Netflix reality tally crowns Age of Attraction as new-show winner
Netflix’s latest What We Watched report put Age of Attraction ahead of the streamer’s other new unscripted launches in early 2026.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Age of Attraction was Netflix’s strongest new unscripted series launch in the first half of 2026, according to the streamer’s latest What We Watched report.
The dating format, produced by Velvet Hammer Media, logged 10.9 million views after its March debut. Netflix had already moved fast on the show, renewing it for a second season after an opening week of 3.8 million views.
The series is hosted by Nick Viall and Natalia Joy and centers on dating across age gaps, with contestants testing whether romance can survive the number on a birth certificate.
There was one wrinkle in the leaderboard. Funny AF with Kevin Hart posted close to 42 million views, according to the report, but Netflix counted that performance episode by episode across its 10 installments. Its biggest single episode drew 8.3 million views.
Some new launches found a crowd
Members Only: Palm Beach, a reality ensemble following women in President Trump’s Florida neighborhood, drew 3.4 million views, according to Netflix’s report.
Zach Galifianakis’ This Is A Gardening Show reached 3 million views, while the Neil Patrick Harris-hosted game show What’s In The Box?, which launched in December, brought in 1.7 million views.
Netflix’s unscripted slate had a rougher ride elsewhere. Calabasas Confidential, which premiered in May and follows longtime friends returning to Calabasas, California, after college, drew 1.5 million views and did not make the streamer’s top 1,500 series ranking, according to Deadline.
Star Search had a tough run
Star Search, Netflix’s live competition revival, also struggled to take off. The first episode pulled 2.6 million views, while the final three episodes were listed at 600,000 views, according to the Netflix data cited by Deadline.
The series was hosted by Anthony Anderson, with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Chrissy Teigen and Jelly Roll on the judging panel. Across its nine episodes, the show totaled 9.3 million views.
Jeff Gaspin, Netflix’s former unscripted chief, said at Deadline’s Reality TV Summit that Star Search was unlikely to return for a second season, while also framing the show as part of Netflix’s broader trial-and-error push in reality programming. Deadline reported that Gaspin left Netflix in June.
Returning brands did better
Established Netflix reality titles had a cleaner win. Season 10 of Love Is Blind reached 13.1 million views, while season four of Love on the Spectrum drew 11.2 million, according to the report.
Related documentary programming brought mixed results. Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, about the long-running modeling competition, posted 22.4 million views. Simon Cowell: The Next Act landed at 2.4 million.
The numbers show Netflix’s reality machine still has reliable franchises, but the first half of 2026 belonged to a newer dating bet: Age of Attraction found the audience that several splashier launches could not.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.