Netflix Picked Up The Great British Baking Show And More New Reality Shows

The Great British Baking Show PBS Courtesy Of YouTube

Netflix rolls out a slew of original programming on a consistent basis, and while it has plenty of scripted shows, it's gained quite a few unscripted originals as well. Now the streaming service has acquired the American rights to one of the most-known cooking competitions out of the U.K., and will also be rolling out quite a few unscripted originals in the near future. Netflix will be the new American home for The Great British Baking Show and will premiere original programs The Final Table, Death by Magic, Sunderland 'Til I Die, Flinch, and Derren Brown: Sacrifice before the end of 2018.

Food-loving Netflix subscribers may already be familiar with The Great British Baking Show (or The Great British Bake Off), as the platform has had collections 1-4 (U.K. seasons 4-7) on its service for a while now. That will continue as all episodes of collection 5 (Season 8) will come to the platform Friday, August 31. Fans wary of spoilers may want to avoid too much googling in regards to the show, as Channel 4 wrapped up the airing of the aforementioned season in 2017. Netflix also has the rights to the yet to air Seasons 9 and 10 of the program, as well as a batch of two-episode holiday specials that will air each holiday season from 2018 through 2020.

As for the unscripted original shows, Netflix is keeping the cooking theme going with The Final Table. The Final Table is a competitive program that pits the best chefs from around the world against each other in a contest that involves the preparation of national dishes from different countries. Chefs will compete in 12 teams of 2, and will compete for supremacy in episodes that specifically focus on the cuisine of one country. Each episode will end with an elimination until the finale in which only one chef will reign supreme and win a place at the culinary table among other celebrity cooking icons from other countries. The show hails from Masterchef producers and is expected to arrive on Netflix before the end of the year.

Netflix isn't only cooking up food shows, however, and will step into a world of magic and morbidity with Death By Magic. Hosted by British magician Drummond Money-Coutts, the program will travel the world to investigate the deaths of those who died performing dangerous stunts and illusions. Money-Coutts will up the ante and recreate some of these dangerous stunts, some of which include dangerous activities like a game of Russian roulette and dodging a speeding train. We're assuming he survives the encounters, as the series is set to arrive on Netflix at some point later this year.

Soccer fans who find a passion for the pastime largely lacking in America will get a healthy dose of European fanaticism for "football" in Sunderland 'Til I Die. The series revolves around the community of Sunderland which has found optimism in hard times in the SAFC (Sunderland Association Football Club). Viewers will witness the club's high and low points in its first season in the Championship after relegation the previous year. It sounds like a great sports series with the emotional weight of other Netflix originals like Last Chance U and may be worth checking out even for fans who aren't as crazy about the sport. Sunderland 'Til I Die arrives Friday, December 14 at 12:01 PT on Netflix.

Things sound progressively less heavy and more happy-go-lucky in Flinch, which explains about everything interested viewers need to know in the title. The object of the game is not to flinch, and contestants that do so throughout three games each episode will be punished for doing so. They won't be the only ones suffering, however, as the stakes are raised as each host picks a contestant and will suffer alongside them if they are unsuccessful. The show is filmed on a remote farm in Ireland and is hosted by comedians Desiree Burch, Lloyd Griffith and Seann Walsh. Interested viewers presumably won't be punished for flinching while watching, as the series arrives on Netflix later this year.

Last, but certainly not least, psychological illusionist Derren Brown is back on Netflix with yet another special. Derren Brown: Sacrifice will show Brown attempt to psychologically manipulate one man into deciding to lay down his life for another man despite prejudices that suggest he'd do otherwise. The concept sounds very similar to The Push, in which Brown enticed unknowing applicants into committing what they believed was murder. It'll be interesting to see how Brown manages to pull this stunt off as Netflix intends to roll out the special before the year's end.

Believe it or not, Netflix has even more programs headed to its platform beyond all of that, so head over to our Netflix premiere guide and see what all is on the way. For a look at what's happening on cable, visit our summer and fall premiere guides.

Mick Joest
Content Producer

Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.