Logo introducing a TV first: A gay dating competition
Move over, The Bachelor: TV’s first gay dating show is due this fall on Logo.
Finding Prince Charming, hosted by Lance Bass, will feature a cast of gay men in a contest that includes 13 suitors housed together, vying for the affection of what the cable network describes as one of the nation’s most eligible gay men.
The premise is familiar: Contestants are hoping for a romantic connection and, maybe, true love. The suitors will be eliminated one by one until the heartthrob chooses the “winner” for a potentially exclusive relationship. His identity has not been revealed, nor has Logo set a premiere date for the series.
But Finding Prince Charming comes amid growing awareness of the diversity deficiencies of ABC’s The Bachelor and The
Bachelorette, and it follows a new batch of knockoff shows that respond to those concerns.
VH1’s Dating Naked (Wednesdays, 9 ET/PT) has its first black main dater in the current third season, and WEtv’s Match
Made in Heaven (Thursdays, 10 ET/PT) focuses on black contestants vying for the attention of former NFL player Stevie Baggs and features actress Sherri Shepherd as a “Sherri godmother.” The new season of Lifetime’s
UnREAL (Mondays, 10 ET/PT), a scripted drama set behind the scenes at the fictional Everlasting, includes a black suitor as part of its major story line.
Still, Finding Prince Charming appears to be a good fit for Viacom-owned Logo, best known for another competition series, RuPaul’s Drag Race.
“Logo has a long history of showcasing LGBTQ-focused stories with memorable characters that transcend pop culture,” Pamela Post, chief of original programming for Logo, said in a statement.
“Finding Prince Charming will take viewers on a whirlwind journey through modern love and relationships in a way that only Logo can do.”
Brian Graden, a former programming chief at Logo and MTV, is producing the series.