Move over Netflix, move over Disney+ — there is a new player in stream town, and it smells like fresh-cut wood and daily tool rentals. Home Depot+ is going live later this month, and their cart is overflowing with big-name talent. I got a preview of the new streaming platform’s first foray into original content. Here is what you can expect to binge in the near future.
Bob Vila: Nazi Hunter
Bob Vila is back, but he’s done fixing old houses; he’s fixing the errors of the Nuremberg trials.
This reality show combines aspects of history and travel TV into a winning formula. Vila travels hot on the heels of war criminals through exotic locals such as Brazil, Argentina, and Alberta. Following leads, historical evidence, and word of mouth, Bob is joined by a young, sexy group of experts to help him on his way. In particular, his amazing chemistry with Wyterfyll, his gadget expert, is something to keep your eye on. Their banter while she navigates the Home Depot App is the real star of the show.
This isn’t a slow burn either, as Bob catches a Nazi at the end of every episode. No spoilers, but you’ve never seen entertainment until you’ve seen Bob Vila use a RYOBI 2,300 PSI High-Performance Electric Pressure Washer on the screaming face of a 95-year-old Nazi.
But you know Bob; just because he’s hunting Nazis doesn’t mean there isn’t time to frame an addition onto a house or help better insulate a few old windows along the way.
Bevelled Edge
You want big names? Home Depot+ has plenty in stock, but the biggest might be the master of prestige TV: David Chase. He returns to create and show run Bevelled Edge, a slick update of the material that made him the most wanted creative mind in television.
Dennis Franz plays Lester Harringwood, a newly hired employee at Home Depot. Seemingly an ordinary retiree seeking extra income at a great job with great benefits, Lester’s hidden past is slowly catching up with him. The master of pace, Chase lets us meditate on long shots of Franz’s character as he watches Home Depot new hire training videos about important policies and customer wellness.
The season hits its stride in Episode 2 with a 25-minute dream sequence featuring detailed instructions on how to integrate the Home Depot App into your Nest system. Already renewed for season 2, James Woods will join the cast as Jimmy Birch, a garden centre employee who loves his great job at Home Depot. Could this be the start of the Home Depot Cinematic Universe?
As a bonus, finishing the first season of Beveled Edge automatically fulfills a day of new hire training at any Home Depot location in the continental United States.
Trans-Atlantic
After a freak hurricane levels the fictional town of Barsenwood, Maine, a father reaches out to his estranged son to help rebuild the family home. Having been displaced himself in Manhattan, the son accepts the offer and shows up on the father’s doorstep, but *record scratch* he’s now transitioning to be a woman. The father is an ol’ fashioned guy and let’s just say he’s more than a little shocked at this turn of events.
What this dramedy lacks in star power, it makes for in the exploration of the relationship between fathers and daughters, new beginnings, and how the Home Depot App can be used not just for shopping but also as a helpful tool for builders young and old, trans or cis, liberal or republican.
Sexuality, trans rights, tips on countertop installation? Are you sure this is Home Depot+? You’re damn right it is.
Red, White and Orange
September 11th, 2001 changed America, and the world, in countless ways. In this six-part series, we follow director Alex Gibney as he renovates his brand new Manhattan loft and interviews contractors, day laborers, and the occasional helpful Home Depot employee that he meets along the way about their feelings about 9/11 now and then.
Should we have started the war on terror? What did we gain when we lost our privacy? Which blade should you use to cut a glass backsplash with? Part true crime, part investigative journalism, part home reno adventure on a budget, Red, White and Orange will leave you asking, “What did we lose when the brothers fell?” Contractually obliged reference to the Home Depot App.
Right out of the gate, Home Depot+ is reno-ing the new media landscape with their lineup of original content. With recent production deals with Conan O’Brien and David Simon, Home Depot is positioning itself to be a streaming monster, unafraid to tackle race, sexuality, and what it means to be human in 2021.
With the licensing deals to exclusively stream Home Improvement, House Hunters International, and Oz, I have a feeling you’ll be binging Home Depot+ with one hand and browsing the excellent Home Depot App with the other. Happy binging!