Netflix is tripling down on its reality TV programming by renewing its most popular shows and opening up casting for future programming to anyone over the age of 18 in the US, Canada, United Kingdom, or Ireland, the company announced Monday.
Anyone interested who meets that criteria can submit a one-minute video on Netflix’s new dedicated reality TV site. The application can be used for multiple shows on Netflix’s current slate, from baking competitions like Nailed It! to saucier romantic options like Love is Blind. (Netflix also offers the option to apply to all of its shows at once if you prefer a more “spaghetti meets wall” approach.)
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Netflix is also renewing several of its most well-known shows, all the better to fill with the new collection of randos it finds online. Arranged marriage docuseries Indian Matchmaking and food competition The American Barbecue Showdown are both getting renewed for second seasons, while The Circle has been renewed for two more seasons of competitive catfishing. In terms of new reality TV, Netflix is casting for a new series it calls Roaring Twenties focused on, you guessed it, twenty-year-olds living together. The official, only marginally more informative description follows:
Roaring Twenties is the coming-of-age story of eight twenty-somethings who set out to find success in life and love in Austin, Texas while learning to navigate the ‘new normal’ of 2020’s America. Living together and leaning on each other, they experience the highs and lows that come with being an adult. After all, your twenties are a crazy, weird, and special time in your life, and you only get to live them once.
Leaning in even harder into reality TV seems to make a lot of sense for Netflix. In comparison to a big buzzy, expensive property like The Witcher — which reportedly cost around $10 million per episode — reality TV is cheaper to produce but can still stand out from the more basic fare found on network TV due to Netflix’s ad-free experience. The weirdness and specificity of Netflix’s premises is also a strength, Vulture writes. It creates some natural buzz (how could something as odd as Sexy Beasts not?) and offers a little something for everyone. With an even broader net for casting, now Netflix can potentially use a little bit of everyone, too.
