Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg finally hit their stride

7:30 PMIt took three episodes, but this show has finally taken off, and VH1 is rewarding its stars for it. Martha and Snoop’s Pot Luck Dinner is being renewed for a second season. But it didn’t always appear it was going to work.

The first episode was clunky. Seth Rogan looked out of place, Ice Cube was a bit too ham-handed of a guest, and it just didn’t work. They made fried chicken, and had it not been for the fact that you weren’t just going to cancel this show off the top because of who was on it, you had a decent case to. Also, an hour was too long. The second episode improved with Rick Ross and Ashley Graham as guests. Ross spent quite a bit of time openly hitting on Stewart, opening up the comedy angle of sexual tension on the set. Still, though, it was awkward.

It took a second to get used to the whole live crowd and gimmicky setup that involved them being on separate Iron Chef-style teams, creating different dishes for everyone to sample and judge. As someone who has long followed the friendship of Snoop and Stewart, I was all-in on this show from a non-gimmick standpoint, early. So, when it landed and it was all gimmicks, there was some disappointment. This week, they put it all together. A half-hour is perfect.

Flipped on this Snoop Dogg-Martha Stewart show on VH1 a couple of minutes ago & I've already decided it's easily a top 10 all-time show.

— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) November 22, 2016

Martha's turkey is perfection & Snoop looks downright dapper. But what is blaze sauce? 🤔

— Ruth H. Hopkins (@RuthHHopkins) November 22, 2016

Of course, it helps that it was the Thanksgiving episode. It’s hard to screw that up. If nothing else, Stewart’s holiday game is incredible. If you never pay attention to her otherwise, I guarantee you she’s got some tips that can help you out from a home entertainment standpoint this time of year. Also, the recipes were better this time around. Naya Rivera, 2 Chainz and Chris Bosh — not to mention two turkeys on the side of the stage. There were weed jokes, sex jokes, and, in general, it appeared that they finally figured out the pacing that makes the most sense.

When the idea of this program was first announced, I had visions of Snoop and his squad taking bong hits with Martha’s hoity crew in some New England farmhouse and having a good time dancing to hip-hop in a country setting for b-roll. Heck, that still would be a good show. The two of them being one another’s chef assistants (as they’ve done before) could have highlighted their on-camera energy.

Hillary should be a guest on the second season of the Martha/Snoop show.

— Adam Smith (@asmith83) November 19, 2016

I can't lie I live for rachett tv like love n hip hop but we need more shows like Snoop and Martha.

— B. (@BRITKNEEJANE) November 22, 2016

For many people, it was easy to poke fun at this show. Many had no idea that these two even knew each other, never mind had some kind of chemistry. Sure, is it an old-school Hollywood show with famous people showing up to hang out with other famous people to keep their collective personal brands thriving? Absolutely. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be entertaining, and now, it certainly is. Next week, it’s breakfast for dinner, which means that I know what I’ll be eating on Monday night.