Key Takeaways

“I Kissed a Boy,” the first dating show exclusively for gay men, and its sister BBC show “I Kissed a Girl” have been canceled. The BBC recently announced that “funding challenges” will prevent the franchise from continuing beyond the upcoming second season of “I Kissed a Girl.” 

As a dating writer, I may be biased, but why does it always seem to be the dating shows with non-straight participants that get the axe? 

I’m not the only one who’s noticed. Fans took to social media to mourn the loss, with some even creating online petitions to get the show back on the air. Now, these fans have found hope from a most unexpected source: Tinder. 

The Sun’s Deputy TV editor, Felicity Cross, claims the production company Twofour has plans to bring the “I Kissed” franchise to Tinder, where it will reportedly air on the app and, naturally, on YouTube and Instagram as well. 

Tinder is appealing specifically to an LGBTQ+ demographic and expanding into long-form content.

But rumor has it that the “I Kissed” franchise will look much different if it gets the Tinder treatment. Although “I Kissed” narrator (and influencer in her own right) Charley Marlowe will reportedly return, the show itself will no longer focus on a group of unfamous singles in a villa. 

Instead, it will reportedly have more of a storytime format, with LGBTQ+ celebrities opening up about their queer journeys. If the rumors are true, the series will even have a new name: “It Started With a Kiss.” 

By reportedly rescuing the “I Kissed” franchise, Tinder is not only sending a pointed message to gay daters — You don’t only have to use Grindr, you know! — but proving that it can, in fact, evolve for a Gen Z audience. 

In this case, Tinder is evolving on two fronts: By appealing specifically to an LGBTQ+ demographic, and by expanding into long-form entertainment. 

Tinder is Expanding ‘Beyond the Swipe’

By expanding into long-form video content, Tinder is attempting to redefine itself as more than the home of the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it swipe. 

“IKAB” and “IKAG” literally begin with the tagline “No small talk. No messages. Just one kiss to test out their chemistry.” You’d think this straight-to-the-kiss premise would resonate with Tinder because of its deeply embedded hookup culture, but the opposite seems to be true.

The “I Kiss” franchise may start with a kiss, but it ultimately gives each couple time to explore their connections. 

This is not the first time Tinder has explored the world of long-form video content.

The “I Kiss” franchise may start with a kiss, but it ultimately gives each couple time to explore their connections.

In 2019, Tinder produced “Swipe Night,” an interactive video series for Tinder users. And in 2025, Tinder released “Double Date Island,” an ad campaign/dating show hybrid that capitalized on the success of shows like “Love Island” while promoting its “Double Date” feature. 

At the time, Paolo Lorenzoni, the VP of EMEA Marketing at Tinder, explained why the app wants to produce video content. “We’re tapping into the formats Gen Z already loves: entertainment, creators and social-first storytelling,” he said. “[Young people are] prioritising fun, authenticity and shared experiences over pressure or performance.” 

In terms of engagement or downloads, it’s hard to say just how successful these ventures were for Tinder. But it’s clear that Gen Z’s penchant for authentic storytelling isn’t going anywhere, especially if this storytelling involves a celebrity, a villa, a viral moment, or all three. 

A Drop in LGBTQ+ Representation Creates New Opportunities

As consumers, we love nothing more than watching a bunch of hot people interact in a tropical setting. “Love Island,” “Are You The One?,” “Bachelor in Paradise,” “Temptation Island,” “Too Hot to Handle,” “FBoy Island,” “Married at First Sight” — need I go on? 

Well, for people looking for a little LGBTQ+ representation, adding to this list wouldn’t be a bad thing. The U.K.’s answer to this demo gap was “I Kissed a Boy” and “I Kissed a Girl,” two separate BBC Three shows with the same premise: gay, bi, and lesbian singles match up and explore their chemistry in Italian villas. 

Now let’s look at these shows from a dating industry perspective instead of a consumer perspective. What sets these shows apart isn’t their sweeping drone shots of beaches but their exploration of queer romance for an audience long starved of mainstream representation.

The “I Kissed” cancellation marks a major blow to LGBTQ+ representation on cable channels.

“As a gay man from a very conservative country, this kind of media is not only important in the UK but everywhere else too!” one Redditor wrote in response to the series’ cancellation. “It was the first ever gay dating show I watched and it truly made me understand more about the gay dating culture.” 

GLAAD’s 20th Annual “Where We Are on TV” report was bleak, with 41% of LGBTQ+ TV characters leaving their shows (either due to cancellations, endings, character departures, or character deaths) by the end of the 2024-2025 season. 

Queer characters abound (relatively, anyway) on streaming channels, but their numbers are dwindling on broadcast and cable channels. The “I Kissed” cancellation marks a major blow to LGBTQ+ representation on these mediums. 

Tinder Is Reinventing Itself for a New Era of Dating

Long-form video content may sound like a major change for Tinder, but it’s only the latest in a series of major changes at the legacy dating app. 

Earlier this month, Tinder execs announced sweeping upgrades, UX changes, and safety additions that signal Tinder’s focus on redefining itself for a younger, less impulsive generation of daters. It aims to go “beyond the swipe,” CEO Spencer Rascoff said during the app’s Tinder Sparks: Start Something New presentation. 

It’s possible that Tinder’s rumored plans to turn the “I Kissed” franchise into proprietary video content is all part of the app’s transformation into a more diverse, trustworthy, and authentic source of connection.

The enthusiasm for LGBTQ+ representation on apps like Tinder highlights a clear area of need within the dating industry.

Gen Z may love efficiency, but they also crave authenticity, making Tinder’s bet on long-form, real-story video content a wise move.

It’s important for us to note that none of these changes have been confirmed by Tinder, not on social media or during the Tinder Sparks: Start Something New presentation. 

But regardless of whether the rumors are true, the public’s enthusiasm for LGBTQ+ representation on apps like Tinder, and for content like the “I Kissed” franchise, highlights a clear area of need — and of opportunity — within the dating industry.