Netflix's 'The Boyfriend' Shows the Kinder Side of LGBTQ+ Reality Show Dating

Take that same attitude and apply it to "The Boyfriend" and what you have are less incendiary conversations and more mature ones. Two men on the show, Dai and Shun, thought they had a connection but unfortunately, red flags unfurled high enough to cause a rift in their friendship. What followed was an honest conversation about feelings that were so relatable that neither was perceived as a villain. In America, producers might have seen that as a missed opportunity.

Unlike other gay dating reality shows, "The Boyfriend" doesn't encourage its group to fight by plying them with alcohol. Instead, the dates are done via a mobile coffee truck where two guys work side by side and serve the public. Their downtime is spent learning more about each other by sharing very poignant personal stories.

That kind of bonding is rare in Western shows, where producers seem to like to put their cast through challenges that result in dating as a consequence instead of an organic connection. That, coupled with gratuitous shots of bare skin, is great for viewership but may take away from genuine intimacy, something showrunners of these shows want you to believe is their motivation.

There is still room for sexy shots of men in wet speedos in gay reality TV. The men in "The Boyfriend" aren't exempt from taking their shirts off once in a while to expose perfectly toned torsos and chest muscles; there's no denying that sex sells no matter the country. But even as viewers lust over their fine athletic builds, the dialogue is concurrently scintillating. It doesn't devolve into name-calling or venom-dipped folderol.

Trash TV doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon. There will be more gay (and straight) reality dating shows to play as background fodder while we scroll through our phones on the couch. There will be more shows like "Prince Charming," "I Kissed a Boy" and "For the Love of DILFS," all worth their weight in entertainment gold.

That said, American television might want to take a few lessons from "The Boyfriend." Its casual approach to gay dating is refreshing and uncomplicated. The participants aren't trying to get into each other's pants as much as they are trying to get into each other's (and our) hearts.