Love Island season is mere days away — but if you're someone that can't get enough of reality dating TV shows — then you're going to be switching between ITV and Netflix all summer long.
Yes, Netflix will be sending another love competition our way on July 21st, and while you may be expecting something akin to Love Is Blind or Too Hot To Handle, Sexy Beasts, is well... different.
It's basically a mash-up between The Masked Singer and your generic dating show. Strange, right? Read on to get the lowdown...
What's the premise behind Sexy Beasts?
Well, Sexy Beasts is actually not a new show — it's based on a popular 2014 British television series and will be produced by Lion TV.
According to Variety, each episode has a particular setup, involving a single person who is looking to find The One.
But this is where it gets a little strange — each of the dates will be dressed up as some kind of animal or mythical creature thanks to Hollywood prosthetics. At the end of the episode, the single person will choose who they want a second date with, and only then will they see what they actually look like!
A total of 48 unique makeup designs were created for the show by prosthetic artist to the stars, Kristyan Mallet, who has worked on the likes of Mission Impossible and The Theory of Everything.
The tagline from the initial BBC series reads: "Hilarious dating show which uses incredible prosthetics to transform people before they go on dates. With their looks taken out of the equation, can they find 'The One...' based purely on personality?"
So, yes, it seems like Netflix have been pretty faithful to the original premise.
Do we know anything about the cast?
As the show is still a little way away, we don't have any firm details on the cast — barring Rob Delaney (of Catastrophe fame), who will be filling the role of the narrator.
Speaking to Variety about the upcoming series, creator and executive producer, Simon Welton said: "Making ‘Sexy Beasts’ for Netflix has been an incredibly exciting process. With an international cast featuring some truly brilliant characters, a host of prosthetics that look extraordinary in 4K and with Rob Delaney narrating, the viewers are in for a real treat.
"I hope the show puts a smile on peoples’ faces as they play along to discover who’ll fall in love with who, and what our cast all really look like."
Lion TV's chief content officer, Nick Catliff, and chief creative officer, Richard Bradley, added, "Sexy Beasts is a big step in the evolution of Lion’s relationship with Netflix.
"Last year we made the global hit feature documentary ‘Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb’ and this year it’s ‘Sexy Beasts,’ which is fun, frivolous and totally original which is just what we all need during these strange times.
"It’s great to be working with a streamer that supports genuine creativity and risk-taking across the genres. Making an ambitious transatlantic dating show through the pandemic was a massive challenge for us all at Lion but we are thrilled with the way it’s turned out."
Is there a season two on the cards?
Season one hasn't even premiered, and yet, season two has already been ordered!
The first season, which comprises six episodes, will air on July 21st. And if that isn't enough, then season two will reportedly be dropping later in 2021.
Looks like we'll be glued to our sofa all summer long — get the popcorn at the ready, folks!
