‘Perfect Match’ Boss on Giving Netflix Reality-Show Standouts Another Chance at Love

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Perfect Match arrives on Netflix to give some familiar faces another opportunity for love in the limelight.

Launching Tuesday, the series focuses on dating with a competition element as an array of participants from previously aired seasons of the streamer’s shows Love Is Blind, The Ultimatum, Too Hot to Handle and The Circle try to find a romantic partner to help them prevail as the most compatible pair. Over the course of the 12-episode season, more eligible fan-favorite contestants will be cycled in as those having trouble landing a strong match will be sent packing.

Executive producer Chris Coelen, whose production company Kinetic Content is behind Perfect Match, explains to The Hollywood Reporter that part of the inspiration for the series was seeing off-camera connections form between participants of these series. This includes Love Is Blind’s Damian Powers and Too Hot to Handle’s Francesca Farago, who both appear on Perfect Match after their surprise connection was a part of the first season of the After the Altar episodes from the first season of Love Is Blind.

“It’s a show full of love and drama and conflict and strategy and gameplay,” Coelen says of Perfect Match. “Different people come in with different motivations; different people come in with different emotional baggage. There’s certainly no stated intent in this show that there is a specific goal. It’s very reflective of where they are in their lives, and they might just be looking for somebody to spend the summer with, or have a fling with — or maybe they are looking for someone who’s a life partner. It’s really up to them to figure out what their own perfect match is.”

Coelen says it’s appropriate that the series debuts on Feb. 14, given that he has heard from viewers who mention that his company’s dating shows, which include Netflix’s Love Is Blind and The Ultimatum, Bravo’s Love Without Borders and Peacock’s Love for the Ages, have helped them get perspective on what they’re looking for in their own personal lives.

“Obviously, Valentine’s Day is a holiday that’s rife with symbolism about love,” Coelen says. “We’re all into the new year, and we’re thinking about our lives and our partners, or lack of partners. These shows are incredibly enjoyable at any time of the year, but I love that we get to see a show like Perfect Match come out on Valentine’s Day.”

Another recent launch for the company was the latest batch of After the Altar episodes from the third season of Love Is Blind. Coelen says he knows that fans have particularly been intrigued about the up-and-down romance for Raven Ross and Sikiru “SK” Alagbada, who opted to not get married at the end of their season and have had a rocky path since then.

“Some people have followed the news on social media and know a bit about what’s transpired between SK and Raven since the reunion,” Coelen says. “You get to dig into that in After the Altar, and it’s a really tremendous story between them. And for the people who haven’t followed the goings-on in the press, it’ll be a really unpredictable ride.”

Perfect Match and After the Altar are currently streaming on Netflix.