IT’S ‘LOVE’
Sukanya Krishnan on why TLC’s new dating show has struck a chord with viewers
TLC’s dating series “Find Love Live!” has become an unexpected hit. The reality show (Mondays at 11 p.m.) is now the top-rated latenight (live) show among females, garnering 5 million viewers for its first three episodes — triggering TLC to order an additional nine episodes.
“It’s perfect in terms of balancing my own curiosity about love and helping people through this difficult time,” host Sukanya Krishnan, 48, tells The Post. “During the pandemic, things have been tough for everybody. I think this is a way for humans to connect because it’s in our DNA. Virtual dating has been a thing that people have been doing forever — but now it’s hotter than ever. This is about having a party live on TV.
“It’s like a live love fest, giving viewers and people all across America an opportunity to find their match every Monday night.”
Krishnan, a veteran New York presence due to her anchoring gigs on WNYW/Ch. 5 and PIX 11, says she’s a fan of TLC’s programming and always wanted to host one of its shows.
While this is her first foray into the topic, she says it hasn’t been much of a learning curve.
“I am definitely a news person and have been doing local news here in New York for the last 20 years,” she says. “But who isn’t curious about love and creating connections? That’s something that people on television intrinsically do. It’s part of our nature as journalists — connecting people, finding out things, then bringing it out into the open for people to make choices.”
Each episode of “Find Love Live!” features singles (both male and female) on a video call chatting with potential dates and vetting the candidates live on TV, with Krishnan facilitating. Viewers at home can be a fly on the wall for the dates and also weigh in via polls on social media. The single person is periodically asked to eliminate some of the potential choices, to keep the show unpredictable and help them hone in on their ultimate decision.
Krishnan says she sees her job as guiding them through this process.
“My role on ‘Find Love Live!’ is really your best friend, your cheerleader, maybe your conscience at times, calling out things that might seem awkward or need clarification,” she says. “I’m the witness, the voice in your head. I’m also a New Yorker — so I’m not really afraid of anything or anybody. No topic is too difficult to tackle. Ultimately [the single person] makes the choice.”
The featured singles hail from all across America, and sometimes new people join in via video chat mid-episode, to keep everyone on their toes.
“We can always throw wild cards in and make you think about things a little deeper. It’s an hour of fun. It’s light and entertaining,” says Krishnan. “The news has been so heavy of late with everything that’s going on with the world today. This is sort of the unexpected live TV that when you turn it on, it’s with the times, but it also makes you happy.
“Social distancing has flipped dating on its head.”