After finding success on Netflix, Age of Attraction is coming back for season 2 — with some potential changes.
During an exclusive interview with Luxury Handbag Shopping, co-creators Rebecca Quinn and Jennifer O’Connell reflected on how the show concept would evolve, saying, “A first season shows you what people actually care about — and it’s not always what you expect. There are moments you think will land, and then completely different ones take over the conversation.”
Quinn and O’Connell expressed interest in showing more of the couples.
“We had so many great stories we didn’t have the time to fully explore, including same-age couples and, if there is a second season, we’d definitely lean into those relationships more,” they noted. “Along with expanding the overall storytelling, showing more love triangles and more depth across all the connections.”
According to the co-creators, there were “14 couples ready to go into the ‘real world,'” adding, “Way more than we expected. The bad news is we didn’t have the time to fully show everyone’s journey.”
They continued: “If anything, it’s a testament to the casting and our casting director Jacqui Pittman did such an incredible job that we were forced to make some really tough choices in the edit. Looking back, we wish we found a way to sneak in a few more of those stories.”
The new dating show, which premiered in March, is hosted by real-life couple Nick Viall and Natalie Joy, who have their own 18-year age gap. According to the official synopsis, “Age is thrown out the window when singles search for their soulmates, but will the years come between them?”
Divided into three parts, the first batch of episodes showed the initial connections that were formed before individual couples made promises to each other. After a visit to the Promise Room, each couple were finally able to discuss their age gap — and decide if they wanted to keep exploring their chemistry. They then transitioned into life in the real world before making a decision about their futures together.
“Honestly, it’s hard to predict what’s going to hit and what won’t. The only thing we can control is making shows we’d actually want to watch,” Quinn and O’Connell shared about the process. “And for us, that’s something a little juicy, a little steamy, slightly unhinged — but still heartfelt. So seeing people lean in the way they have — texting about it, debating it, picking sides — that’s the win for us.”
Quinn and O’Connell broke down how they “had 40 participants with 14 couples going to the Promise Room,” which “far exceeded” their expectations.
“As you could imagine, it is hard to narrow down the couples we are following to the next phase, but we chose six and in the end, we were thrilled with how many chose to stay together in the finale,” they explained. “It’s always amazing to see something real come out of it. But even the relationships that didn’t last still meant something. Not every connection is forever, but that doesn’t make it any less real while it’s happening.”
While only two couples are still together now, Quinn and O’Connell referred to it as a success story regardless, saying, “It’s so exciting to see two of the couples in strong committed relationships and genuinely happy. We shot the show almost a year ago so they truly have lasting power! It is interesting that one of those couples is an older woman with a younger man and an older man with a younger woman.”
They also weighed in on the strong reactions to the concept of Age of Attraction.
“We love that we sparked a real conversation and whether you believe couples with a range of age differences works or not, people love talking about it!” Quinn and O’Connell told Us. “Our goal was never to tell the audience how to feel, but to present the relationships honestly and let viewers draw their own conclusions. We were also very intentional about showing a range of dynamics, including ones that don’t often get as much visibility, and we think that’s part of why the conversation has been so active.”
Age of Attraction is streaming on Netflix and the reunion is now available on Nick Viall‘s “The Viall Files” podcast.
