We are currently living in the Golden Age of Food Entertainment. Every month, the networks and major streaming services get a handful of new shows and movies about chefs, restaurants, and the ways people eat around the world. Take a look at what’s new to stream in April right here, and check out Eater’s full guide to food TV and movies at the bottom of this post.
If you’re always looking for more streaming recommendations, do check out Eater’s newsletter Eat, Drink, Watch, which delivers pop culture editor Greg Morabito’s picks and entertainment news every Friday, and join our Facebook group to chat with other food TV/movie fans.
Chef’s Table: Pastry
Netflix, April 13
Get ready for more slow-motion shots of kitchen professionals at work, more Vivaldi, and more underrepresentation of women by food media. Netflix’s extremely serious culinary series returns with a spin-off to focus on the geniuses who create sensational desserts, featuring Christina Tosi, Will Goldfarb, Jordi Roca, and Corrado Assenza across four episodes. No doubt the series will showcase beautiful cinematography and illuminating quotes. But, as critics have noted, the cast continues Chef’s Table’s trend of overwhelmingly shining the spotlight on men. That these episodes are centered on pastry, one of the few culinary realms in which women are more often recognized, is even more disappointing.
Dinner for Schmucks
HBO Now, April 1
This movie from 2010 — they heyday of both Steve Carrell and Paul Rudd — stars, what do you know, Steve Carrell and Paul Rudd. Rudd plays an ambitious business person named Tim Conrad. Carrell plays somewhat of a dimwitted goof named Barry Speck. Throughout the movie, Tim befriends Barry, only so he can invite him to a company dinner party where the executives at Tim’s company make fun of the dimwitted goofs who have been duped into attending. It’s all very mean-spirited, but Tim and Barry share some nice moments that surely made America realize bullying is not okay. Right?
Also of note: Candy Jar, a new original movie from Netflix, premieres on the platform April 27. Details are scarce, but director Brian Shelton calls it a romantic comedy and reveals a cast starring Christina Hendricks, Uzo Aduba, Jacob Latimore, Sami Gayle, and Helen Hunt. There’s no word if candy is involved in any way.
March 2018
Nailed It Season 1 (Netflix)
If shows such as The Great British Bake Off leave you perplexed as to how any amateur could create desserts that looks so professional, Nailed It should be must-see TV. The new series is hosted by comedian Nicole Byer and Le Cirque veteran Jacques Torres, and bakers who fail miserably in their elaborate attempts will be celebrated just as much as those who succeed. At the end of the competition, the winner will take home a nice price of $10,000.
A Feast at Midnight (Amazon Prime)
Think of this 1995 movie as sort of a Dead Poet’s Society that skews younger and British, with a plot about illicit goings on related to food instead of poetry and theater. Magnus, a new student at a boarding school, gets trouble from bullies and administrators, and he hates his school’s strict diet. To rebel, he organizes a secret society that celebrates finer comestibles with, as the title suggests, feasts at midnight.
Beerfest (Netflix)
A few years after releasing iconic sophomoric stoner flick Super Troopers in 2001, the Broken Lizard comedy team followed with this sophomoric drunkard flick. The gist: A couple of brothers and their friends train for a super secret beer-drinking competition that coincided with Oktoberfest in Germany. At some point along the way, they discover a secret beer recipe that is coveted by their hated German rivals. The tension comes to a head over games such as beer pong, quarter, and a chugging contest featuring a giant vessel known as “Das Boot.” Don’t expect highbrow comedy from this one.
Food Wars Season 2 (Hulu)
This shōnen manga series chronicles the trials and successes of an aspiring chef named Sōma Yukihira. There’s plenty of action that comes in the form of “shokugeki” (food wars) between students at an elite culinary school, and the original Japanese dialogue is dubbed over in English.
Also of note: The Season 6 premiere of MasterChef Junior, Fox’s pint-sized version of its Gordon Ramsay-hosted culinary competition, is available on Hulu March 3. The kids are sure to be cute, but there’s a major problem: Joe Bastianich is back as a judge. Bastianich is the restaurateur who co-owns several establishments with disgraced celebrity chef Mario Batali under the B&B Hospitality Group, and he’s accused of playing a role in creating a hostile and abusive work environment for female employees. Bastianich has no business keeping this gig, and Fox should have found someone else to judge.
February 2018
Queer Eye (Netflix)
The Fab Five are back. Well, not the original Fab Five, but a new quintuple will bring expertise in various areas of culture to sloven men in need of makeovers. The original Queer Eye series made Ted Allen a star in the world of culinary television, and in this reboot an actor (and Allen’s former personal chef) named Antoni Porowski will put his knowledge of food and wine to the test.
Ugly Delicious (Netflix)
Momofuku mastermind and Mind of a Chef alum David Chang is getting back on the airwaves with this new Netflix series. Chang will take a bit of a Bourdainian approach and travel the globe, eating and drinking with various chefs, writers, artists, and entertainers. Chang says he wants the show to be “a collaborative forum, a place where it’s okay to have strong opinions and honest conversations about food.”
Broad City, Season 4 (Hulu)
In the fourth installment of Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobsen’s fantastic Comedy Central series, the fictional Ilana spends a good chunk of time as a server at a hip New York City Japanese restaurant called Sushi Mambeaux. She quickly learns from Marcel, the restaurant’s general manager played by RuPaul, that “the only way she’ll make it in the world of Manhattan restauranteries is to be a queen of mean.”
Mystic Pizza (Hulu)
Before she was famous for playing a diabetic Southern belle, Los Angeles call girl, serial engagement-breaker, and feisty paralegal, Julia Roberts made her breakthrough in the 1988 coming-of-age flick Mystic Pizza. Roberts plays Daisy Araújo, one of three sisters who are waitresses at the titular restaurant in a Portuguese-American enclave in Connecticut. Matt Damon has a bit role, too, making his big screen debut. The sisters deal with family drama and relationship drama, and the movie’s climax comes when a famous food critic stops by to judge the pizzeria’s pies.
Also of note: Goodfellas, Martin Scorsese’s 1990 gangster classic, is available on Netflix as of February 1, and it features one of the greatest food scenes in the history of cinema. And Drinksgiving, a 2016 dramedy about some 20-somethings throwing a dinner party the night before Thanksgiving, hits Hulu February 13.
January 2018
Rotten (Netflix)
This six-part documentary series explores corruption in the food industry. One episode focuses on inequality in the mass-market poultry business, while another shines a light on fraud in the world of honey manufacturing. The trailer makes this series look something like the food world’s Fahrenheit 9/11. Anthony Bourdain’s frequent collaborators at Zero Point Zero Production are behind Rotten. Last year, the team also released Wasted, a compelling documentary about the global food waste problem and what chefs and activists around the world are doing to curb it.
Barefoot Contessa, Cutthroat Kitchen, and more Food Network hits (Hulu)
In a surprising move from the Food Network, the cable titan is making seasons of some of its most popular shows available to stream on Hulu for the first time. Perhaps most notably, the two most recent seasons of The Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics are now live — and this is the only place you’ll find Ina Garten on any of the major streaming services right now. Seasons four through seven of Alton Brown’s culinary game show Cutthroat Kitchen are also available as well as episodes of Beat Bobby Flay, Cupcake Wars, Food Network Star, Great Food Truck Race, and Guy Fieri’s wildly popular travel show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
Somebody Feed Phil (Netflix)
Everybody Loves Raymond’s co-creator Phil Rosenthal eats his way through some of the best food cities of the world, making friends and cracking jokes at every stop on his journey. Rosenthal and his crew won a James Beard Award for the previous iteration of this show, I’ll Have What Phil’s Having, which aired on PBS a few years ago. Over the six episodes of his Netflix debut, the writer/comedian and his pals sample local delicacies in New Orleans, Mexico City, Saigon,, Lisbon, Bangkok, and Tel Aviv.
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (Netflix)
Jerry Seinfeld’s web series, wherein the comedian visits diners and coffee shops with his famous friends, is headed to its new home on Netflix this month. The first 9 seasons of the show — featuring conversations with Barack Obama, Amy Schumer, Margaret Cho, and Aziz Ansari — will be available to stream starting this Friday. Season 10 of Comedians in Cars will premiere on Netflix later this year, although there’s still no word yet on who Jerry will be talking to, or when those episodes will be available.
Barista (Hulu)
Rock Baijnauth’s 2015 documentary focuses on the World Barista Competition, an event where some of the coffee industry’s hottest espresso-pullers compete in three different categories. As the trailer indicates, the challenges are largely about precision, although creativity does come into play, particularly in the “signature drink” category. Barista didn’t make too much of a splash when it was released two years ago, but the few critics that caught this movie liked it quite a bit. Perhaps it will finally find its audience on Hulu.
Also of note: The 2017 season of Korean celebrity cooking show Chef & My Fridge is now on Netflix, and so is steamy food-filled romance Like Water for Chocolate. Wine country comedy Sideways makes its HBO debut this month. Bob’s Burgers returns for the second half of its eighth season on January 8 (and all of the episodes of that show will be ready to stream Hulu after they premiere). And finally, Instagram-stalking comedy/drama Ingrid Goes West — one of the best food-related films of 2017 — will land on Hulu on January 22.
December 2017
The Wine Show: Season 2 (Hulu)
British actors and oenophiles Matthew Goode and James Purefoy are here for a second season of talking about vino in their lovely accents. In Season 1, Goode spent time in Umbria, Italy, to learn all about the region’s varietals. This time around, he’s joined by Purefoy in the South of France. — Chris Fuhrmeister
Chef & My Fridge (Netflix)
Here’s another option to satisfy that appetite for televised culinary competitions. Airing in South Korea since 2014, Chef & My Fridge’s third season is about to hit Netflix. The show challenges some of the best Korean cooks to prepare incredible meals — made completely of ingredients found in celebrity guests’ refrigerators. —CF
Zumbo’s Just Desserts (Netflix)
The unfortunately named Zumbo’s Just Desserts (named for its main host, pastry chef Adriano Zumbo) is an Australian import in the Great British Bake Off mold: Each episode, a group of amateur bakers tackles two dessert-making challenges, with one person eliminated each week. In most ways, the show is the exact spiritual opposite of GBBO. Its multicolored set frankly makes Wonka’s factory look subdued; the camera angles frequently linger on the wispy effects of liquid nitrogen; and early challenges have focused on gimmicky desserts that would absolutely confound Mary Berry. (One challenge tasked competitors with making a “FrankenZumbo,” ostensibly a five-layer cake featuring a brownie, lemon tart, raspberry gel, ricotta pancake, and cream — encased in a pavlova then topped with macarons.)
I’m four episodes in, and frankly, there have been few creations that I would actually want to eat. But at its core, the show hits the same pleasure centers as its British cousin, with seemingly pleasant contestants and the inherent dramatics associated with falling sugar sculptures and unset custards. And if you decide to fully buy into the Wonka-esque mood the show’s desperately trying to set (creepy background music and all), it’s a total delight. — Erin DeJesus
Also of note in December: The third season premiere for ABC’s The Great American Baking Show will be available for streaming on Hulu December 8. Uncertainty now hangs over the show following sexual harassment allegations leveled against celebrity chef Johnny Iuzzini, who is slated to be a judge. Season 1 of Ainsley Eats the Streets hits Netflix December 14. Starring British TV chef Ainsley Harriott, it sounds a bit like Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre Foods. And in the movie Fun Mom Dinner, Toni Collette, Molly Shannon, Bridget Everett, and Katie Aselton play four moms who just want a night out, away from their awful kids and idiot husbands. But because they’re exasperated moms, they overdo it during their one night of freedom. This comedy (which disappeared from theaters pretty quickly a few months ago) hits Netflix on December 31.
November 2017
The Big Family Cooking Showdown (Netflix)
The incredibly charming Nadiya Hussain, winner of Great British Bake Off Season 6, hosts this home-cooking competition that airs on BBC Two in the United Kingdom. Hussain and co-host Zoë Ball travel the British countryside in an attempt to find the country’s best family of home cooks. Culinary-television personality Rosemary Shrager and Michelin-starred chef Giorgio Locatelli are in as judges. There’s no big tent, Mary Berry, or Paul Hollywood, but this 12-episode series should pique the interest of Bake Off fans everywhere.
Top Chef Season 13 (Hulu)
The 15th season of Bravo’s insanely popular culinary competition premieres in December, but for sentimentalists who would like to take a look back, Top Chef’s 13th season is available for streaming. The 2015-16 edition took place in locations across California, remember? And the winner was — never mind, no spoilers here for anyone who might be a couple of years behind schedule in their television consumption.
In Search of Israeli Cuisine (Netflix)
James Beard award-winning chef Michael Solomonov, proprietor of celebrated Philadelphia restaurant Zahav, stars in this documentary, which explores the cuisine of his homeland. Israeli food is steeped in tradition, but Solomonov finds that it is evolving and going in new directions. The documentary was directed by Roger Sherman, who also has an award-winning doc about restaurateur Danny Meyer in his filmography.
The Dinner (Netflix)
A screen adaptation of a Dutch novel, this movie is chock full of melodrama. (Richard Gere stars; what more needs to be said?) Joining Gere are Rebecca Hall, Laura Linney, and Steve Coogan, all playing married people trying to sort out how to deal with a “horrific crime” committed by their respective sons. The movie unfolds over the course of a fancy dinner at an upscale restaurant. Only 18 percent of Rotten Tomatoes users have offered positive reviews, so grab a bowl of popcorn and settle in for some eye rolls and unintentional laughs.
October 2017
That Sugar Film (Hulu)
Australian filmmaker Damon Gameau takes a page out of Morgan Spurlock’s playbook and indulges in a high-sugar diet for a couple of months to test its effect on the human body. Instead of indulging in candies and ice creams, Gameau eats products that are perceived to be healthy but contain “hidden sugars.” Unsurprisingly, his body deteriorates over the course of the documentary as he learns how bad supposedly healthy eating can be.
Like Water for Chocolate (Hulu)
A love story meets fantasy in this 1992 flick from director Alfonso Arau. Starring Italian actor Marco Leonardi and Mexican actress Lumi Cavazos, Like Water for Chocolate sees its characters pine for their soul mates after consuming food that contains the tears of a jilted love, and burst into flames upon eating a dish that contains rose petals. This could be a great selection to kick off a Netflix-and-chill session.
Raw (Netflix)
This French-Belgian horror drama follows the demise of Justine (French actress Garance Marillier), a “lifelong vegetarian.” After being forced to eat raw rabbit kidney in a hazing incident at school, she develops an insatiable appetite for raw meat. Considering this brief synopsis and the movie’s genre, it isn’t too hard to figure out where the story goes. Raw premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016, and horror buffs will be pleased to learn some viewers at a screening in Toronto received medical attention after passing out due to the graphic nature of some scenes.
Also of note in October: The Tim Burton and Johnny Depp adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory arrives on Netflix October 1, as does kitchen-based rom-com No Reservations, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart (note: this film has nothing to do with Anthony Bourdain). The complete fourth season of Food Network’s Worst Cooks in America hits Hulu on October 1. Seasons 14 through 16 of the network’s Chopped arrives on Hulu October 1, too. Bob’s Burgers, Season 8 premieres on Hulu, October 2.
September 2017
Portlandia, Season 7 (Netflix)
Hilarious food-centric scenes are sprinkled throughout Season 7 of Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein’s IFC comedy, which lampoons hipsters, yuppies, scenesters, and self-obsessed city dwellers in general. The airport sushi chef is a highlight of this season, as well as the bit about the protein-based diet turning a couple into “trim heroes,” and the coffee shop that reimagines gingerbread men for the modern era (clip above).
Insatiable: The Homaro Cantu Story (Hulu)
This documentary chronicles the life of culinary trailblazer Homaro Cantu, who died, tragically, in 2015 at the age of 38. Cantu earned raves from the critics for his work at Moto in Chicago, and he often appeared on TV and at conferences talking about the intersection of food and science. The chef was particularly passionate about the “miracle berry,” a fruit that makes sour foods taste sweet, which he believed could help fight world hunger.
Filmmaker Brett A. Schwartz’s documentary covers Cantu’s rough childhood years, his rise to culinary fame, and the unfortunate circumstances that preceded his death. Last year, Schwartz told Eater Chicago: “I wanted viewers to have a punch in the gut, to feel what the community felt... But I also wanted there to be a tinge of a hopeful future in terms of what happens next with Omar's ideas.”
Food Evolution (Hulu)
Filmmaker Scott Hamilton Kennedy got one of the science world’s biggest stars, Neil deGrasse Tyson, to narrate his documentary about genetically modified organisms, aka GMOs. The film looks at the debate over whether or not we should be eating such things, and ultimately sides with the pro-GMO camp. Times critic Daniel Gold writes that Food Evolution is “respectful to opponents but insistent on the data.”
Also of note in September: The Great British Bake Off’s least popular original cast member embarks on an automotive-themed journey on Paul Hollywood's Big Continental Road Trip (Netflix, September 29), and Japanese reality show Terrace House: Aloha State returns this month for another season full of tense romantic conversations around dinner tables (Netflix, September 26).
August 2017
The Founder (Netflix)
A film about the man who created the world’s most recognizable fast-food brand, starring heavyweight Michael Keaton in the lead role, The Founder garnered plenty of pre-release buzz. Alas, it was a box-office miss. The film received favorable reviews from critics, so everyone who missed its theatrical release may want to schedule an at-home viewing. Keaton stars as Ray Kroc, who opened the first McDonald’s franchise location in 1955 and, by the time of his death in 1983, transformed the burger restaurant into a global behemoth with $8 billion in sales. Eater film critic Joshua David Stein describes Kroc’s story as a metaphor for “the story of America.”
The Truth About Alcohol (Netflix)
This hour-long episode of BBC One’s The Truth About … series attempts to answer some common questions about booze consumption and the science behind getting drunk. Doctor Javid Abdelmoneim hosts, and among the subjects he tackles are why individuals have differing tolerances for alcohol, whether red wine is actually healthy, and if finishing the evening with a nightcap will induce better sleep. Consider The Truth About Alcohol a tutorial in drinking.
Wet Hot American Summer: 10 Years Later (Netflix)
Fans of the 2001 cult classic Wet Hot American Summer returned to Camp Firewood in 2015 with Netflix’s First Day of Camp prequel series. Now viewers are jumping a decade into the future — well, in the future from the original 1981 timeline — to see what the counselors are up to 10 years down the road in 1991. Christopher Meloni is back to play disturbed camp cook Gene Jenkinson (née Jonas Jurgenson), and, thankfully, so is H. Jon Benjamin as Gene’s talking can of mixed vegetables.
Barbecue (Netflix)
From director Matthew Salleh and producers Rose Tucker and Daniel Joyce, this documentary dives into various fire-based-cooking cultures around the world. Salleh takes viewers on a trip to 12 different countries and examines their barbecue traditions. The director hopes to tell a story that reaches far beyond food and instead explains how “something as basic as cooking over fire unites us across race, class, and culture in increasingly uncertain times.” Barbecue premiered as a Documentary Spotlight selection at the South by Southwest film festival in March.
July 2017
Chef (Amazon Prime)
Although it’s far from perfect, Jon Favreau’s 2014 comedy is arguably the most entertaining movie that Hollywood has produced about the culinary world over the last five years. The story focuses on Carl Casper (played by Favreau), a frustrated Los Angeles chef who throws his good job on the fire to drive a food truck across the country with his son (Emjay Anthony) and sous chef (John Leguizamo). Casper’s social media meltdown and the banter between the chef and his kitchen crew are the funniest parts of this film, and the food looks great. Note: This movie is also currently available on Netflix.
Soul Food (HBO Now)
This 1997 hit drama/comedy focuses on a sprawling Chicago family that gathers together around the dinner table for a series of Sunday feasts. The matriarch, Big Mama (played by Irma P. Hall), does most of the cooking with some help from her daughters Maxine (Vivica A. Fox), Teri (Vanessa Williams), and Bird (Nia Long). In his three-and-a-half star review, Roger Ebert noted: “[I]n the way it cuts between stories of romance and trouble, it’s like Waiting to Exhale, but more down to earth and believable — and funnier.”
Butter (Netflix)
The world of competitive butter carving is the backdrop for this 2012 politically-tinged comedy starring Hugh Jackman, Olivia Wilde, Jennifer Garner, Ty Burrell, Yara Shahidi, and Kristen Schaal. Although this ensemble comedy left some critics scratching their heads, Butter certainly has its fans as well.
Delicatessen (Netflix)
A decade before making the wildly successful romantic-comedy Amelie, Jean-Pierre Jeunere directed this cult classic about a devilish butcher who sells cheap human meat in a post-apocalyptic world where lentils are traded as currency and an underground community of vegetarians is plotting a rebel uprising. Delicatessen is an acquired taste, to say the least.
Heartburn (HBO Now)
Naturally, the film adaptation of Nora Ephron’s autobiographical novel about her first marriage includes a lot of eating and drinking. Most memorable, perhaps, is the scene wherein the protagonist, a food critic played by Meryl Streep, and her lover, a newspaper reporter portrayed by Jack Nicholson, share a bowl of postcoital pasta in bed. The critics were split on this film from director Mike Nichols, but if you’re an Ephron fan and/or someone who digs peak 1980s nostalgia, it’s definitely worth a spin.
Also new for July: The first season of HGTV’s cooking show Spice Up lands on Netflix, and the horror film Carne the Taco Maker hits Amazon Prime. On the flipside: Chocolat, I’ll Have What Phil’s Having, and The Search For General Tso are all leaving Netflix at the beginning of the moth.
June 2017
Jacques Pepin: The Art of Craft and James Beard: America’s First Foodie (PBS)
The two newest installments of PBS’s terrific American Masters documentary series focus on chefs who changed the food media landscape forever. The Jacques documentary chronicles the chef’s education in the great kitchens of France, his days working for Howard Johnson’s, and Pepin’s late-blooming career as a TV cooking show host. James Beard’s episode includes vintage footage of I Love to Eat — the show that he hosted on NBC in the late 40 — and a behind-the-scenes look at his relationship with kindred spirit Julia Child. Both films are now available to stream on PBS.org.
I’m Dying Up Here (Showtime)
Showtime’s new dramedy chronicles the lives of a group of aspiring stand-up comedians and a big club owner in LA in the 1970s, right after the Tonight Show moved out west. The series mostly takes places in bars, nightclubs, and LA restaurants like Canter’s, where the comedians chew over the night they just went through. Produced by Jim Carrey, I’m Dying Up Here features performances from some very talented actors and comedians, including Melissa Leo, Alfred Molina, and Al Madrigal. You can stream the first episode for free right now.
Shrimpin’ Ain’t Easy (Showtime Anytime)
And speaking of Al Madrigal, the LA-based comedian’s newest special Shrimpin’ Ain’t Easy is now also available to stream on Showtime Anytime. Madrigal is one of the funniest people doing stand-up right now. This set includes more than a few jokes that will appeal to food obsessives, including a bit about a taco truck reveal, “seafood revenge,” and problematic Yelp reviews.
Chef & My Fridge (Netflix)
Netflix, the streaming service that keeps churning out great food TV shows left and right, is bringing subscribers a new South Korean cooking competition show. According to the official Netflix page, this program will feature Korea’s best chefs cooking “ingredients found inside the guest stars’ very own refrigerators.” No preview or photos are available yet; stay tuned for more details as they become available.
May 2017
Master of None Season 2 (Netflix)
The first season of Aziz Ansari’s original series was a celebration of dining, and if the Season 2 trailer is any indication, new episodes will be just as gluttonous. In just over a minute of preview footage, Ansari and his friends are seen consuming espresso, assorted wines, rooftop shots, cheese, barbecue, and tweezer food. Be sure to have plenty of snacks at the ready before binging this series.
Chocolat (Netflix)
True movie buffs may recall that, before he was starring in a never-ending series about 18th-century zombie pirates, Johnny Depp played the hunky love interest of a 1950s chocolatier. French actress Juliette Binoche stars as Vianne Rocher, whose sweet creations cause the residents of a small town to lose their inhibitions during Lent. If that sounds absurd, consider this excerpt from the film’s synopsis on Wikipedia: “Convinced now that chocolate will make people stray from their faith, [Mayor Comte de Reynaud] sneaks into Vianne’s house in order to ruin Vianne’s preparations for the Easter festival. After accidentally tasting a bit of chocolate that fell on his lips, he finally yields to temptation and devours much of the chocolate in the window display before collapsing into tears and eventually falling asleep.”
Decanted (Netflix)
This documentary examines what is required to make it as a vintner in Napa Valley. Filmmaker Nicholas Kovacic II follows the team behind Italics Winegrowers, a new player in the game, and learns how much hard work and good fortune goes into a bottle. In addition to winemaking, Kovacic focuses on Napa wine culture and how it continued to flourish after Prohibition, at a time when other American alcohol industries became homogenized. “Napa Valley, California, is this place where history and legacy are really starting now to intertwine creating some lasting effects on global wine,” he says.
Ella Brennan: Commanding the Table (Netflix)
This new documentary from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Leslie Iwerks chronicles the sensational life of New Orleans restaurateur Ella Brennan, who, at 91, still presides over Commander’s Palace and a slew of other Crescent City establishments. Brennan helped launch the careers of Emeril Lagasse and Paul Prudhomme, and she influenced countless restaurateurs over her long career. Check out the trailer here.
Twin Peaks Season 3 (Hulu/Showtime)
A little more than 25 years after it went off the air, cult classic Twin Peaks is coming back. It’s not really a show about food, but viewers can expect to see creator David Lynch, who also plays FBI Deputy Director Gordon Cole, tucking into a doughnut or two. Kyle MacLachlan, reprising his role as Agent Dale Cooper, surely will enjoy some damn good coffee.
April 2017
Documentary Now! Season 2 (Netflix)
Saturday Night Live alums Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, and Seth Meyers have a hit with their IFC series that pokes fun at the modern obsession with documentary films. The second episode of Season 2 is titled “Juan Likes Rice and Chicken,” and it tells the story of an 83-year-old chef named Juan and his award-winning restaurant. Anyone who has seen Jiro Dreams of Sushi or Chef’s Table will get the jokes.
The Great British Baking Show: Masterclass (Netflix)
The Great British Baking Show is getting a complete overhaul, so for those who can’t bear to think of the series without its original cast, Masterclass will offer some relief. In this Baking Show spin-off, judges Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry demonstrate how to properly execute some of the toughest challenges from the series. All three seasons will be available, giving fans 15 more episodes with their favorite baking Brits.
Bill Nye Saves the World (Netflix)
Everyone’s favorite TV scientist has a new show coming to Netflix on April 21. In Bill Nye Saves the World, Nye will be joined by a variety of celebrities to analyze topics including sex, global warming, and alternative medicine. Alton Brown, everyone’s favorite TV food scientist, will star in one episode. Details are scarce, but considering Nye and Brown’s track records, it’s safe to assume there will be lots of quirky fun.
March 2017
Samurai Gourmet (Netflix)
Fans of Japanese manga will want to tune into Samurai Gourmet. Adapted from actor Masayumi Kasuki’s essay and comic of the same name, this 12-episode series follows a newly retired Kasuki as he “discovers the joys of daytime drinking and the realization that he is now free to eat and drink what he wants, when he wants.” Who can’t relate to that? This gluttonous awakening allows Kasuki to delve into the world of fantasy and reimagine himself as a samurai warrior in the time of Japan’s civil wars. [Watch the trailer]
Food Chains (Hulu)
This documentary boasts actor Eva Longoria and Eric Schlosser, whose previous work includes Food Inc. and Fast Food Nation, as producers. Farmworkers serve as the backbone of America’s food industry. Many deal with awful working conditions, wherein they face physical abuse, sexual harassment, and menial wages. The creators of Food Chains hope their exposé will raise enough awareness to improve the lives of these workers. [Watch the trailer]
Sustainable (Netflix)
Winner of the 2016 Accolade Global Humanitarian Award for Outstanding Achievement, Sustainable investigates the multitude of environmental and agricultural issues that threaten America’s food supply. At the center of the documentary is seventh-generation farmer Marty Travis, who is fighting the corporate farming industry by leading a sustainable food movement in Chicago. [Watch the trailer]
The Mind of a Chef, Seasons 1-4 (Netflix)
After ditching the streaming service in 2015, The Mind of a Chef is back on Netflix. Seasons 1 through 4 feature superstars David Chang, Sean Brock, Ed Lee, and Gabrielle Hamilton, respectively. Each episode is narrated by globe-trotting gourmand Anthony Bourdain’s silky-smooth voice. [Watch the Season 4 trailer]
Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories (Netflix)
Late-night people watching at a greasy spoon is a pastime around the world. This scripted series spans 10 episodes and gives viewers a glimpse into the existence of a Tokyo diner open only after midnight (Kaoru Kobayashi plays the nameless owner, who characters simply refer to as “Master”). Each installment focuses on a different sort of Japanese comfort food, such as tanmen noodles, fried rice omelets, and pickled plums, and details how specific dishes emotionally resonate with the diner’s cast of regulars. Although it’s not new to Netflix as of this month, this recent arrival is starting to generate a cult following here in the states, because it’s great. [Watch the trailer]
Hungry for more? Check out Eater’s guide to noteworthy food and drink-related shows to stream, categorized by streaming service:
Netflix
TV Shows:
Ainsley Eats the Streets [Season 1]
Anthony Bourdain: A Cook’s Tour [Seasons 1 and 2]
Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown [Season 6]
Avec Eric [entire series]
Chef & My Fridge [Seasons 1 and 2]
Chef’s Table [Seasons 1 to 3]
The Big Family Cooking Showdown [Season 1]
Cooked [Season 1]
The Great British Bake-Off [Seasons 1 through 3]
Master of None [Seasons 1 and 2]
Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories [Season 1]
Mind of a Chef [Seasons 1 through 4]
Samurai Gourmet [Season 1]
Spice Up [Season 1]
The Truth About Alcohol [single episode]
Wet Hot American Summer: 10 Years Later
The Wild Chef [Seasons 1 and 2]
Movies/Documentaries:
Barbecue
Butter
Chef
Decanted
Delicatessen
The Dinner
Ella Brennan: Commanding the Table
Fed Up
Foodies
The Founder
Fun Mom Dinner
Jiro Dreams of Sushi
În Search of Israeli Cuisine
The Missing Ingredient
Noma: My Perfect Storm
The Search for General Tso
Super Size Me
Sustainable
Somm
Somm: Into the Bottle
The Trip
The Trip in Italy
Hulu
TV Shows:
After Hours With Daniel Boulud
A Cook’s Tour [Seasons 1 and 2]
Cake Boss [Seasons 9 through 11]
The Chef [Season 6]
Food Evolution
From Martha’s Kitchen [Seasons 1 through 7]
Hell’s Kitchen [Season 16]
Insatiable: The Homaru Cantu Story
Kitchen Confidential [The short-lived Bradley Cooper sitcom]
Masterchef [Season 7]
Top Chef Masters [Seasons 1 through 6]
Top Chef [Seasons 1 through 13]
The Wine Show [Seasons 1 and 2]
Documentaries:
Ants on a Shrimp
City of Gold
Jiro Dreams of Sushi
Kampai! For the Love of Sake
Amazon Prime
TV Shows/Documentaries:
Anthony Bourdain Explains Everything
The Chef’s Bar
Deli Man
Finding Gaston
Food Chains
Great Chefs of France
Great Chefs of New Orleans
Great Chefs of the South
Eat the World With Emeril
Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story
The Restaurateur
HBO Now
TV shows:
Boardwalk Empire
Mildred Pierce
Treme
Movies/Documentaries:
Soul Food
No Contract, No Cookies: The Stella D'oro Strike
Risky Drinking
PBS
TV shows:
A Chef’s Life [entire series]
Chef Steps
Farm to Table Family
Food Forward
In Julia’s Kitchen With Master Chefs
Kitchen Explorers
Kitchen Vignettes
Martha Stewart’s Cooking School
The Great British Baking Show [Seasons 1 through 4]
The Great British Baking Show: Masterclass [Seasons 1 through 4]
The Mind of a Chef [select episodes]