Netflix Bets on Even Stranger Things

Streaming giant is doubling down on dystopian reality dating, in the form of ‘Sexy Beasts,’ to lure more subscribers.

NetflixNFLX1.04%and romance have long been a match made in heaven, but now the streaming giant is taking things to another level.

Perhaps emboldened by the success of recent shows like “The Circle” and “Love Is Blind,” Netflix is now doubling down on dystopian reality dating. According to the trailer, released this week, the new concept will feature “real life singles,” sporting “elaborate makeup and prosthetics” and putting blind date chemistry to the test.

After reporting disappointing subscriber numbersfor the first quarter,Netflix needs new alluring content. Analysts expect the streaming giant to add about 15 million subscribers in the second half of the year, nearly three times the number it is forecasting for the first half.

As if dating weren’t already hard enough, contestants on “Sexy Beasts” are expected to find love while looking like a panda or a mouse.The trailer features a suave alienin a bowling alley chatting to his date, an apparent cross between a dolphin and a platypus, stating that “personality, for me, is everything.” Others—especially a beaver who candidly describes his favorite physical feature—are at least honest.

If nothing else, viewers will be in it for catfights.