HBO Max has expanded its original library with exclusive streaming rights to ITV2's British dating series, Singletown.
Warner Media's streaming platform already boasts an enviable collection of titles from TCM, Crunchyroll, DC, and of course, its sister brand HBO. As if their horde of leased content isn't enough, the service has also rolled out a slew of noteworthy originals, including ballroom dance competition series Legendary and We're Here, a traveling drag show through small town America. These shows have been a godsend for pandemic viewers, whose viewing of reality favorites was delayed, or completely obliterated, by the halt in TV production.
Perhaps the biggest loss for British reality fans was this summer's cancellation of Love Island UK, a series that recently upped its production to release two seasons a year. English accents and British slang, alongside the expected trough of romantic drama, made the across-the-pond series a huge hit among young American viewers, leading CBS to adapt it for American audiences last summer. Despite sub-optimal ratings overall, CBS renewed the US version for a second season, set to premiere August 24.
Filling the gap left by Love Island UK, Decider reported that the complete Singletown season one premiered on HBO Max August 20. The show sends five recently broken-up couples to luxury apartments on the river Thames, for a taste of the single life in London. However, giant portraits of their exes do dampen the vibe at their new singleton pads. Naturally, it wouldn't be a dating show without an unexpected twist. Instead of dating with their ex out of sight and out of mind, the freshly-minted singles are divided between two flats just down the hall from each other. So, they watch all the juicy, cringe-worthy footage of how their exes are getting along without them.
Every week, hosts and dating mentors Emily Atack and Joel Dommett send the singles on curated dates, reuniting the couples at week's end. At that point, the couples decide whether to give their relationship another go and leave Singletown, or stay single. As Singletown couples decide to leave together, new couples looking for answers fill their spots. Originally debuting last year on ITV2, the show allows couples who've reached an ime to see the grass on other side without completely forsaking their relationships. However, like all break-ups, the journey isn't the same for each single.
Ending a relationship is never fun, especially when you're forced to watch your partner move on through a flat screen TV in the living room. The cast's perpetual gloominess is lightened by the comical quips of narrator Luke Kempner, who offers insight, but more often teases the cast in a Love Island-inspired style. Mixing the awkward tension of running into your ex with that of entering the dating pool after years away, Singletown examines how absence makes the heart grow fonder in some cases, but might also reopen the heart to new possibilities.
Source: Decider