Here we are, the third week in a row of television shows that are Gone Too Soon this television season. First Next in Fashion, then Lincoln Rhyme: The Hunt for the Bone Collector and now The Baker and the Beauty. I said it last week, but I think I expect the shows I like to be cancelled. As you can tell by Gone Too Soon, I don’t have a great track record.
I knew from the beginning The Baker and the Beauty was in trouble. I even said that it was in danger when I covered Deception, another ABC show, for Gone Too Soon. For starters, I knew that ABC has a dismal track record. Along with Deception, I have already covered Whiskey Cavalier, Take Two, and Galavant. That’s not even getting into all the other shows on my list that were on ABC, of which there are several. I don’t get attached to shows on ABC no matter how much I like them.
The second strike was the subject matter. Romantic comedy-dramas don’t tend to last long on television. Multiple seasons are the exception and not the rule and I knew the odds were stacked. Either Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist or The Baker and the Beauty was not going to get a second season. So when NBC renewed Zoey’s Playlist my hope for another season of The Baker and the Beauty went out the window.
I’m not the only person that is upset about the cancellation though. It turns out a lot of people are upset about it. There’s a petition on Change.org to have the show renewed or picked up by another source. We have already covered how upset we are in the cancellation of this show. Star Nathalie Kelley expressed her disappointment in the cancellation of the show. Maybe someone else will save the it. Until then, The Baker and the Beauty qualifies for a a show Gone Too Soon.
The Gist
The Baker and the Beauty is basically a Cinderella Story. Daniel Garcia’s (Victor Rasuk, Tom Clancy’s Jack Reacher) life is pretty ordinary. He is a baker at his family’s bakery in Little Havana and he has been dating Vanessa (Michelle Veintimilla, Gotham) for the last four years. That is until Vanessa proposes to him in the middle of a restaurant and he turns her down. Enter international superstar, Noa Hamilton (Nathalie Kelley, Dynasty). She takes pity on Daniel and brings him along for a night that he will never forget. This is the beginning of a whirlwind relationship that changes their lives and the lives of Daniel’s family forever.
Daniel’s family is brought along for the ride. There is his brother Matteo (David Del Rio, The Troop) who dreams of being a musician and his sister Natalie (Belissa Escobedo) who is still in high school and coming to terms with her sexuality. Then there are the parents, Mari (Lisa Vidal, Being Mary Jane) and Rafel (Carlos Gómez, Madam Secretary) who are working to keep their family bakery open.
Operating in Noa’s world is Lewis (Dan Bucatinsky, Scandal) her manager and father figure and Piper (Georgina Reilly, Murdoch Mysteries) her best friend/event planner.
Should You Watch It
Yes. You should watch it. Immediately. Then you should go sign the petition to have it renewed.
Real talk, if you like romance fiction then The Baker and the Beauty is the show for you. Fans of Sweet Magnolias and Hart of Dixie will enjoy this show that has heart, romance and an interesting family dynamic at its core. There aren’t near enough shows that focus on romance and I wish that this show would have gotten a second season. There is so much that I want to see more of!
Sunken Ships
For starters there is the ship the show is built on, Noa and Daniel. The titular Baker and Beauty. They have their ups and downs as Daniel adjusts to dating in the public eye. They are pretty great, but I’m way more interested in the side couples.
My favorite is Vanessa and Matteo. From the moment that they appeared on screen together I could tell that I was going to be invested in this ship. I love their interactions and was really rooting for them to work out their differences. I wish we would be able to see where their relationship was headed.
The youngest Garcia had a ship of her own. Natalie and Amy (Madelyn Sher) were sweet. We didn’t see a ton of them but what we did see as cute. Then there is Trevor (Jason Alan Carvell) and Lewis, we didn’t see much of them, but from what I saw they were really cute together.
Caution: Cliffhanger
Don’t even get me started! I need to know what happens next. If you don’t want spoilers there are three things that are left open, without answers. You will still enjoy the story, but it isn’t tied up nicely.
Okay now for the spoilers. Do the Garcia’s sell the property? What happens now that Noa and Daniel are engaged? Are Matteo and Vanessa going to work things out? I would be happy to rescind this Gone Too Soon to see The Baker and The Beauty brought back to answer these questions.
Where to Watch it
All of the episodes are available to stream on Hulu. You can also watch them on ABC if you have a television log in. There are only nine episodes so it won’t take very long to binge. If you are planning a watch I would get on it. ABC doesn’t tend to leave their canceled shows up on Hulu for very long.
Are you still rooting for The Baker and The Beauty to be picked up by another network? Check out my other Gone Too Soon columns: Hannibal, No Tomorrow, Class, Dallas, Jericho, Deadly Class, Hap and Leonard, Ravenswood, iZombie, Stitchers, Eye Candy, and Daybreak.