Roku announced today two all-new unscripted series, Morimoto’s Sushi Master and The Cupcake Guys, and the premiere date for Roku’s inaugural Spanish-language, original series ¡Que Delicioso!.
Morimoto’s Sushi Master features renowned chef and restauranter Masaharu Morimoto as head judge of a cooking competition centered on the world’s most popular cuisine: sushi. Hosted by Lyrica Okano (Marvel’s Runaways), the six-episode series highlights the skill, ingredients, delicacy and talent needed to perfect the art of sushi-making. Eight competing sushi chefs will work to impress Morimoto, along with judges Chef Dakota Weiss, Executive Chef of Santa Fe’s famed Coyote Café and former co-owner of Sweetfin Poke, and Chef Kenji Lopez-Alt, New York Times food columnist and author of bestselling cookbook The Food Lab. Produced by Ample Entertainment, Ari Mark, Phil Lott, Kathryn Vaughn, Liz Cook and Masuhira Morimoto serve as executive producers.
The Cupcake Guys follows former NFL teammates Michael Griffin and Brian Orakpo, and their longtime friend Bryan Hynson, as they go from football stars to cupcake kings. The six-episode docu-series follows the entrepreneurs operating a Gigi’s Cupcake franchise in their hometown of Austin, Texas. Featuring themes of family, friendship, football, and of course, frosting, The Cupcake Guys will serve up something for all to enjoy. Produced by The Story Lab and SMAC Productions, a division of SMAC Entertainment. Michael Strahan, Constance Schwartz-Morini, and Fred Anthony Smith executive produce for SMAC Productions. Mike Ferry and Cathy Boxall also serve as executive producers for The Story Lab.
¡Que Delicioso!, Roku’s inaugural Spanish language original series, is set to premiere on Friday, November 25. Renowned chefs Marcela Valladolid and Chris Valdes will both host and judge the seven-episode competition which celebrates Latin cuisine. Produced by World of Wonder and Robert Rodriguez’s El Rey, Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Tom Campbell, Richard Borjas, John Fogelman, and Cristina Patwa serve as executive producers, and Moira Noriega as co-executive producer.
“The addition of Morimoto’s Sushi Master, The Cupcake Guys and ¡Que Delicioso! to the Roku Originals lineup encapsulates our commitment to premium, original series that are representative and reflective of our diverse streaming audience,” shared Brian Tannenbaum, Head of Alternative Originals, Roku. “Each of these series offers a fresh take on formats that we know will instantly connect with our audience, and we look forward to sharing these projects on The Roku Channel.”
The new series join the expanding slate of alternative Roku Originals, including The Great American Baking Show, To Paris for Love: A Reality Rom-Com, Honest Renovations, Lincoln Log Masters, Match Me in Miami, The Marriage Pact, Martha Gardens, Martha Cooks, Martha Holidays, Emeril Cooks, Emeril Tailgates, Milk Street’s My Family Recipe, Milk Street’s Cooking School and more.
The Roku Channel is the exclusive home of Roku Originals. From award-winning scripted entertainment and engaging documentaries to new breakout unscripted series, Roku Originals gives viewers free access to bold, fresh entertainment from the biggest names in Hollywood. Half of the top 10 on-demand titles by reach on The Roku Channel in 2021 were Roku Originals.