Though it’s practically a widdle baby in comparison to its peers, Peacock has low-key become one of my favorite streaming platforms. But I sometimes feel like it’s missing … something. The trailer for Peacock’s newest reality show, Couple to Throuple, has offered a possible answer.
And the answer is: UNCONTROLLABLE BONERS. Oh we’ll get to it, but first, let’s admire that title. Couple to Throuple! Genius. It’s alliterative, it’s suggestive, it advertises exactly what’s inside the package. (Uncontrollable boners? I SAID WE’LL GET TO IT.)
Hosted by Access Hollywood‘s Scott Evans (great hair, good vibes, no notes), Couple to Throuple sends four polyamorous/poly-curious/down-to-clown couples to a resort, where they’re introduced to a parade of sexy, similarly open singles. The goal: have some fun, explore their relationships, and maybe start a throuple? What sets this series apart—uncontrollable boners aside—from the likes of Love Island, Too Hot to Handle, and all the others in a genre I like to call “Fuck Island,” is the participation of an actual therapist.
In the trailer for Couple to Throuple, we meet the four couples as well as Shamyra Howard, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Sex Therapist from New Orleans who specializes in sex-positive therapy. On her website, Howard says, “Those who identify as straight, bisexual, transgender, gay, lesbian, poly, pan, BDSM/Kinky, or otherwise, will find a safe, nonjudgmental, sex positive space to discover areas in which you would like to grow, which may or may not have anything to do with your sexuality.” I already love her.
More reality shows should have experienced therapists on board. As you can see in the trailer for Couple to Throuple, Howard’s involvement actually seems to make things more compelling by pushing the couples to interrogate their feelings and address challenges in their relationships. Look, I’m not saying Vanderpump Rules should have an on-screen therapist, but I’m sure Andy Cohen would appreciate the help.
And now, back to the UNCONTROLLABLE BONERS. This phrase is introduced to us by Sean, who appears on the series with his partner Brittne and mentions that he “keeps having these uncontrollable boners.” Sounds like a serious condition that I’m sure will receive the proper medical care and treatment over the course of the series’ 10 episodes. The trailer promises plenty of drama, too, just in case you were worried about the therapeutic angle. A chair is thrown in a swimming pool. There are secret trysts. People are CRYING. And like any good reality show about hot people hooking up, no one ever changes out of their swimwear. (I shouldn’t have to explain why this is troubling. Ask a mom.)
Couple to Throuple premieres February 8, with three new episodes dropping each week, followed by the finale on February 29. (It’s a real date this year, I checked.)
(featured image: Peacock)
