# Baking It
**Baking It** is an American holiday baking competition television series that premiered on the streaming service [Peacock](https://www.edgepedia.org/peacock-streaming-service) on December 2, 2021, in which eight teams of two home bakers compete in themed challenges judged by a panel of four grandmothers for a cash prize and the title "Best in Dough"[1](https://thetvdb.com/series/baking-it) • [2](https://www.rockentertainment.com/shows/baking-it-season-2). It is a spin-off of the NBC craft competition *Making It*, created by [Amy Poehler](https://www.edgepedia.org/amy-poehler) and Nicolle Yaron, and ran for two seasons[3](https://www.c21media.net/news/peacock-greenlights-unscripted-spin-offs/%2525252520) • [1](https://thetvdb.com/series/baking-it). A separate product of the same name is Baking It, a bakery business software platform; this article covers the television series.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Premiere | December 2, 2021, on Peacock[1](https://thetvdb.com/series/baking-it) |
| Format | Eight teams of two home bakers face themed holiday challenges judged by four grandmother judges[2](https://www.rockentertainment.com/shows/baking-it-season-2) |
| Hosts | Season 1: Maya Rudolph and Andy Samberg; season 2: Maya Rudolph and Amy Poehler[4](https://www.nexttv.com/news/amy-poehler-on-board-for-season-two-of-baking-it) |
| Prize | $50,000 cash prize and the title "Best in Dough"[5](https://www.avclub.com/baking-it-season-2-tv-peacock-amy-poehler-1849932316) |
| Seasons | 2; season 2 ran December 12, 2022 to January 9, 2023, five episodes plus an NBC holiday special[1](https://thetvdb.com/series/baking-it) • [6](https://www.nexttv.com/news/baking-it-season-two-stars-with-holiday-special) |
| Production | Universal Television Alternative Studio in association with Paper Kite Productions and 3 Arts Entertainment[7](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/baking-it-season-two-peacock-renews-competition-series-with-maya-rudolph-and-amy-poehler-as-hosts/) |
| Recognition | Writers Guild of America Award, Best Quiz and Audience Participation, 2023 (winner)[1](https://thetvdb.com/series/baking-it) |
## Spoilers
### Seasons
**Season 1** premiered December 2, 2021, hosted by [Maya Rudolph](https://www.edgepedia.org/maya-rudolph) and [Andy Samberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/andy-samberg), who also executive produced alongside Amy Poehler[4](https://www.nexttv.com/news/amy-poehler-on-board-for-season-two-of-baking-it). Its six episodes included challenges such as three-tiered cakes representing the bakers' holiday past, present, and future, gingerbread houses, and a final feast to determine "Best in Dough"[12](https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/baking-it/8740609464948940112/seasons/1). Poehler appeared briefly at the start of the first episode, meeting Rudolph and Samberg outside the cottage shared by the two shows[13](https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/369011/the-impact-of-short-form-video-on-audience-engag.html).
**Season 2** debuted on Peacock on December 12, 2022, with Amy Poehler replacing Andy Samberg as co-host alongside Rudolph; both hosted and executive produced[4](https://www.nexttv.com/news/amy-poehler-on-board-for-season-two-of-baking-it). The season consisted of five hour-long weekly episodes plus a celebrity holiday special that aired on NBC the same night, featuring [Fred Armisen](https://www.edgepedia.org/fred-armisen), Kristen Bell, Nicole Richie, and JB Smoove baking for charity[6](https://www.nexttv.com/news/baking-it-season-two-stars-with-holiday-special). Challenges included recreating an exploded cake, edible representations of the bakers' worst fears, modern takes on vintage recipes pulled from the Grannies' purses, and a sweet-versus-savory pie semifinal, ending with a January 9, 2023 finale in which teams created a centerpiece dish for their favorite holiday celebrations[14](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/baking-it/episodes-season-2/1000983758/). The season 2 cast included roommates, brothers, siblings, couples, and a mother-daughter pair among the sixteen contestants[6](https://www.nexttv.com/news/baking-it-season-two-stars-with-holiday-special).
## Format
Each season brings eight teams of two amateur bakers, typically family members or friends, to a winter cabin for a holiday-themed competition[2](https://www.rockentertainment.com/shows/baking-it-season-2) • [8](https://www.nbcuniformats.com/uploads/NBCUFormatsUnscriptedCatalogue2025.pdf). In season 1 the teams faced two Christmas-themed baking challenges per episode, and one team was sent home at the end of each episode until the remaining team was crowned "Best in Dough" in the finale[9](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/baking-it). The judging panel consists of four real-life grandmothers, billed as excellent amateur bakers in their own right, who offer what the show calls no-nonsense feedback[10](https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2021/12/baking-it-buddy-vs-duff-holiday-candified-reviews/) • [2](https://www.rockentertainment.com/shows/baking-it-season-2). The season 1 judges were Bubbe Norma, Gigi Sherri, Grandma Anne, and Nana Harriet[10](https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2021/12/baking-it-buddy-vs-duff-holiday-candified-reviews/).
The series is described as a musical baking competition: the hosts perform choreographed theme songs, interludes, and full music videos between challenges[11](https://www.cinemablend.com/streaming-news/why-andy-samberg-and-maya-rudolphs-baking-it-is-the-best-feel-good-entertainment-of-2021). The NBCUniversal Formats catalog, which licenses the format internationally, describes episodes as built around two challenges, "Short & Sweet" and "Pie In The Sky", with the four grandmas judging and the winning team crowned "Best in Dough"[8](https://www.nbcuniformats.com/uploads/NBCUFormatsUnscriptedCatalogue2025.pdf).
## Production and reception
The show was commissioned by Peacock in 2021 as one of several unscripted spin-offs of [NBCUniversal](https://www.edgepedia.org/nbcuniversal) formats, alongside *Top Chef Family Style*[3](https://www.c21media.net/news/peacock-greenlights-unscripted-spin-offs/%2525252520). It is produced by Universal Television Alternative Studio, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Poehler's Paper Kite Productions and 3 Arts Entertainment; executive producers across the seasons have included Poehler, Rudolph, Yaron, Pip Wells, Kate Arend, and Dave Becky[7](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/baking-it-season-two-peacock-renews-competition-series-with-maya-rudolph-and-amy-poehler-as-hosts/). Episodes run roughly 47 minutes and carry a TV-PG rating[1](https://thetvdb.com/series/baking-it).
Reviewers highlighted the grandmother judges and the hosts' rapport as the show's strengths. [The A.V. Club](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-a-v-club)'s review of season 2 called Poehler's chemistry with Rudolph, her close friend and frequent collaborator, the most delicious part of the season[5](https://www.avclub.com/baking-it-season-2-tv-peacock-amy-poehler-1849932316). A Metacritic summary described it as a gentle, family-friendly baking show whose hosts occasionally break into song[15](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/baking-it/season-1/). The series won the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Quiz and Audience Participation in 2023 and was nominated in the same category in 2024[1](https://thetvdb.com/series/baking-it). Season 2 later made its linear television debut on NBC on Saturday, July 15, 2023[16](https://tvtango.com/series/baking_it). TheTVDB lists the series status as ended, with its most recent episode airing January 9, 2023[1](https://thetvdb.com/series/baking-it).
## References
1. [Baking It, TheTVDB.com](https://thetvdb.com/series/baking-it)
2. [Baking It S2, ROCK Entertainment](https://www.rockentertainment.com/shows/baking-it-season-2)
3. [Peacock greenlights unscripted spin-offs, C21Media](https://www.c21media.net/news/peacock-greenlights-unscripted-spin-offs/%2525252520)
4. [Amy Poehler on Board for Season Two of Peacock's 'Baking It', Next TV](https://www.nexttv.com/news/amy-poehler-on-board-for-season-two-of-baking-it)
5. [Amy Poehler makes Baking It so much sweeter, The A.V. Club](https://www.avclub.com/baking-it-season-2-tv-peacock-amy-poehler-1849932316)
6. ['Baking It' Season Two Starts With Holiday Special, Next TV](https://www.nexttv.com/news/baking-it-season-two-stars-with-holiday-special)
7. [Baking It: Season Two; Peacock Renews Competition Series, TV Series Finale](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/baking-it-season-two-peacock-renews-competition-series-with-maya-rudolph-and-amy-poehler-as-hosts/)
8. [NBCUniversal Formats Unscripted Catalogue 2025-26](https://www.nbcuniformats.com/uploads/NBCUFormatsUnscriptedCatalogue2025.pdf)
9. [Baking It, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/baking-it)
10. [Baking It, Buddy vs. Duff Holiday, and Candified: reviews of three new holiday reality shows, reality blurred](https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2021/12/baking-it-buddy-vs-duff-holiday-candified-reviews/)
11. [Why Andy Samberg And Maya Rudolph's Baking It Is The Best Feel-Good Entertainment Of 2021, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/streaming-news/why-andy-samberg-and-maya-rudolphs-baking-it-is-the-best-feel-good-entertainment-of-2021)
12. [Watch Baking It Season 1, Peacock](https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/baking-it/8740609464948940112/seasons/1)
13. [Peacock's Half-Baked 'Baking It' Takes The Cake, MediaPost](https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/369011/the-impact-of-short-form-video-on-audience-engag.html)
14. [Watch Baking It Online, Season 2, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/baking-it/episodes-season-2/1000983758/)
15. [Baking It season 1 Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/baking-it/season-1/)
16. [Baking It - Series, TV Tango](https://tvtango.com/series/baking_it)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Reality and competition franchise editions › Reality and competition franchises — overview and format history › Premiered 1995 to 2021*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license