Same-Sex Japanese Dating Reality Show ‘The Boyfriend’ Leads Netflix Japan’s Unscripted Global Push

Variety · 2026-02-14
Same-Sex Japanese Dating Reality Show ‘The Boyfriend’ Leads Netflix Japan’s Unscripted Global Push

The breakout success of LGBTQ+ dating series “The Boyfriend” has turbocharged Netflix’s Japanese unscripted slate, with Ota Dai, who oversees the streamer’s Japan unscripted division, crediting a deliberate rejection of conventional reality television formulas for its unexpec