Friend of this Weblog Wayne Stauffer sent me the link to a news story from GoodHousekeeping.com (I kid you not).
I’m not sure if the news qualifies as evidence that Harry Potter has finally ‘Jumped the Shark‘ or if it is just another demonstration of the ‘Shared Text’ theory that the Hogwarts Saga and attendant Potter Mania is the common denominator of 21st Century life, one that cuts across all boundaries of age, country, creed, or sex (insert gender joke here). Or — is just a sign of desperation on the part of the actors and actresses in the original Warner Brothers film adaptations to cash in before the HBO+ teevee shows new stars displace them in the three ring Celebrity Circus?
The news, in brief, is that the Food Network will be airing a new cooking program this holiday season called ‘Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking.’ From GoodHousekeeping.com’s ‘The Food Network is Dipping into the World of Harry Potter with a New Food Series:’
The hit culinary channel is embracing the world of wizardry, spells and magical creatures in a new way, thanks to a new show coming this fall. In an announcement made on Instagram on September 1, Food Network announced they would be stepping into the world of the Harry Potter franchise with a baking competition inspired by the beloved books and movies.
Titled Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking, the show will follow a group of contestants as they bake and design desserts inspired by the fandom. And if that’s not enough, actors James and Oliver Phelps (who portrayed Fred and George Weasley in the Harry Potter films) will host the series with chefs Carla Hall and Jozef Youssef judging the creations on the sets where the iconic movies were filmed in London, England….
While details like when Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking will premiere are under wraps, the series will be available to watch on both Food Network and Max. What’s more, James and Oliver won’t be the only Harry Potter cast members involved in the competition.
Alongside Oliver and James, Warwick Davis (who played Griphook the goblin and Professor Flitwick), Bonnie Wright (who played Ginny Weasley) and Evanna Lynch (who played Luna Lovegood) will all be featured guests on various episodes of Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking. As for what they will be asking for? The bakers may need their wands and spell books at the ready in order to win the competition.
Where does this rank in the hierarchy of silliest Harry Potter knock-off fan servicing products and projects? I’m thinking ‘Wizards of Baking’ may have displaced Potter underwear and Hogwarts toothpaste. If it gets anything like the ratings that David Martin’s championship run for Hufflepuff on Harry Potter: Tournament of Houses, I expect that we’ll see a Price is Right version with galleons, sickles, and knuts.
I’d watch it! The descriptions of the food served at Hogwarts are wonderful and it would be fun to see inspired dishes come to life. I’m surprised it hasn’t already been done.