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.

The Pottery Throwdown pickup is part of a larger deal Roku is making that includes the recommissioning of The Great American Baking Show spinoff, which it also currently produces. According to Broadcast UK, that includes:

• The Great American Baking Show Season 4
• The Great American Baking Show Celebrity Holiday Special
• The Great American Baking Show Big Game
• The Great American Baking Show Celebrity Summer
• Plus, a new addition: The Great American Baking Show Celebrity Halloween Special

For Pottery Throwdown, Roku will get:

• The Great Pottery Throw Down Season 6 and 7
• The Great Pottery Throw Down Christmas Specials 

Also of note, Roku will also have:

• The Great Canadian Baking Show Seasons 1 through 8
• The Great Canadian Baking Show Holiday Specials

The irony of HBO Max cutting off new seasons when it did is that Throw Down finally solidified its formula with Season 5. (Not unlike Baking Show!) After spinning the wheel through multiple hosts, the series hired Siobhan Sweeney, with Ellie Taylor as her co-host/understudy. Various awkward judging partners for mainstay Keith Brymer Jones also came and went, until the production realized it had the perfect co-judge the whole time with "Kiln Man Rich," Richard Miller, who was pulled out of the backroom working the bellows to be the judge who genuinely understands how hard the show's format is. (Dutch ceramicist Rose Schmits took over the firings.)

Speaking of the show's format, Throw Down's popularity partly stems from the fact that ceramics don't lend themselves well to the standard "Great British" format, and that the show was so good, it didn't matter how poorly the challenge set up fit the craft, even as the show tried tweaking it every season. Season 5 wasn't just the season when the judges and hosts were finalized; it was also the season the series finally settled on the correct variation of formula for the temperamental art form.

The Roku Channel already has The Great Pottery Throw Down Seasons 1 through 5 via its HBO Max add-on; Seasons 6, 7, and the 2023 and 2024 Holiday specials are expected to debut on the service's free-with-ads tier in the coming weeks. Season 8 only recently finished on the BBC, it remains to be seen if Roku will scoop that up once the exclusivity window ends.