‘Nailed It!’ leads Netflix avalanche
Fans of “ironic” takes on holiday specials that pour on tinsel by the shovelful are in luck. Netflix’s hit baking show sendup “Nailed It!” (TV-PG) begins streaming several Christmas-themed competitions today.
For the uninitiated, every installment of “Nailed It!” invites three ambitious amateur bakers to try to confect their own versions of elaborately themed cakes. Humiliation and (some) humanity emerge in the “reveal” section of the show, when we see just how far most people fall from their goals of confection perfection.
Host Nicole Byer presides over the series with all of the subtlety of an overcaffeinated gameshow host on a sugar rush. French pastry chef Jacques Torres offers a little ballast, trying to play an avuncular Tim Gunn to her manic Heidi Klum, but the show belongs to Byer.
› Another over-the-top holiday special unfolds on “RuPaul’s Drag Race HoliSlay Spectacular” (8 p.m., VH1, TV-14). Personalities from past episodes will return in full Christmas regalia to compete for “Drag Race Xmas Queen.” The one-hour special also features extravagant numbers choreographed by Todrick Hall.
› A recent “Saturday Night Live” commercial parody of Netflix perfectly captured the bewilderment of viewers (and reviewers) at the streaming service’s seemingly indiscriminate overabundance.
New offerings from Netflix just launched today include “Bad Blood” (TV-MA), a Canadian crime-family saga set in Montreal. Well received by critics, the series stars Anthony LaPaglia, Kim Coates and Enrico Colantoni. Viewers who have binged on “The Godfather” movies (also on Netflix) or HBO’s “The Sopranos” more often than they’d care to admit might find a substitute here.
Netflix premieres “Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle,” an ambitious adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s “Jungle Book” that has been on Hollywood’s shelf for some time. Originally slated for release in 2016, the live-action/animated “Mowgli” had a limited theatrical run at the end of November to qualify it for awards consideration.
Jennifer Aniston, Danielle Macdonald and Odeya Rush star in the film adaptation of the novel “Dumplin,’” now streaming on Netflix. Featuring the music of Dolly Parton.
Netflix also debuts the Italian holiday comedy “5 Star Christmas,” which looks a little like “Love Actually, Italian Style.” Love animals? Don’t miss the British family drama “Free Rein: The Twelve Neighs of Christmas” (TV-Y7). Not to be confused with “Dogs of Berlin” (TV-MA), a gritty new German detective series. For anime fans, the “Neo Yokio: Pink Christmas”
special features the voices of Jaden Smith, Jude Law and Susan Sarandon.
Perhaps lost in the shuffle, the Australian thriller “Pine Gap” (TVMA) follows the action at a top-secret satellite facility located deep in the Northern Territory. There’s also new episodes of the Ashton Kutcher comedy “The Ranch” (TV-MA), as well as acclaimed social media documentary “The American Meme.”
I’m sure I’ve overlooked something.
Contact Kevin McDonough at kevin .tvguy@gmail.com.