Skip to content
MovieCove

Cooked

2016Miniseries1 season4 episodes~60 min/epTV-PGMidcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

Explored through the lenses of the four natural elements – fire, water, air and earth – COOKED is an enlightening and compelling look at the evolution of what food means to us through the history of food preparation and its universal ability to connect us. Highlighting our primal human need to cook, the series urges a return to the kitchen to reclaim our lost traditions and to forge a deeper, more meaningful connection to the ingredients and cooking techniques that we use to nourish ourselves.

Your rating, lists and review

Where to watch

Where can I watch Cooked?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Cooked streaming on Netflix.

Subscription

Highlights

What stands out about Cooked?

Cooked earns 2 badges, led by Crowd Pleaser and Hopeful.

  • Reception
  • Craft and mood

Reception

Is Cooked worth watching?

Cooked's Midcredits score is the 87th percentile of all shows, from 3.3K ratings across 2 sources. 88% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

87th percentile

Better received than 87% of shows

81st percentile among Documentary86th percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)80th
Approval (how many liked it)89th

Acclaim

Crowd Pleaser: Rating-distribution shape vs the catalog

How much people like it

78 /100

80th percentile of all shows

71st percentile among Documentary78th percentile among 2010s

Rating distribution

Most people land high, with a thin tail of low scores from those it didn't reach.

Approval

How many liked it

88% liked it

89th percentile of all shows

85th percentile among Documentary88th percentile among 2010s
88% rated it 7–1012% rated it 1–6

Reach

How many have seen it

58th percentile

3.3K ratings across platforms

83rd percentile among Documentary62nd percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 2% in 30 days

What reviewers say

Common ground

The film, as a documentary about the nature of taste, has engaging elements but doesn't fully deliver as a cinematic experience.

Fans praised

  • Elegant, multicultural food-preparation instruction from Pollan
  • Infectious enthusiasm that makes viewers want to cook
  • Charming instruction and a light tone

Detractors panned

  • Plodding as a thriller and rife with information dumps
  • No sense of movie-making craft, barely a documentary
  • Boring origin story, disappointment for fans of the source

What stands out

Originality70

Refreshingly strange DOC about the physiology of taste

Dialogue55

Whimsical, explanatory narration and casual chef banter

Cinematography50

Imagery is mostly utilitarian stock footage of cooking demonstrations

Plot and story35

Unfocused narrative scatters across topics

Pacing25

Dragging and repetitive in a navel-gazing manner

Preferred by

No notable difference between any of the groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 3 points apart
  • US vs non-US 9 points apart

Episodes

1 season

Season 1 · 2016 · 4 episodes

  • S1E1

    Fire

    Feb 19, 201659 min
  • S1E2

    Water

    Feb 19, 201650 min
  • S1E3

    Air

    Feb 19, 201653 min
  • S1E4

    Earth

    Feb 19, 201652 minFinale

Watch experience

What is Cooked like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Earnest, light and gentle — a slow-burn watch that leaves you hopeful.

Setting

  • Contemporary
  • Realistic
  • Domestic
  • Rural

Themes

  • Nature
  • Community: Consequences reach a town, institution or group.

How it leaves you

  • Hopeful
  • Feel-good

What it asks of you

  • Slow burn
  • Casual
  • Easy watch
  • Resolved

Style

  • Warm
  • Sentimental

Story

  • No archetype

Feelings

  • Warm
  • Contemplative
exact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

What it feels like

Heaviest: throughoutWry humor: Amused and slightly dry about it.
Told as
Unscripted · 15% of showsSingle-season story
ToneThe series is earnest and admiring of traditional cooking, presented with warmth and reverence.
The rideThe series maintains a consistent, gentle, and curious tone—never intense or jarring—making it a calm, reflective watch from start to finish.
StructureNon-narrative docuseries with no storytelling devices.
Episode formatDocuseries exploring cooking through four elemental topics, without a continuing narrative.
Season formatThe series is a single-season limited series covering four distinct but thematically connected cooking explorations.

How it leaves you

what you carry away
Why it leaves you this wayThe series leaves viewers inspired to reconnect with cooking and optimistic about reclaiming food traditions.
How it ends · evidence
Happy ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all shows
Monster — 18% of shows. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of shows. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 6% of shows. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 2% of shows. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 12% of shows. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 4% of shows. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 7% of shows. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 8% of shows. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 40% of showsPredator — 7% of shows. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 3% of shows. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of shows. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 3% of shows. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of shows. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of shows. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of shows. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of shows. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of shows. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of shows. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — 1% of shows. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of shows. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of shows. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of shows. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of shows. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 2% of shows. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 4% of shows. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of shows. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — under 1% of shows. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of shows. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 1% of shows. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — under 1% of shows. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of shows. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — under 1% of shows. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 2% of shows. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of shows. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of shows. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of shows. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 2% of shows. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of shows. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — under 1% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 1% of shows. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 1% of shows. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 1% of shows. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 1% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 3% of shows. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of shows. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 1% of shows. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of shows. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 6% of shows. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 1% of shows. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 18%: Predator 7% · Tyrant 3% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 3% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 6%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 2% · Mission 4% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage under 1%
  • Voyage 2%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 1% · Survival ordeal under 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent under 1%
  • Comedy 12%: Romantic comedy 2% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 2%
  • Tragedy 4%: Hubris 1% · Obsession under 1% · Corruption arc 1% · Doomed love 1% · Crushed by fate 1%
  • Rebirth 7%: Redemption 1% · Healing 3% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 1%
  • Mystery 8%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 6% · Enigma 1%
  • No archetype 40% (this title)

No archetype fits — true of 40% of shows: ensemble pieces, satire, slice-of-life.

Why this archetypeNon-narrative documentary series exploring cooking without a plot archetype.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 31% of showsSelf — 27% of showsPower — 7% of showsMorality — 11% of showsSurvival — 9% of showsSociety — 10% of showsIdeas — 5% of showsRomantic love — 10% of showsMarriage — 2% of showsFamily bonds — 22% of showsParenthood — 1% of showsFriendship — 18% of showsLoyalty — 7% of showsIdentity — 20% of showsComing of age — 9% of showsAging — under 1% of showsSelf-worth — 7% of showsAmbition — 14% of showsPurpose — 16% of showsMemory — 3% of showsObsession — 2% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 5% of showsCorruption — 3% of showsGreed — 2% of showsClass — 4% of showsOppression — 2% of showsFreedom — 4% of showsJustice — 14% of showsDuty — 2% of showsRevenge — 1% of showsGuilt — 1% of showsRedemption — 3% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — under 1% of showsSacrifice — 2% of showsBetrayal — 3% of showsDeception — 6% of showsSurvival — 12% of showsWar — 1% of showsViolence — 2% of showsMortality — 2% of showsGrief — 4% of showsTrauma — 5% of showsMental illness — under 1% of showsAddiction — under 1% of showsIllness and disability — under 1% of showsCommunity — 25% of shows. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 3% of showsPrejudice — 2% of showsDisplacement — 1% of showsFaith — 1% of showsTradition vs change — 3% of showsFame — 5% of showsLegacy — 3% of showsFate — 1% of showsFree will — under 1% of showsTruth — 6% of showsHope — 4% of showsNature — 3% of showsArt — 2% of showsTechnology — 1% of showsSelf
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 31%: Romantic love 10% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 22% · Parenthood 1% · Friendship 18% · Loyalty 7%
  • Self 27%: Identity 20% · Coming of age 9% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 14% · Purpose 16% · Memory 3% · Obsession 2%
  • Power 7%: Power 5% · Corruption 3% · Greed 2% · Class 4% · Oppression 2% · Freedom 4%
  • Morality 11%: Justice 14% · Duty 2% · Revenge 1% · Guilt 1% · Redemption 3% · Forgiveness under 1% · Sacrifice 2% · Betrayal 3% · Deception 6%
  • Survival 9%: Survival 12% · War 1% · Violence 2% · Mortality 2% · Grief 4% · Trauma 5% · Mental illness under 1% · Addiction under 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 10% (this title): Community 25% (this title) · Isolation 3% · Prejudice 2% · Displacement 1% · Faith 1% · Tradition vs change 3% · Fame 5% · Legacy 3%
  • Ideas 5% (this title): Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 6% · Hope 4% · Nature 3% (this title) · Art 2% · Technology 1%

Ideas

Nature · 3% of showsCommunity: Consequences reach a town, institution or group.
Celebrates its theme: Affirms its theme — this is good and worth having.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Single lead
How it treats its themeThe series explores how cooking transforms raw natural ingredients into culture, and how that process connects people and grounds them in tradition.
StanceThe series joyfully affirms cooking as a meaningful, connective human practice, celebrating the transformation of nature into culture.

The world

FolkAmbientSupportive music · original score · Will Bates
Settingkitchens and farms across the US and world, seen through culinary traditions
MusicThe score blends acoustic guitars and subtle electronics, complementing the warmth and natural setting.

Content guide

Is Cooked okay for kids?

TV-PG

Cooked is rated TV-PG.

Ratings in 10 other countries
  • IrelandPG
  • South Korea12
  • Austria10
  • Czechia15+
  • Hungary16
  • Poland16
  • RO15
  • Spain7
  • Switzerland12
  • THน 13+

No detailed content scores for this title yet.

What content warnings does Cooked have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Cooked?

Cast

Michael Pollan
as Self

Crew

More like this

What are shows like Cooked?

TMDB's suggestions for shows like Cooked include Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted (2019), The Food That Built America (2019) and Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers (2022).

Like this, but

Explore by

What other shows share a tag with Cooked?

Each tag opens Browse with the shows that share it.