With ‘From Scratch,’ Netflix cooks up its version of a Lifetime weepie (from our partners at The Hollywood Reporter)
From Scratch is a modern-day “Bachelorette,” a tearjerker of sorts, with a happy ending that is less about finding the perfect man and more about loving a broken one. That story came naturally: The first season of From Scratch was created by the writing team of Emmy-nominated EP and Emmy-winning producer Scott Handman and his wife Lisa Handman (who co-created the original “Bachelorette” for ABC’s “The Bachelorette”), and the second season, which premieres in 2017, was executive-produced by Handman (in conjunction with his wife); the series’ executive producers include Handman, Robert Downey Jr., and Michael Green.
The series’ first season follows the last few months of a man named Jack (Bobby Cannavale), who is married to Katherine (Elizabeth Perkins), a woman who has been on and off his mind for several years. In the first episode of Season 2, Jack and Katherine have the chance to start their lives over and become a family again, with the help of their best friend, Steve (Jason Schwartzman). With the help of the show’s creators and handpicked cast, it seemed like a perfect recipe for a TV series.
As it turns out, it was the show’s director and co-executive producer, Michael Dinner, who had a major influence on the final product, but before we get into that, let’s talk about the storytelling genius of the original “Bachelorette.”
The first Bachelorette (the show’s title in the U.S.) was a perfect marriage of reality TV and psychological drama, and it was the show’s writers’ success at combining those elements that led to their success as storytellers. The first season followed the story of Rachel Lindsay (Megyn Price), a successful and self-centered high school senior on a mission to find and win the love of her life, Scott Landon (Josh Thomas). The show did a great job at