Peacock has made itself a destination for shows where sexy singles seek love through a myriad of reality formats, including Love Island and Queens Court. During a Valentine’s Day TCA press conference, a representative from one of their newest shows, Couple to Throuple, was on hand to answer questions about the new concept.
(Todd Williamson/NBCUniversal)
“This show is about poly-curious couples, as I call them, who have never had any experience or very minimal experience in non-monogamy or polyamory,” sex and relationship expert Dr. Shamyra Howard explained. The show takes four couples flirting with the idea of welcoming a third into their lives and takes them to a luscious resort where a buffet of singles are potentially interested in joining. “These couples are coming to get some insight on whether non-monogamous relationships, specifically polyamory, will work for them. My role here is to help bridge the educational and emotional gap between non-monogamy and monogamy because these couples have very little experience.”
Peacock has been releasing Couple to Throuple in batches of episodes, with six episodes now available, and the next batch coming on February 22nd. “You'll see the evolution of couples who come with their monogamous values and they bring them on over to non-monogamy, and you'll get to see whether or not that works for them,” Dr. Howard promised.
Of the four couples participating in Couple to Throuple, one is a same-sex couple consisting of one homosexual and another whose sexuality lines are blurred. “This is an inherently queer show,” shared Dr. Howard. “Every couple, and even the singles on this show, have some type of queer identity.” The show also puts the power of choice not only in the hands of each couple through a series of tests, but also in the hands of the singles via a ceremony where they have to step forward as each couple selects their third partner, indicating their interest in joining them.
“I was like, ‘You know what, this can't be just a hookup show,’” revealed Dr. Howard about her hesitations to join Couple to Throuple when first approached by the creative team. "I worked really closely with the producers to make sure this wasn't just a hookup show.” This was also part of the selection process for the singles added to the mix. “They had [the same] amount of time and energy put into them as the couples did, but what you'll see is me putting them through different challenges. They’ll go through different challenges, they're called the relationship sessions, such as communication, jealousy, and boundaries. And you will see how they use these challenges to strengthen their relationship to ultimately see if nonmonogamy or polyamory is for them.”
Will any of the couples emerge from the experience as a throuple? You’ll have to watch Couple to Throuple on Peacock to find out.