A group of hot British singles, referred to as ‘Islanders’, live under constant video surveillance in an isolated villa with the chance to find love and win fifty thousand pounds; this is the 2015 Love Island reboot in its most basic description. But, there is so much more. Between new people coming in throughout the season, random eliminations by the public, or stressful re-coupling sessions, the drama is never ending on the island. So, why should you watch the hit show on Hulu at the moment?
(Photo by ITV)
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They’re British. Black Mirror, Doctor Who, The Great British Baking Show? Clearly, the British are doing something right when it comes to producing quality television series, and Love Island is no exception. A few of the next reasons are because of the series being British, but the humor and the production of the show is so characteristic to other British series that it had to be in a category of its own. Americans are enthralled by anything not American.
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The slang. “Mugged off”, “Pied”, “Melt”, “Crack on”, what do all these phrases mean? If you’re from the other side of the pond, like me, these British slang terms are completely new. But, based on context from the show, it’s easy to catch on. “Mugged off” means to be disrespected, “pied” is being dumped, “melt” is to act like an idiot over someone you “fancy”, and “crack on” means developing a romance with someone. After binging two seasons fairly quickly, these phrases and more embarrassingly crept their way into my vocabulary.
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The accents. I will admit, I had to watch about half a season with the captions on until I got used to their accents and could understand what they were saying. However, when they get emotional and really start talking, the captions had to come back on. The accents take the show to the next level; it becomes so much more entertaining. Plus, the difference between a Northern and Southern English accent is astounding. It was something I never considered hearing the difference between until I started watching Love Island.
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The lack of censorship. Twenty-four hour surveillance, young singles alone on an island, what could happen? While I’m not familiar with the television censorship laws in Britain versus America, watching Love Island brings some clarity. For instance, swearing? Not bleeped out. Nudity? Yep, definitely there. People getting it on in the bedroom? The night-vision camera captured that, too. At first, I was a little taken back. I’m so accustomed to American television, but the lack of censorship was utterly refreshing. It made the characters seem more personable, which leads me to my final reason.
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Puts the ‘real’ in reality TV. I am so tired of people going on television shows with the hopes of being famous by playing a character. Everyone is either trying to play the devious villain or the innocent victim, and no one is acting like themselves. On Love Island, however, specifically the first season, none of the people knew how big of a franchise Love Island would grow to be over the next few years. It is as raw of a reality series as it gets, which makes it so addicting to watch.