Roku Rescues 'The Great Pottery Throw Down' From Streaming Limbo

Mr. Rogers famously said that in times of uncertainty and fear, look for the helpers. Considering how much those two words can describe the state of the television industry, it feels like critics and viewers, at times, look for a service to right some of the terrible wrong decisions made by the flailing streaming services, whose continued existence is an open question. The worst offender, by far, has been Warner Bros. Discovery, which utterly butchered the once and future HBO Max out of some ridiculous idea that subscribers wanted mindless trash instead of the intelligent programming the "HBO" brand is known for, and canceling new seasons of the British series collected there, including The Great Pottery Throw Down.

Dumping The Great British Baking Show's ceramic cousin was merely one foolish decision out of many; HBO Max originally picked it up to directly compete with Netflix and Baking Show. Despite being undermarketed (as the service did with all its British series), the show caught on through critical word of mouth, proving that the "Great British" format was a winner in the U.S. But, just as the series seemed poised to steal Baking Show's audience out from under it, Max stopped importing new seasons and let the first five languish in a unused corner of the service.

Since Throw Down's U.S. cancellation, I have been loudly and obnoxiously reminding people that this hit series was sitting there waiting for someone to capitalize on Max's decision. Now, finally, a helper emerges, as Roku has made a deal to import the entire Love Productions "Great British" catalog, including all the seasons and holiday specials of The Great Pottery Throw Down that have aired since Max stopped importing it.