Your new favorite reality TV dating series The Boyfriend is coming soon.
Netflix is launching a new reality TV dating series next month and it’s already making history. The Boyfriend is Japan’s first same-sex dating reality series featuring plenty of romance to swoon over. Thankfully, the trailer is out just in time for Pride month.
Culture, unfiltered
Twice a week, our newsletter will bring you the pulse of queer culture, from the tastemakers to the groundbreakers.
The new series focuses on nine men who stay in the “Green Room” beach house. For a month, they’ll live and work together at a peppermint green coffee truck, creating friendships, embarking on self-exploration, and starting quintessential summer romances. Additionally, The Boyfriend will feature personalities MEGUMI, Chiaki Horan, Thelma Aoyama, drag queen Durian Lollobrigida, and Yoshimi Tokui.
The series teaser posters, with one created by Korean artist Son Eunkyoung, perfectly capture that summertime romance feel.
![](https://aumiekjrpq.cloudimg.io/v7/_intoprodweb_/uploads/2024/06/ja-jp-tbf-main-illustration-vertical-27x40-rgb-pre-1-691x1024.jpg?auto=format&auto=compress&width=828&org_if_sml=1)
![](https://aumiekjrpq.cloudimg.io/v7/_intoprodweb_/uploads/2024/06/ja-jp-tbf-main-all-cast-vertical-27x40-rgb-pre-1-691x1024.jpg?auto=format&auto=compress&width=828&org_if_sml=1)
![](https://aumiekjrpq.cloudimg.io/v7/_intoprodweb_/uploads/2024/06/en-us-tbf-main-coffee-truck-vertical-27x40-rgb-pre-1-691x1024.jpg?auto=format&auto=compress&width=828&org_if_sml=1)
“We started out wanting to highlight the young men’s friendships and personalities,” Executive producer Dai Ota and manager of live-action originals at Netflix Japan shared with Netflix. “Our focus wasn’t just on romance but also on spending time together and experiencing personal growth.”
While the series isn’t solely focused on romance, as Ota mentioned, The Boyfriend led to many unexpected moments around friendships, growth, and, love.
“I discussed with the cast how growth and valuable experiences stem from shared friendships, youth and struggles, not just romance,” Keisuke Hishida, chief producer and director, shared. “This led to many unexpected miracles on set.”
The Boyfriend follows in the footsteps of several queer dating shows that continue to pop. From For the Love of DILFs and The Ultimatum: Queer Love to Couple to Throuple and I Kissed a Girl (and a Boy), there’s plenty of queer dating content for romance and reality TV fans to dive into. Now, The Boyfriend comes to give a new perspective to queer romance.
Which relationships will blossom this summer? We’ll all find out when The Boyfriend premieres on July 9 on Netflix.
RelatedINTO spoke with host Stormy Daniels about what to expect from the sexy himbos and daddies from ‘For the Love of DILFs’ season two.Mishima got roasted by his lover in the 50s