5 TV shows with Colorado ties we binged in 2022

Coloradans who turned on their TVs in 2022 saw the state reflected in a myriad of ways.

Reality TV shows showcased locals as they built dream homes and sexy dungeons. Series brought celebrities to the countryside to scoop poop in competitions. And at least one fictional comedy played on the state’s military affiliations.

Here are five TV shows with Colorado ties we binged watched in 2022, plus a couple to put on your watch list in 2023.

“Building Roots”

Pagosa Springs residents Ben and Cristi Dozier want to build you the mountain home of your dreams, and their work is the premise of a new HGTV show that debuted last spring, called “Building Roots.” Think of the couple, who came to Colorado by way of Austin, Texas, as the mountain version of Chip and Joanna Gaines: Ben does design and construction, while Cristi leverages her knack for decorating and staging. The results are dream-worthy homes with stunning mountain vistas you can live in vicariously through each episode.

“How to Build a Sex Room”

Your neighbor’s newest home project may be designing a sex room. That’s because a new-to-Netflix show explicitly called “How to Build a Sex Room” was filmed exclusively in Denver. Eleven couples and a single woman enlisted the help of interior designer and British personality Melanie Rose to bring their intimate ideas to life, whether it was “a rock ‘n’ roll sex basement,” a “shower sex” shower, or a “swanky dungeon.” Yes, those are all real spaces you get to steal ideas from in the eight-episode series.

“Relatively Famous: Ranch Rules”

What happens when you take a bunch of celebrities’ kids out of the glamor of the big city and transport them to the Wild West? A reality TV competition that showcases the grit of Colorado’s countryside. Participants including Jasmin Page Lawrence, the daughter of actor Martin Lawrence, and Austin Gunn, the son of professional wrestler Billy Gunn and brother to Colten Gunn, are tasked with helping Steamboat Springs’ Saddleback Ranch reopen post-pandemic, where they’re challenged with everything from simply cooking meals to shoveling manure and sheering sheep.

“Space Force” (season 2)

Gen. Mark R. Naird (Steve Carell) has been at the helm of otherworldy exploration in “Space Force,” Netflix’s big-budget workplace comedy about President Donald Trump’s space-superiority initiative, since the series debuted in 2020. The second season began streaming this year, and while it may not be the funniest show we saw this year, it is amusing to see Colorado reflected in fictionalized places like the town of Wild Horse – a real place near Kansas that has been relocated to the foothills in the show – and the Space Force Campus, a visual hybrid of Cheyenne Mountain and Colorado Springs’ Air Force Academy.

“The Bachelorette”

Denverite Gabby Windey experienced a roller coaster of emotions this year, and we hate-watched the entire journey. She started 2022 heartbroken after becoming one of the runners-up for wifey on “The Bachelor,” before co-starring as leading lady on “The Bachelorette” this summer and sharing a gaggle of potential suitors with Rachel Recchia. It was a painful watch that pitted the women against each other for the men’s affection, but it ended promisingly: Windey got engaged to Erich Schwer. It didn’t last long, however. Windey confirmed the couple has since broken up in an interview during her tenure on “Dancing With the Stars.”

What to add to your 2023 watch list:

“Home Town Takeover”: Fort Morgan is getting a facelift. In HGTV’s “Home Town Takeover,” show hosts Erin and Ben Napier and Jenny and Dave Marrs renovate and rejuvenate entire towns and Fort Morgan won the starring role for the show’s second season. It’s expected to air in 2023.

“History’s Greatest of All Time with Peyton Manning”: Former Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning will host and be the executive producer of a new show on History Channel that spotlights the GOATs in several different categories, from generals to inventors. A premiere date has yet to be announced.

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