Magnolia Network, Discovery’s joint venture with Chip and Joanna Gaines, will make its highly-anticipated cable debut tonight when the channel officially rebrands the existing DIY Network at 9 p.m. ET with the cable premiere of Fixer Upper: Welcome Home. The channel will now be home to all existing Magnolia Network original series.
Also in celebration of the network’s debut and their own return to cable, the Gaineses shared where their television journey began a decade ago by releasing the original Fixer Upper casting tape from 2012, never before seen by the public until today.
Back when Magnolia was just their small business in Waco, TX, a friend of the couple’s sent photos of their then-home—a property they’d purchased as a flip and moved into themselves after selling their previous home—to the popular lifestyle blog Design Mom in 2012. The blog post, featuring Chip’s home renovation work and Joanna’s design, found its way to a production company that worked with HGTV. Though they never had any intention whatsoever of being on television, Chip and Joanna were asked if they’d be willing to submit what ultimately became the casting tape for a pilot, which eventually turned into their beloved home renovation series Fixer Upper. The series aired for five seasons on HGTV between 2013 and 2018 and was the no. 1 unscripted series on all of cable television with 75 million viewers tuning in for the show’s fifth season during its original run. Since then, the Gaineses have grown and elevated their small business into a global home, lifestyle and media brand.
In addition to network original series and DIY Network fan favorites, Magnolia Network will also feature episodes of The French Chef, the classic cooking show hosted by culinary icon Julia Child. Episodes of beloved home improvement series This Old House and Ask This Old House will also air on the network.
“It wasn’t long ago that watching TV meant time together as a family. It was a place where people of all ages could gather and be informed, entertained, and inspired by the kind of honest, authentic programming that brings people closer,” said Chip and Joanna Gaines. “That’s what we’ve set out to build with Magnolia Network, and we’ve been amazed by the stories and storytellers we’ve found, people whose lives are living proof that our world is full of beauty, hope, courage, and curiosity. We can’t wait to see these stories brought to life on cable, and we’re hopeful about the impact it might have—to help reclaim the best of what television can be.”
The following Magnolia Network original series will premiere on cable throughout the month of January. All times in Eastern Standard Time:
- Fixer Upper: Welcome Home (Season 1) | Wednesdays at 9 p.m. beginning Jan. 5
- The Lost Kitchen (Season 1) | Thursdays at 9 p.m. beginning Jan. 6
- Mind for Design (Season 1) | Saturdays at 11 a.m. beginning Jan. 8 (double episode premiere week 1)
- The Johnnyswim Show (Season 1) | Saturdays at 7 p.m. beginning Jan. 8 (double episode premiere week 1)
- Home Work (Season 1) | Saturdays at 9 p.m. beginning Jan. 8
- Magnolia Table with Joanna Gaines (Season 1) | Sundays at 1 p.m. beginning Jan. 9 (double episode premiere weeks 1 and 2)
- Zoë Bakes (Season 1) | Sundays at 2 p.m. beginning Jan. 9 (double episode premiere week 1)
- Family Dinner (Season 1) | Sundays at 8 p.m. beginning Jan. 9 (double episode premieres each week in January)
- Restoration Road with Clint Harp (Season 1) | Tuesdays at 9 p.m. beginning Jan. 11
New episodes of the following DIY Network fan favorites (now Magnolia Network original series) and additional programming blocks will debut as follows:
- Maine Cabin Masters (Season 7) continues on Mondays at 9 p.m. through March 14.
- Beachfront Bargain Hunt Renovation (Season 5) will air new episodes on Fridays at 9 p.m. beginning Jan. 7 through Jan. 28. Remaining episodes of the season will air later in 2022.
- Lakefront Bargain Hunt Renovation (Season 3) will air new episodes on Fridays at 9 p.m. beginning Feb. 4 thru Feb. 25 (continued from Oct. 2021).
- Episodes of The French Chef will air beginning Jan. 10 from 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays (Monday and Thursday week 1 only).
- Episodes of This Old House and Ask This Old House will air Saturdays 7 a.m. – 10 a.m. beginning Jan. 8.
Cable premieres for the remainder of Magnolia Network’s extensive library of original content to come later in 2022.