Grindr Dating App Announces First TV Show Bridesman | Screen Rant
LGBTQ+ dating app Grindr has announced its first original scripted series, Bridesman. Grindr was founded in 2009 by Los Angeles-based entrepreneur Joel Simkhai and quickly grew in popularity, particularly among gay men. The app allows its users to view other nearby users' profiles and message them to initiate a romantic interaction.
Deadline reports that Grindr is entering the crowded world of original scripted content with Bridesman, beginning production this month. The comedy series stars Jimmy Fowlie (The Other Two, Go-Go Boy Interrupted) as a gay bridesman attempting to undermine his best friend's wedding. Created by John Onieal and directed by Julian Buchanan, the series will consist of several 6 to 10-minute episodes. They will be available for streaming on YouTube as well as the Grindr app.
Bridesman comes on the heels of two other projects that Grindr has attempted to keep its users engaged and connected during the pandemic. Pride Preserves, a 30-day in-app contest event, ran last summer, and the Halloween-themed Fright Now Fest took over the app this past October. With limited opportunity for face-to-face interaction, it's no wonder that Grindr is among the many dating apps that have reported increased usage during the pandemic, with even non-dating apps like Among Us being misused for romantic intentions.
Grindr's first foray into scripted content, while perhaps unexpected, isn't unprecedented. In 2019, the popular dating platform Tinder released a post-apocalyptic mini-series on its app with interactive elements called Swipe Night. That same year, Scruff, another LGBTQ+ dating app, debuted Hosting, a live trivia quiz show in the vein HQ Trivia that had showtimes as recently as September 2020. While many of its predecessors have struggled with longevity and consistency, Bridesman will hopefully add some arch wit and campy fun to the queer content landscape when it debuts this fall.
Source: Deadline