Trading Spaces ditches the sadness with a kinder, gentler revival

The Muse

As Kate Dries points out, it seems TLC sent an edict that the reboot of its classic home makeover reality show stop being brutal, as viewers prefer watching home makeover reality stars be nice nowadays. The change in attitude, says Dries, reflects the nature of the current makeover reality show landscape, which she says has "settled into a comfortable rhythm since Trading Spaces was last on the air. Characters are known and loved, and people getting upset because of the outcome of their living spaces is not en vogue. Some of the highest-rated shows on HGTV include Fixer Upper, Property Brothers, and Flip or Flop -- programs in which the drama comes from the ribbing between the ones making the houses look great, and from having to adapt to things not working out as they’ve planned, not in the homeowners being disappointed. The focus is on anyone being able to have their dream scenario, not on getting one’s hopes up, only to have them crushed. In this way, the new Trading Spaces ... seems perfectly suited to come back as a slightly tweaked version of its past selves, most of the sadness removed, all of the fun remaining."

ALSO:

• Trading Spaces returns "essentially unchanged and contagiously giddy" -- showcasing the "everyday strangeness of marriage and domesticity"
• Paige Davis says there's no rivalry with other shows: "I would love for Chip and Joanna to be guest designers on our show"'
• Trading Spaces gets new sponsors: Wayfair, Lowe's and Overstock will be incorporated into the show
• Doug Wilson and Laurie Smith admit: "We are old!"
• How Hilda Santo-Tomas became an unlikely queer icon