Maybe It's Time For Max To Launch A Streaming Version Of 'Dinner And A Movie'

If there is a list of cable network originals that lasted the longest amount of time before being canceled, the long-running TBS wraparound program Dinner And A Movie would have to be near the top of the list. 

The show - which was really just some short segments wrapped around some over-used library movie - aired on TBS from 1995 through 2011. Each episode included a movie and the preparation of a dinner that had some vague connection to the theme of the movie. Chef Claud Mann and comedian Paul Gilmartin hosted the show throughout the entire run, with original co-host Annabelle Gurwitch exiting in 2002, to be replaced by Lisa Kushell (2002–2005) and Janet Varney (2005 to 2011).

The segments were goofy and really fit the definition of lean-back television. The combo of Gilmartin and Gurwitch was especially fun to watch, because apparently they didn't much care for each other off-camera. So much so that TBS executives apparently sent them to some sort of counseling together. But that passive-aggressive relationship made for some fun times for viewers.

Kathleen Finch, Chairman and Chief Content Officer of Warner Bros. Discovery’s U.S. Networks Group, announced the network was exploring a remake of the format during the May 2023 Upfronts, but I haven't heard any update since. And given the shifting priorities at TBS, I would not be shocked to learn they aren't moving forward with the idea,

But as I was thinking about this today, it's a perfect fit for Max. It's a way to creatively use some of the service's familiar but lesser-viewed library movie titles. And besides the fact that it's a relatively cheap bit of programming, unlike the linear version, these Dinner And A Movie presentations can live on Max forever (or at least until they license out the movies elsewhere).

And if TBS does decide to use them, they could air them a week or two after they premiered on Max, under the banner Max's Dinner And A Movie.