Love Is Blind has done more than help set up two strangers in their pursuit of love. The show has debuted to a roaring success both in the ratings and in its reception. On Tuesday, Netflix revealed that the new series was atop its current Top 10 list.
The show’s creator and executive producer, Chris Coelen, told PopCulture.com that he had his own expectations for the show, but that nothing could have prepared him for the actual reception the show has received throughout its three-week Season 1 release.
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“To have people feel the same way about it as you do is unbeliveably gratifying,” Coelen said. “It’s incredible. To have that kind of success is humbling… I’m very grateful. We always believed it was a special show, but this has been fantastic.”
The concept of the show, which filmed over a year ago, takes the usual dating show format, placing 30 singles — 15 men and 15 women — in the same vicinity. That’s where the show begins to make a sharp left from its predecessors.
The singles go on dates in pods, which were specifically designed for the show and part of the plan from the get-go, according to Coelen. In the pods, one person walks in on one side and the other goes into the adjacent pod. They can communicate with one another, but are unable to see the person they’re being set up with.
Throughout the dating process, the pairs never see one another as their initial speed dating phase eventually narrowed down their potential partners through conversations, ice breakers and some emotional moments that were captured in the first few episodes. The only way two people meet are if they decide to get engaged without ever seeing one another.
“One of the things that we’ve seen and that multiple studies have put out was that to have a real, long-term lifetime commitment, the key to that success is emotional connection and not physical attraction,” explained Coelen, who also is behind Married At First Sight.
The series has taken a different approach to the usual season-dump of episodes that Netflix has made famous as the premiere binging service. Instead, the series released its episodes in increments: five episodes in the first set, four in the second and the finale episode will drop on Thursday, Feb. 27.
Coelen noted that he was “honored” by Netflix granting the series with the special release schedule. With each release, more and more people have begun tuning in as word-of-mouth and social media has played a big role in bringing eyes to the dating show each week.
“The fact that they spread it out as an event series, I was really thankful for that,” Coelen said. “This is a show that people like to talk about… I think the fact that many people can find many entry points into the show, and that it’s fun and entertaining, creates an opportunity for people to tell one another about it.”
With so much success, Coelen is optimistic the series will be renewed by Netflix. If it is, he will be eager to get back into the pods and begin bringing another season to the forefront.
“It’d be incredibly exciting to do this all over again,” Coelen shared. “I hope and believe that we’ll be doing many seasons of this in the future… I think it’s something people all around the globe can resonate with.”
Viewers can catch the first nine episode of Love is Blind on Netflix. The season finale will be released on Thursday at 3 a.m. PT.
