While younger generations turn away from dating and marriage, dating shows are enjoying an unexpected heyday. Moving beyond the predictable formats centered on blind dates and matchmaking, these programs have won audiences with bold concepts such as cohabitation, bed blind dates, and gender-blind dating, establishing themselves as mega-hit intellectual property (IP).
According to the industry Wednesday, roughly a dozen dating shows are currently airing or set to premiere. Netflix recently confirmed a sixth season of "Single's Inferno," followed by the release of the second season of "Love Never Lies" and "Love Lab." CJ ENM affiliates including TVING and tvN are presenting shows such as "Transit Love" and "My Kid's Romance." TVING's "Transit Love" has been produced through four seasons, cementing its status as a firmly established IP. In addition, ENA and SBS Plus's "I Am SOLO" has produced dozens of cohorts of cast members, becoming the longest-running dating show. JTBC's "Dating Siblings" and SBS's "Possessed Love" (Seasons 1–2) have also continued season-based runs, securing dedicated fandoms.
Alongside season-based IP, programs that have expanded into new concepts are also drawing attention. Shows attempting to differentiate themselves from existing formats have joined the competition, including "Never Been in a Relationship but Want to Date," which follows the first dating attempts of those who have never been in a relationship; "Love War," centered on relationship conflicts and choices; and "Standby Me," which showcases various emotional experiments.
Over the past three decades or so, dating programs have evolved by reflecting the spirit of the times and trends. After KBS's "Love Studio" began in 1994 in a studio blind-date format, segment-style programs centered on matchmaking and blind dates dominated in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Later, in the 2000s, live-in reality shows such as "Mountain Villa Meeting: War of the Roses" and "Jjak" emerged, expanding into a structure that observed relationship formation and emotional change.
The recent popularity of dating shows is interpreted as the result of a low-cost production environment coupled with younger generations' views on romance. Composed mainly of ordinary participants, the shows carry relatively low casting costs, and with set production and filming methods simplified around a reality-centered approach, they are regarded as "value-for-money content" with a low production-cost burden. In addition, they unfold around the formation of relationships and emotional changes among participants, offering high immersion, and their ease of adaptation to a season-based structure makes them advantageous for expansion into IP.
They are drawing particular attention as they align with changing views on romance among the Gen Z and Alpha generations. Rather than forming relationships on the premise of marriage, the tendency to meet a variety of people and consume the very process of a relationship developing as an experience is reflected in the content. Indeed, recent dating variety shows place weight on participants' emotional changes and the flow of relationships rather than on whether couples are formed.
However, as competition among dating shows intensifies, side effects such as escalating provocativeness have not been insignificant. In the broadcasting industry, concerns are being raised that dating variety shows are increasingly pursuing stimulation and sensationalism as they descend into excessive competition. There are also observations that the shows are being distorted into "personal marketing platforms," as a growing number of participants take part with an eye toward influencer activity or entry into the broadcasting and content industry rather than actual dating.
"Recently, dating shows have established themselves as a genre that reveals not just simple matching but the views on romance and ways of forming relationships in each era," an industry official said. "Competition among season-based IP and experiments with new formats will continue, but maintaining the authenticity that can win viewer empathy will determine their longevity."
