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Playing with Fire

Playing with Fire

2013–Ongoing1 season6 episodesMidcredits score: 34th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

Get an exclusive look inside the lives of Manhattan's movers and shakers in the world-renowned culinary scene. In a city known for its cut-throat competitiveness, watch as these food masters strive to balance their busy professional lives with their personal social lives. The fascinating bunch is a cross section of players who reside atop New York's glamorous food scene. See Anna Boiardi, Julie Elkind, Candice Kumai and brothers Daniel and Derek Koch illustrate New York's hippest foodie hangouts with big helpings of high energy and a side of drama! Playing with Fire is an American reality documentary television series on E! and premiered on March 17, 2013.

Your rating, lists and review

Where to watch

Where can I watch Playing with Fire?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Playing with Fire to rent or buy on Apple TV, and on no subscription service.

Rent / Buy

Buy

Highlights

What stands out about Playing with Fire?

Playing with Fire earns 1 badge: Fun.

Reception

Is Playing with Fire worth watching?

Playing with Fire's Midcredits score is the 34th percentile of all shows, from 18 ratings (very few ratings yet, so treat it as provisional). 50% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

34th percentile

Better received than 34% of shows

Very few ratings yet, so treat it as provisional.

54th percentile among Reality-TV32nd percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)52nd
Approval (how many liked it)17th

Acclaim

Divisive: Rating-distribution shape vs the catalog

How much people like it

71 /100

Very few ratings yet, so treat it as provisional.

52nd percentile of all shows

65th percentile among Reality-TV49th percentile among 2010s

Rating distribution

Big peaks at both ends — people either love this or bounce off it hard.

Approval

How many liked it

50% liked it

17th percentile of all shows

38th percentile among Reality-TV16th percentile among 2010s
50% rated it 7–1050% rated it 1–6

Reach

How many have seen it

2nd percentile

18 ratings across platforms

6th percentile among Reality-TV3rd percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 10% in 30 days

Episodes

1 season

Season 1 · 2013 · 6 episodes

  • S1E1
    S1E1

    I Come First, You Come Second

    Mar 17, 201360 min
  • S1E2
    S1E2

    If You Lose This Restaurant, You Lose Me

    Mar 24, 201360 min
  • S1E3
    S1E3

    I Only Use Half of My Brain Half of the Time

    Mar 31, 2013
  • S1E4
    S1E4

    Keep Your D*ick In Your Pants

    Apr 7, 2013
  • S1E5
    S1E5

    Give It Up For the Loser!

    Apr 14, 2013
  • S1E6
    S1E6

    Three's A Crowd

    Apr 21, 2013Finale

Watch experience

What is Playing with Fire like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Earnest, light and charged — an even-paced watch that leaves you entertained.

ToneFeelDemandexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

What it feels like

Moods
JoyfulWarm
Heaviest: early
Register
PlayfulWarm
Told as
Unscripted · 15% of showsStatus quo each season
ToneThe series presents its subjects' lives with a mix of energy and drama, playing the material straight.
The rideBrisk, upbeat energy with occasional drama; consistent mood.
StructureUnscripted reality format; no narrative craft devices.
Episode formatThis is a reality show with a recurring cast and likely a loose, format-driven structure per episode.
Season formatReality shows of this type typically reset to a similar status quo each episode/season, with no serialized arc.

How it leaves you

what you carry away
FunFeel-good
Why it leaves you this wayA light, energetic look into a glamorous scene; leaves you entertained.
How it ends · evidence
Ambiguous 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 reality series following food industry personalities.

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 showsSelfFriendship
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 31% (this title): Romantic love 10% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 22% · Parenthood 1% · Friendship 18% (this title) · Loyalty 7% (this title)
  • Self 27%: Identity 20% · Coming of age 9% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 14% (this title) · 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%: Community 25% · Isolation 3% · Prejudice 2% · Displacement 1% · Faith 1% · Tradition vs change 3% · Fame 5% · Legacy 3%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 6% · Hope 4% · Nature 3% · Art 2% · Technology 1%

Bonds

FriendshipAmbition · 14% of showsLoyalty · 7% of shows
Observes its theme: Presents its theme neutrally, declining to judge.Community stakes: Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Ensemble lead
How it treats its themeThe series appears to focus on the personal and professional relationships among a cast of food-industry figures in Manhattan.
StanceThe show appears to observe the lives of its cast without strong editorializing, presenting their struggles and successes as entertainment.

The world

ContemporaryUrbanInstitutionalRealistic
PopElectronicBackground music · licensed compilation
SettingManhattan's high-end culinary scene

Cast and crew

Who is in Playing with Fire?

Cast

Daniel Koch
as Daniel Koch
Derek Koch
as Derek Koch
Anna Boiardi
as Anna Boiardi
Julie Elkind
as Julie Elkind
Todd English
as Todd English

Crew

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TMDB's suggestions for shows like Playing with Fire include 24 Hours in A&E (2011), Paranormal State (2007) and Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction (1997).

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