Even Tinder Is A Streaming Service Now; Get Details About The App's First Original Series
Netflix. Amazon Prime Video. Hulu. DC Universe. Shudder. The Criterion Channel. Vudu. CBS All Access. We're already practically drowning in streaming services, and we haven't even seen the official launches of AppleTV+, Disney+, HBO Max, Quibi, or Peacock yet. But now yet another streaming service is entering the fray, and it's an unexpected player in this arena: Tinder.
Yep, the dating app is getting into the streaming game now with its first Tinder original series, an untitled show which debuts next month that centers on the end of the world. Could the apocalypse be triggered by the fact that there are too many streaming services? Tune in to find out! Here's what we know so far about the upcoming series.
According to Variety, Tinder is set to release an untitled choose-your-own-adventure-style original show next month. Here's how the outlet describes the plot:
The series is set against an impending apocalypse, one of the insiders noted, and asks the question "Who would you spend your last night alive with?" The show will upload directly to the Tinder app, and users will be able to swipe right or left (the service's basic function of approving or denying a potential love match) and advance the plot as they see fit.
If you're also wondering, "why the hell is Tinder doing this?", the answer seems to be: data collection. A source explained to Variety that "Tinder intends to create an algorithm based on how its users make decisions within the series, and then match them with romantic interests based on those choices. A Tinder user's particular view on how a group of characters should spend the eve of the apocalypse will lead them to others with similar takes, the thinking goes, and then, perhaps, to an awkward first date in real life." That gives some serious added weight to making decisions while watching the show: now if you choose "incorrectly," you could miss out on being matched with someone you may have otherwise connected with. Just what everyone needs: more anxiety!
The show lasts more than two hours total, consists of six episodes, and is meant to be watched vertically on a phone. The untitled series will first debut on Tinder early next month, but producers are considering airing it on a streamer or broadcast platform later on. That would mean that they'd need to either A) take away the choose-your-own-adventure aspect and create a straightforward, definitive version of the story, or B) partner with a platform which can keep that aspect of the story in tact. Variety points out that Netflix's success with Black Mirror: Bandersnatch makes that streaming destination a viable option in that regard.
The series was shot on location in Mexico City with a cast of up-and-coming actors and a budget of more than $5 million. Karena Evans, who directed several music videos for Drake and the pilot for a Starz series called P-Valley, directed this show. It's set to premiere "in early October". May the odds be ever in your favor.