Keeping the relationship alive: TV shows and dating under lockdown

We’re into our second month of lockdown and the reality for many couples across the world is separation from each other for the foreseeable future. After five weeks of Facetime calls, you’ve probably already exhausted the trivia games on HouseParty, Facebook messenger mini-games and when every day looks pretty much the same – you tend to run out of things to talk about. 

Never fear, that’s why TV shows exist! 

For the most part of our relationship, my boyfriend and I bonded over TV shows. In the early days, we watched The Office US on Amazon Prime together and then he realised I have no impulse control when it comes to TV series because I watched all of Stranger Things in one day before we could watch it together (betraying the first rule of being Netflix buddies, I know.)

Surprisingly, we’ve taken to all of Netflix’s latest reality dating shows as a form of comic relief from the current situation

Being separated for a long time has only made our love for watching TV shows together increase. Surprisingly, we’ve taken to all of Netflix’s latest reality dating shows as a form of comic relief from the current situation. Of course, the first thing we had to watch was Netflix’s Too Hot to Handle. This is the newest Love Island style show to come on Netflix and is about a group of people who lose money every time one of them is physically intimate with the others. It was so awful to watch but also funny, and it kept me glued for all eight episodes. 

We then found an Australian programme called Back with the Ex, also on Netflix, which was equally easy to watch and nice to chill out to. I would absolutely recommend this one as it had such a sweet ending and was really heart-warming, despite the strange premise of having people get back with ex-partners. Recently, we’ve been watching Netflix’s Dating Around which is a different kind of dating show set in New York that sees people dating five people per episode, and we’ve started Catfish on Amazon Prime too as I have never seen it. Reality TV is definitely something I am craving lately which is probably down to the fact we are starved of normality and interaction. 

Having something to look forward to at the end of the day is so important and when you watch a few episodes each night, it helps to keep the conversation going and both of you look forward to watching new episodes each day. As bad as Too Hot to Handle was, I literally couldn’t wait to find out what the scandalous singles were going to do next.

It might seem quite strange to watch dating shows together but they’re actually quite heart-warming, funny and most of all completely unrelated to what’s going on in the world right now. 

Reality TV is definitely something I am craving lately which is probably down to the fact we are starved of normality and interaction 

Sadly, as we share a Netflix account, we’re not able to utilise the great features of Netflix Party. Although, I have used it with my friends and think it’s absolutely great. We have watched a few episodes of Queer Eye on it and found the features incredibly useful when watching with more than one person. Most notably, being able to pause it for everyone prevents the annoying situation of one person’s internet cutting out, another’s being slow and someone else needing to go to the toilet. The chat feature is also great, particularly when watching in a big group and I love the fact that many societies, including The Boar, have been using it as a way to have online socials. Also, Queer Eye is a great thing to watch right now because it’s so heart-warming and really puts you in a good mood after watching.  

While times are tough right now, TV has provided an escape for so many of us. Watching TV shows with your partner, no matter what they are, can help to keep the conversation flowing when it can be difficult to think of things to say. Whether you’re late to the party and yet to start Tiger King or looking for a classic show on BBC iPlayer – having a few episodes of something to look forward to watching with your partner at the end of the day can help to keep a relationship alive.