How ‘The Great British Baking Show’ returned to form

Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who enjoyed being back in the tent this season.

After an up-and-down run the last several years, “The Great British Baking Show” turned in a vintage competition this time around, and Screen Gab editor Matt Brennan explains how the reality competition series got its groove back in this week’s Catch Up.

Plus, “Yellowstone” EP David Glasser drops in to talk about the show’s impending finale and our experts offer two streaming recommendations for your weekend.

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Gabriel Leone as Ayrton Senna in “Senna.”

(Alan Roskyn / Netflix)

Netflix helped bring F1 to new heights. Now the sport is poised to return the favor: With scripted series “Senna,” Netflix — already home to popular F1 docuseries “Drive to Survive” — deepens its relationship with the world’s most prestigious racing championship.

‘My So-Called Life’ at 30: How a short-lived show became a ’90s pop culture touchstone: Thirty years after its short but memorable run on ABC, it is widely regarded as a miraculous one-season wonder that captures the era’s competing strains of irony and earnestness.

‘Jentry Chau vs. the Underworld’ is Echo Wu’s love letter to her childhood: The creator of the animated Netflix series explains how the show was a chance to combine her interests while telling an original coming-of-age story.

The best TV shows of 2024: In a year filled with quality series, these subjective choices indicate that great TV shows keep being made, even if the industry is in a bit of a slump, our television critic says.

Turn on

Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times

Keira Knightley in “Black Doves.”

(Netflix)

“Black Doves” (Netflix)

I have a new favorite Christmas-in-London holiday watch that adds more than a little zing to the beloved treacle fest of “Love Actually.” “Black Doves,” a new thriller on Netflix, uses the twinkly backdrop of Oxford Street and a delightful assortment of cozy pubs for all manner of political espionage and mayhem. Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw star as members of a secret spy/assassin-for-hire organization headed by a deliciously icy Sarah Lancashire. Knightley plays Helen Webb who, years into her undercover role as wife to a rising politician, is stunned when her young lover is killed along with two of his friends. Did they know something about the recent assassination of the Chinese ambassador and the vanishing of his daughter? Perhaps, but Helen is more interested in vengeance. Concerned that she may blow her cover, Reed (Lancashire) summons Sam (Whishaw) from European exile. “You owe her,” Reed tells Sam, and over the next six episodes we find out why. Dramatic shoot-outs in London may defy logic, but the characters’ charms and the high-tension twists make this a perfect mince-pie and Christmas-cracker binge. — Mary McNamara

READ MORE: In ‘Black Doves,’ Keira Knightley is a mother and an assassin: ‘My teenage self is thrilled’

A contestant on the game show “Human vs. Hamster.”

(Geoff George / Magnolia Network)

“Human vs. Hamster” (Max)

Have you ever watched a hamster crawl its way through the tubes of an obstacle course-like cage or roll along in a hamster ball and thought, “I want to do that”? Not me! But watching other humans get put through the ringer is a whole different story. “Human vs. Hamster” is as silly as it sounds. Teams of human pairs aligned by their jobs or hobbies — like nurses, teachers, magicians and trivia aficionados — are pitted against hamsters in various obstacle courses and other contests scaled to each species for the chance to win a cash prize and prove their superiority. Each of the 10 hamsters, or hamstars, are introduced with their own backstories before taking the stage. It’s a throwback to competition shows from the ‘80s and ‘90s like “American Gladiator” and “Double Dare,” balancing over-the-top physical challenges and broad comedy with contestants and hosts that take the ridiculous concept and competition just seriously enough. Watching grown adults trash talk each other (and hamsters) before having to wiggle their way in and out of a bottle or speed-eat ears of corn makes for a nice, low-stakes watch where it’s OK to root against humanity. — Tracy Brown

Catch up

Everything you need to know about the film or TV series everyone’s talking about

“The Great British Baking Show” contestant Dylan Bachelet.

(Netflix)

“The Great British Baking Show” (Netflix) has had its share of stumbles in the transition from delightful novelty to reality TV mainstay, from questionable judging and controversial challenges to Matt Lucas’ unfortunate tenure as co-host. Which may explain why I was two-thirds of the way through the series’ most recent season, its 15th, before I recognized a familiar sensation supplanting my skepticism: joy. Returning to classic recipes (tiramisu, profiteroles) and innocuous themes (autumn, the ’70s), the beloved cooking competition ceded the spotlight back to its reliably quirky, lovable contestants this time around, including fan favorites such as aspiring chef Dylan Bachelet — the season-long frontrunner who sent the internet’s heart aflutter — and Nelly Ghaffar — the gregarious Slovakian carer who unexpectedly opened up about her five miscarriages during a difficult challenge.

Even newish presenter Alison Hammond, who has found her footing as the sunny circle to veteran Noel Fielding’s offbeat line, turned personal a moment, delivering a pep talk about positive thinking to keep pediatric nurse Georgie Grasso from quitting the semifinal. For a viewer returning to the fold after several seasons of mounting frustration, it might well have seemed like she were speaking to the show itself: “You’ve got this a million percent. Get that negative and throw it away. Come back to the positive. You will kick yourself if you lose this now.” Lest you haven’t seen it yet, there’s no need to spoil who came out on top in last week’s grand finale. We’re all winners when “The Great British Baking Show” is back on form. — Matt Brennan

Guest spot

A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching

Kelly Reilly and Wes Bentley in “Yellowstone.”

(Paramount Network)

David Glasser, the CEO of production company 101 Studios and executive producer on a fleet of Paramount series, including “Yellowstone,” “Landman,” “Lioness” and “The Agency,” doesn’t have much time for TV days. Well, unless he’s the one making it. And with “Yellowstone,” the flagship title in Taylor Sheridan’s fictional western universe approaching its highly anticipated, long-awaited conclusion, he’s not the only one scrutinizing the work: Even departed star Kevin Costner has weighed in on the way his character, John Dutton, was written off at the start of the season. Glasser stopped by Screen Gab recently to discuss what “sticking the landing” looks like, the classic series he watches to wind down and more. —Matt Brennan

What have you watched recently that you’re recommending to everyone you know?

I would love to have time to watch new shows, but these days, with the series we have, and the cuts coming in daily, they are my viewing pleasure. Each one gives me something different. The epic return of “Yellowstone” has been emotional as we watch each cut. “The Agency” is giving me the high-quality, top brass spy thriller I have always wanted to make. Then, I’ll end the day with the incredible, on-the-edge-of-your-seat worlds of “Landman” and “Lioness.”

What’s your go-to “comfort watch,” the film or TV show you return to again and again?

For me, it’s the classics. When I want to wind down, I try to find an oldie but goodie. I was a huge fan of “Hart to Hart” [Roku Channel], “Remington Steele” [Prime Video], “Murder, She Wrote” [Peacock] and “M.A.S.H.” [Hulu].

Since “Yellowstone” first became a ratings powerhouse for Paramount Network, there have been countless stories written trying to explain why it outstripped the competition in terms of viewership. What’s your theory of the case as to why the series had wider appeal in recent years than any other show like it?

I really think the show resonates with everyone for one simple reason. It is about protecting your family and your home. The setting and journey that Taylor has created is a world where many of us would love to live. So we disappear into the show.

With that committed fan base, not to mention the long hiatus, comes a lot of pressure to “stick the landing.” What does that look like? Does it include any expectations in terms of fan reactions or ratings, and if so, what are they?

One thing for Taylor is, it is pretty simple. He writes what comes to him and what he feels is right for the story, the world and the characters. When he wrote “Yellowstone,” in his mind, he knew how this chapter would evolve. On day one. He knew there were other worlds like “1883” and “1923” to explore. So, for me, it is about him putting it down on the page and letting the audience decide and hopefully embrace what he has given them. And no, ratings aren’t something for which I have any expectations. I simply hope that people will love our shows as much as we do.