If you’re a fan of Lifetime’s UnReal, it looks like you have to wait longer than expected to reenter the behind the scenes world of your favorite fictional dating reality show. TVGuide.com reported earlier today that the series is not expected to return until early 2018. This breaks the summer airing cycle that the first two seasons were on. The series was renewed for a third season before Season 2 aired.
Constance Zimmer, who plays manipulative executive producer Quinn King on the show, broke the news on Twitter last night. She tweeted a picture of her and costar Shiri Appleby, who plays producer Rachel Goldberg, accompanied with the caption, “Here’s to the fans…Hang in there for #season3 @UnRealLifetime AIRING in the FIRST part of 2018!! #Unrealtv2018.”
The series follows the production team of a dating reality show called Everlasting. Each season has featured two different suitors and competitors, but that hasn’t stopped the producers from doing everything necessary to create the most dramatic show possible. UnReal was co-created by Sarah Gertrude Shapiro, who once worked as a producer on The Bachelor, which has created a lot of buzz around if the crazy plot lines on UnReal mimic real life stories from behind the scenes of the popular ABC franchise.
While the first two seasons followed the fictional reality show that featured a male suitor, this upcoming season will feature its first female suitor. Shapiro recently spoke with Variety to discuss the upcoming season of the critically acclaimed series. “I think you can expect a lot of hot dudes and a lot of feminism — that was our winning combo,” she said regarding the addition of the new female suitor, played by Caitlin FitzGerald. “We’re talking about what it means to be a successful woman and still wanting to have a partner or a life, and how challenging that can be with stories of a lot of our friends and ourselves: the more successful you become, the harder it is for you to find a date.”
Shapiro is well aware that dating has evolved with the addition of dating apps and was careful to include that aspect of modern dating into the new season. “We call it the tyranny of choice under Tinder, where you always feel like there is someone better around the bend or being so overwhelmed by the idea of customizing a life partner,” she said.
Fans of The Bachelorette may love the series for its emphasis on the drama between the male contestants vying for the bachelorette’s heart, but Shapiro looks at the suitor on Everlasting as a character in need of development. “It’s really more about her journey and her relationship with Rachel and Quinn, and how they feel about creating a life for this business woman,” she said. “Quinn isn’t necessarily seeing her as a woman or a man, she sees her more as a contestant on the show that she needs to produce. I think that speaks more to our themes of humanity within reality TV and what are the consequences of starting to treat people like cattle.”
With the addition of the series first female suitor, a new showrunner was hired for Season 3. Stacy Rukeyser took on the role, following co-creator Marti Noxon and Carol Barbee who previously held the role. An official air date for the Season 3 premiere of UnReal has yet to be announced, but lets hope it’s sooner than later.