Netflix is the perfect place to tune in for a healthy dose of drama and excitement every day, and it doubles up when you land into the platform’s reality TV section. With its undying dedication to testing the limits and experimenting with fresh material, Netflix has made a name for itself as a trailblazer in the world of dating reality shows.
The streaming giant skillfully seizes the chance to celebrate love in all of its manifestations and crosses barriers, transcending cultural divides through its sizable library of dating shows. Every title in its collection offers a distinctive experience and challenges preconceived ideas about romance and courtship. Whether it’s a social experiment or blind dating, the platform never fails to create a thrilling and unpredictable experience with these sensational shows.
These 10 dating series will have you on the edge of your seat as you explore various cultures, delve into the depths of emotions, and navigate through the complexity of relationships. From Love Island to Love is Blind, here are the best dating shows to stream on Netflix now!
10. Love Island USA (2019-present)
Hold on to your bikini strings, America, for Love Island USA will return on July 28 for yet another wacky season. One of the most popular dating shows currently on Netflix is the American version of the British dating show Love Island. The reality series features a group of Islanders residing in a villa alone, isolated from the outside world, and constantly watched by cameras. They must partner up with another for love, friendship, or survival since all singles get dumped out of the show after every coupling. The final catch is $100,000, shared between the last surviving couple on the island.
The first season of Love Island premiered on July 9, 2019, and the show continues to this day, with the fifth run set to premiere next month
9. Too Hot to Handle (2020-present)
Hosted by a virtual assistant named Lana, Too Hot to Handle is a one-of-a-kind dating series where all kissing and sexual contact is forbidden. The show takes 10 adults who primarily engage in casual, meaningless flings and place them together in a house for four weeks. Through numerous workshops, the goal is to help them develop a committed bond while forbidding them from kissing, engaging in sexual activity, or indulging in self-gratification. The $100,000 grand prize is decreased each time a rule is broken, which further adds fuel to the flames.
Starting on April 17, 2020, Too Hot to Handle was renewed for a fifth season in January, and is set to premiere on July 14, 2023, on Netflix.
8. Married at First Sight (2014-present)
In business since 2014, Married at First Sight takes the dating game one step ahead, to marriage. The social experiment turned reality series features three to five couples every season, paired up by relationship experts, who agree to marry when they first meet. After eight weeks of living as married couples, they must decide on Decision Day whether to remain married or get divorced. The show has run for a total of 16 seasons to date and has been renewed for two more already. Of the 64 couples matched, 37 mutually chose to stay married on Decision Day, while Married at First Sight has also influenced eight spinoffs.
Season 17 of the show will premiere sometime in 2023 on Lifetime, featuring couples from Denver, but Netflix users can sadly only watch three.
7. Dating Around (2019-2020)
The first original dating series produced by Netflix can’t be left out of the watch-list of the best on the platform. On Valentine’s Day 2019, Dating Around made its Netflix debut with a six-episode inaugural season. Each chapter followed one person as they went on five blind dates, including ones with people of different colors and sexual orientations, before they must decide which prospect to pursue. With diversity in the dates, where one episode features an Indian woman berating her naive white male date while another switches to a no-nonsense retired widower looking for love, Dating Around is full of entertainment.
The show ran for two seasons and despite the simple premise, it’s anything but boring. The last season of Dating Around premiered on June 12, 2020, and both runs are available to stream on Netflix.
6. Single’s Inferno (2021-present)
Netflix is a heaven of popular Korean content, and it hasn’t left reality TV out of its library, either. Single’s Inferno combines the idea of survival shows with the premise of fighting for one’s ideal love. Unlike others where participants are put on a luxurious island and fight to stay on it, the singles on Single’s Inferno are tasked to date and win games in order to have the opportunity to escape the deserted island. They are not allowed to use their electronics, and have to find their own means to survive. The participants have time throughout the games and free dates to decide their final love, with who they can travel to the opulent island with exciting paid activities and a hotel called Paradise.
The first season of Single’s Inferno premiered on Dec. 18, 2021, followed by a second concluding on Jan. 2023. A third is confirmed, but it will see a change in rules and location.
5. Love on the Spectrum U.S. (2022-present)
The U.S. version of the Australian reality dating series Love on the Spectrum debuted on Netflix in May 2022, which follows people on the autism spectrum as they navigate the world of dating and relationships. The show came after the award-winning Australian original became a hit on Netflix. The platform describes it as a “warm-hearted docu-reality series” which is every ounce true, and makes Love on the Spectrum stand apart from other dating shows. It highlights the tales of a distinctive and varied group of people looking for love.
The second season of Love of the Spectrum U.S. was formally confirmed by Netflix in Sept. 2022 and is expected to be available on the streaming service sometime in 2023.
4. Indian Matchmaking (2020-2023)
Smriti Mundhra’s hit revolving around a marriage consultant playing matchmaker for Indian-origin people debuted on Netflix in July 2020. The show centers around Sima Taparia, a Mumbai-based marriage advisor who helps Indians find their ideal partner by taking into account their parents’ preferences, as well as their own. Indian Matchmaking emphasized the difficulties associated with dating and marriage in Indian societies, as well as their focus on various preoccupations like caste and height. Even though the series drew a lot of criticism and controversy, it’s entertaining if you don’t look too deep into every word said.
The series ran for three seasons, with the last concluding in April 2023, and all three can be currently viewed on Netflix.
3. Are You The One? (2014-2023)
Are You the One? is one of the few dating shows that keeps getting better with each season. It features a group of men and women discreetly matched by a matchmaking algorithm, who are tasked to identify their perfect match while living together, and the grand prize of $1 million is shared between the group if they succeed in finding the perfect match. The pairs go on dates with individuals selected through competitions, and they have the chance to find out in the “truth booth” whether a certain couple is a correct match. Every time the house is unable to find any matches outside those that have already been verified by the truth booth, the reward money is reduced.
Are You the One? premiered on MTV in 2014 and has run for nine seasons, shifting to Paramount Plus for the most recent. Currently, only seasons 3 and 4 are available to watch on Netflix.
2. The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On (2022)
The Ultimatum is a self-proclaimed social experiment designed to see how many couples get married when presented with ultimatums. The first season of the reality dating series premiered on April 6, 2022, with six couples onboard. They gave their spouse the choice to get married or leave. The catch here is that couples must date other contestants in order to decide whether they are ready to wed each other. A second season, subtitled Queer Love and featuring an all-queer, predominately female cast, soon followed.
The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On spent four weeks in the Netflix Global Top 10, and it also ranked as the second most-watched ongoing non-scripted series on Netflix in 2022.
1. Love is Blind
Looking for love and getting engaged before meeting in person sounds like a crazy idea, but Netflix’s Love is Blind is all about it. The show follows 15 men and 15 women as they go on dates for 10 days in specially constructed pods where they can only communicate verbally. The daters then extend a marriage proposal whenever they feel ready, and a couple meets face to face only after the proposal is accepted.
The engaged couples are then sent away for a four-week retreat where they live together, get to know one another, and plan their wedding. Love is Blind had the second-longest run of any title in 2020, staying on Netflix’s Top 10 chart for 47 days. Additionally, it was the only unscripted show to be included in Nielsen’s list of the most-watched original streaming programs for 2022.
The fourth season of Love is Blind premiered on Netflix on March 24, 2023, and the show has been renewed for a fifth already.