feels pretty unique.

Our Take: There’s something to be said for wholesome home series like Martha Gets Down and Dirty; unlike many other home improvement or cooking series out there, she’s not sparring with clients to make something happen, or assuming that we can all live the kind of life she does. Instead, it plays more like a video diary of sorts, offering us a glimpse of what it takes to keep a farm like this up and running like she has for the last twenty years. She may be almost 80 years old, but Martha is still on the ground making things happen, clear about what she wants and how she wants it. She’s every bit the woman we’ve come to know and love for decades, relatable as ever – even with her 150 acres, hundreds of trees, and five different kinds of geese.

Martha Gets Down and Dirty may make obvious just how good it is to be Martha Stewart, but it’s always aspirational rather than purely unattainable. There’s something incredibly accessible about the series; it feels grounded, even when she’s planting tomato seeds and chatting about SKIMS with Kim Kardashian or sending her creative director up in a cherry picker. discovery+ dropped the first three episodes at once, and each of the bite-sized installments features different celebrity guests, including folks like Seth Meyers, Al Roker, Tiffany Haddish, and more. While watching a group of famous people discuss their cooking habits or lifestyles might feel a little out-of-touch in many contexts, Martha Gets Down and Dirty makes it feel like they could be your neighbors or grill buddies, individuals who are learning from the master, just like we are – and that’s the magic of the series.

Sex and Skin: Martha makes a few cheeky jokes about rooster sex and the like, but not much else here.

Parting Shot: Martha lets out a hearty laugh about Kevin’s fear of geese as we take another look from above at the beautiful farm.

Sleeper Star: Martha’s creative director Kevin Sharkey is an utter delight, bringing a little extra sparkle into all of the moments he shares with the woman herself. Their decades-long partnership is evident in their charming rapport; watching Martha and Kevin lovingly tease one another is one of the most enjoyable aspects of Martha Gets Down and Dirty. It’s one thing to see the icon we all know and love; it’s another to witness how team work makes the dream work. Kevin is an essential ingredient to the series.

Most Pilot-y Line: Martha Gets Down and Dirty (correctly) assumes that this cast of characters doesn’t need much of an introduction, so the pilot avoids any particularly exposition-y lines or cheesy exchanges.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Martha Gets Down and Dirty is wholesome fun, balancing its more mundane agricultural content with jazzier celebrity moments and reminding us all why Martha Stewart is still such an icon.

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines, hogging the mic at karaoke, and thirst-tweeting. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.

Stream Martha Gets Down and Dirty on Discovery+