Magnolia Network’s ‘Home Work’ Could Be the Next ‘Fixer Upper’

It’s hard enough to capture reality TV lightning in a bottle, let alone managing it twice, and yet that seems to be what HGTV darlings Chip and Joanna Gaines have accomplished. The Waco, Texas couple shot to fame with their uber-popular home renovation hit Fixer Upper and are now poised to launch their own channel, the Magnolia Network, in July. Of course there will be a lot of Chip and Jo, but there are dozens of new stars waiting in the wings. First and foremost Candis and Andy Meredith of Home Work. Of all the shows available to preview on the Magnolia Network tab on Discovery+, Home Work seems like the most obvious hit. It has all the charm of a classic HGTV show with a distinctive style, and charm, that’s all its own.

Home Work is my bet for the next Fixer Upper-level hit.

When Fixer Upper first debuted on HGTV in 2013 (followed by its first full season in 2014), the network was undergoing something of a rebirth. Following on the heels of the success of Canadian import Love It or List It, HGTV had started filling its programing slots with shows that focused on the power of renovating houses. In 2013, HGTV also started airing another Canadian hit, Property Brothers, and a half-hour flipping show called Flip or Flop. The allure of these shows wasn’t just watching how a space could be marvelously transformed but watching the interplay of real-life family members.

When it came to nailing this marriage of reality TV tropes, Fixer Upper stars Chip and Jo Gaines reigned supreme. Their impressive renovations, trademark style, and cutesy romantic banter was television gold. In the last decade alone, they’ve managed to not only become the king and queen of HGTV, but the overseers of a vast empire that includes spin-offs, a Target line, a magazine, and a tiny lifestyle “theme park” in Waco. And now they have their own network.

But the Magnolia Network can’t thrive on Chip and Jo’s fame alone. It will need other stars and new hits. Enter Home Work. 

In many ways, Home Work feels like more of the same. After all Fixer Upper‘s success launched a series of HGTV imitators from the mother-daughter duo of Good Bones to the down South charms of Home Town, and Home Work fits into that same mold. The show follows Candis and Andy Meredith, a charming couple with a big Brady Bunch-style blended family who work with clients to renovate drab interiors into lush escapes. However Home Work adds in a fun extra twist. We watch Candis and Andy work on their own dream house project in tandem with clients’ requests. The two have purchased an old schoolhouse with the intent of making it a luxurious space for them and their huge litter of kids. And wow, the work they’re doing is impressive!

Indeed, the exact thing I found so charming about Home Work might be otherwise be considered a ding against it. The show had an ease to it from the jump. It was a fully-formed home renovation show complete with a telegenic family and a designer with honestly great ideas. I will never not be wowed by Candis’s trick of ordering a huge painting printed on a vinyl tarp and framing it up with gold spray-painted molding. It’s a cheap shortcut to instant class when you’ve got luxe taste and a small budget. Moreover, I want to see how the house evolves. There’s a reason for me to keep watching!

So, yeah, if I had to bet on one Magnolia Network show, it’s the one that feels the most like all my favorite HGTV hits.

You can catch the first episode of Home Work on the Magnolia Network preview tab on Discovery+. The series will officially premiere on the Magnolia Network when it launches on July 15, 2021.

Where to stream Home Work