After 40 years, This Old House feels like the TV equivalent of clam chowder: hearty, wholesome, and old-school

The Atlantic

The PBS home-improvement show is now in its 40th season, with a look and feel that hasn't changed much since its launch in February 1979. "Every program on HGTV arguably owes its existence to This Old House, which first turned home renovation and real estate into television," says Margaret Tucker. "Without it, viewers might never have gotten Property Brothers, or Fixer Upper, or probably even House Hunters International. All the same, it can be difficult to locate the similarities between This Old House and its descendants. These newer programs often unfold like reality TV–esque hero’s journeys, with the hosts figuring as creative geniuses who marshal old or otherwise sad houses through a rapid-fire rehabilitation and beautification process. This Old House, meanwhile, has no single star and little concern for dramatic narrative arcs. Its chief goal is, as it always has been, to put skilled tradespeople and the work they do in front of the camera."