Netflix's ' Dating Around' does that effectively on a smaller scale, in a docuseries format, and doesn't follow couples beyond one episode. Maybe the show's contained environment could gloss over some of the particulars of queer dating and just focus on showing people falling in love – the goal of the franchise in the first place. Simply put, a raunchy reality show doesn't feel like the right avenue for that.įor example, straight dates don't cover the coming out process, nor do they involve picking a location that is LGBTQ-friendly. One problem that many straight people may be unfamiliar with, too, is that a huge piece of queer dating for men involves baseline sexual compatibility. Explaining that to a mainstream audience isn't impossible, but may be difficult to convey given network restrictions (' The Other Two,' a comedy series set to stream its next season on HBO Max, does a good job.) 'The Bachelor' works because sparks constantly fly as contestants vie for the lead's love. But for a gay season of the show to succeed from a representation standpoint, it would need to spend significant amount of time educating the audience about gay dating. Why? In part because queer dating is not the same as straight dating, and the show's format doesn't lend itself to adequately exploring those differences.
For the full story: Former 'Bachelor' star Colton Underwood comes out as gay
