"His Man" Season 2: Our Expectations For South Korea's First LGBTQ+ Reality Dating Show

"His Man" is the first of its kind South Korean gay dating reality show released in 2022. The show brought together a group of 8 men into a shared home, who were looking to find love. A groundbreaking project, the show despite an unnecessary backlash, was well received by its global audience who rightly tuned in every week to watch their favorite singles find love. While soon after its release, many might have tagged it as a one-off event which perhaps was created to set a precedent for future dating reality shows that are centered around the South Korean LGBTQ+ community, with the announcement of a second season sometime last year, many could aptly derive at the conclusion that not only is the show here to stay, there is also a positive shift in the production and release of more LGBTQ+ contents from South Korea. A new development that many global fans appreciate. As of the date of this article, there are not yet many details about the second season of the show, asides from the public open call to audition which was announced late last year. However, as huge fans of its first season, here are some of the expectations we have for the second season. 1. Longer shooting periods more episodes Dating shows are usually limited in terms of time frame. Sometimes, some are shot within a week, making their durations and episodes short and too quick. We might rightfully assume that this is mainly due to production costs and budgets. However, while making these shows sort of fast-paced makes them more dramatic and interesting, realistically, a longer time frame makes the experience more wholesome. On the part of the participants, it gives them a proper chance to connect and actually achieve what they came to do, which is to find love. Oftentimes, we see a couple form a bond at the early stages of the show, and as the show progresses, we see one-half of them connect more with another person but at the end, in most cases, having to choose the first person they coupled with, either because it makes good TV, it is expected, or it is simply just safer. This scenario perhaps would be avoided if there are more time and the duration of the series is longer. On the part of the viewers, while we all know many of these shows are edited to the core, a longer duration of a show would give a proper view of the happenings in the house and how connections are formed. Oftentimes, there are various loopholes and questions that arise as the episodes progress in these themed shows. This case is evident in the first season of "His Man", in the coupling of JeongHo and HyeokJun. While we no doubt enjoyed their cute and adorable chemistry and we were given a couple of seconds where we saw JeongHo glancing over to HyeokJun with clear interest in his eyes. A cute and plausible moment that would make some see the foundation of their connection, however, for the most part of the series, it looked like JeongHo was more interested in ChanGyu. Even though it is very understandable that his choice could change, we weren't properly shown how the connection between JeongHo and HyeokJun was formed. Perhaps we could aptly draw a conclusion that this was edited out to fit into the time frame of each episode, this is also where our case for more episodes applies as with more episodes, we get a full-fledged and wholesome storyline that leaves room for no questions. Still using JeongHo as our case study, with the introduction of new cast mates mid-way into the show, with perhaps just 3 or 4 episodes left in the show, there is not ample enough time for them to form a suitable romantic connection with others, and for viewers to properly digest their personality and actions. While we do not know the clear amount of days that is used for the shooting of those 3 or 4 episodes, it is very certain that the already limited time doesn't give enough room for the introduction of a new cast mid-way into the series, and as such, that kind of concept, albeit very dramatic and interesting should either be scrapped or the shooting period and episodes should be longer. 2. More diversity in its cast One of the big check marks that the first season of the show earned was how diverse and inclusive its casts were. By diverse, we mean in terms of body sizes, personalities, jobs, and preferences. It showcased real individuals with real stories and experiences who were seeking to find love. This aspect made many also connect with the show well. And for its second season, we need to see more inclusion, individuals from all works of life. We duly expect it continues on its positive path from its second season and not stray by choosing only the most visually pleasing individuals as its cast for its second season. We need more representation of people on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. Individuals with unique yet relatable stories that would not just see the variety of queer people represented on the show but also further educate the public on the life and experiences of people in the community. Also in this same frame, perhaps the inclusion of more casts would make for more matches and coupling too. While we are not going to exaggerate and ask for over 20 participants as seen in various western reality dating shows, a cast of more than 8 or 10 people would be a start. More people equals more inclusion, more people to root for, and possibly more couples at the end of the show. 3. A change or refinement of its concept It is highly expected that a more refined concept will be introduced in the second season of the show. While we understand that first seasons for this kind of show are usually or often times filled with a bit of error or weird scenarios, we expect that producers are able to see what works and what didn't, and by the second season, refine the show to make it better than its first. Some of the things that might need to change are: A) The phone call segment While we understand the drama that this scenario ensues for both the participants and viewers, it also, for the most part, led to awkward and somewhat cringeworthy moments for both parties. Especially with the fact that many of the participants have to share a room or are often in the same space when it is time to make these calls, it adds little to no intrigue to the event when the rest of the participants can rightfully assume who called them because the person literally just stepped out to take his turn at the phone booth. While the concept is ordinarily interesting and in the series, they tried to make the moments intriguing, it fell a bit flat oftentimes as the viewers and particularly the participants could rightly know who had a crush on or interest in them. To solve this, it would be better to either have all the participants stay in separate rooms during this segment of the show or change the method from a phone call to a text like in the dating show "Pink Lie". B) The fairytale ending or lack thereof The ending of the first season of the show gave many viewers mixed emotions as in some parts it came off as cute and in others, basically awkward and cringy. While we know the endings of many dating shows are always dramatic, this part felt a bit exaggerated in our opinion. Having to let the rest of the singles stand there while watching the couples having their "fairy tale ending" was such a weird and chilling thing to witness not just for the viewers but for the participants as well. While we do not expect that everyone would find their own happy ending, we also expect some levels of respect and compassion for those who are opportune to find theirs. Rather than fixing them in an awkward situation and space. Do you agree with our expectations? Share with us some of your thoughts about the show in the comments section.