The Charm Offensive

Television shows exploring dating, love, and commitment have been a part of the American entertainment industry since the mid-20th century. The Dating Game, a reality show where men and women answered questions without seeing each other, first aired in 1965. The show ended in 1999 after four successful, separate runs, and remains an icon of American reality television. In the early 2000s, reality dating TV capitalized on the public’s fascination with dramatic sensationalism featured in programs like Jerry Springer. Shows like Temptation Island, Flavor of Love, Parental Control, and Joe Millionaire exposed the contestants’ emotional vulnerabilities while highlighting arguments and fights. Similar to Maureen Scott’s vision for Ever After, these shows featured primarily white, cisgender and heterosexual couples, selling the promise of a happy ending while editing the contestants’ out-of-context comments to fulfill preconceived character roles. Modern streaming services like Netflix produce popular shows like Love is Blind and Too Hot to Handle that continue the tradition.

The Charm Offensive resembles The Bachelor, a reality dating competition show during which one man or woman dates dozens of contestants, eliminating participants weekly until, ideally, proposing marriage to the final contestant. Like Ever After, The Bachelor features extravagant one-on-one dates, group dates, and rose ceremonies similar to Ever After’s crowning ceremonies.