Warner Bros. thinks HBO Max is such a fixer upper it's moving Chip and Joanna Gaines in
The HGTV icons are bringing multiple shows from their Magnolia Networks banner to the streamer, including all five seasons of Fixer Upper
These days, it seems you either die a hero or live long enough to see your favorite streamer slowly yet surely turn into HGTV. HBO Max fans must be short on heroism these days— home improvement icons Chip and Joanna Gaines are set to move multiple shows from their Magnolia Networks banner to the streamer, Variety reports. The acquisition comes amid bombshell rumors that Warner Bros. plans to consolidate HBO Max and Discovery+, which could lead to significant content losses and layoffs.
Chip and Joanna Gaines launched Magnolia Networks in partnership with Discovery last year, before Discovery’s merger with WarnerMedia. Magnolia Networks’ existing lineup includes the Gaines’ flagship series Fixer Upper as well as shows like Fixer Upper: Welcome Home, Magnolia Table with Joanna Gaines and The Lost Kitchen. All these and more will reportedly be available for streaming on HBO Max by September.
Per Variety, industry sources also say a new series, Fixer Upper: The Castle, will premiere on the streamer October 14, chronicling the Gaines’ journey through renovating their 100-year old castle in Waco, Texas. Who needs the Game Of Thrones extended universe when there’s a perfectly good castle being renovated by a nice, non-incestuous couple in the Southwest? (Unfortunately, we do.)
The addition of Magnolia Networks comes shortly after HBO Max quietly removed six original films from their lineup, including Robert Zemeckis’ The Witches remake with Anne Hathaway, Seth Rogen’s An American Pickle, and Moonshot starring Lana Condor and Cole Sprouse. Sources also share that the already-axed films only mark the beginning of significant content removals planned at the streamers. Although HBO series’ like Succession, Euphoria, The White Lotus, and yes, House Of The Dragon likely won’t be affected, any Max Originals could be far less lucky. If only the Gaines’ could take a swing at fixing up WarnerMedia’s financial strategy and rescue one of the best streaming services out there.