Watch These 8 Politics-Free Election Day TV Shows and Specials

I’m not going to win any originality points by recommending this watch as a comfort watch. For most of its run, spanning more than a decade, the reality baking show was a television balm for anxious viewers. With its pastel hues, stringy soundtrack and endless stream of naughty puns, ‘Great British Baking Show’ is so enjoyable to watch that it’s easy to forget that baking can be a hobby incredibly stressful, as anyone has ever attempted. a homemade funfetti cake in the shape of Blue can tell you. But even by its own high standards, the final season, which premiered on Netflix in September and is nearing its home stretch, has been exceptional. It’s not easy to maintain a long-running reality show, but it seems its producers actually listened to the feedback. After a few still entertaining but slightly off-seasons, host Matt Lucas was replaced by Alison Hammond, whose joyous exuberance boosted the mood in the tent. They also eschewed fanciful challenges (e.g. preparing pitas over an open fire), insensitive themes (Mexican week) and back to basics — or what counts as basic in a show where people build towers out of choux pastry. Above all, this season’s cast is superb, with an incredible level of talent, memorable personalities, and delightful accents. I particularly like Nelly, from Slovakia, who created a flagship product inspired by her pregnancy losses (excuse me, I’m reaching for a tissue) and Dylan, a Jason Momoa lookalike with a flair for unusual flavors. The “Great British Baking Show” is not a democracy – Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood are the only people who can vote – but it is a true meritocracy. If only the world was more like this tent. -Meredith Blake