It seems like Lifetime's "UnREAL" is willing to do what "The Bachelor" has never done in the past: Feature a black suitor.
The series' dating reality show within the show "Everlasting," which is based on existing reality shows like ABC's long-running dating program, will return with a new suitor. This time, an African-American male lead will get to choose a woman he can spend his life with on live TV.
Series co-creator Sarah Gertrude Shapiro and several cast members dropped the news during their appearance at the recently concluded Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena, California.
"There are few things more pressing than this conversation," Shapiro said regarding the inclusion of a black lead on the reality-show-within-the-show. "I've heard appalling things about race all the time," she revealed, talking about her past job as a producer.
Shapiro also told their plans for "UnREAL" season 2 in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "We have an African-American suitor, so they make sure that they have a Southern apologist girl, who believes that the Confederate flag is really about states' rights," the creator-executive producer said.
Variety revealed that "UnREAL" is currently looking for the actor who will portray the role of Darius Hill, an All-American football star who will venture into the reality show scene.
She also teased that the latest lineup of contestants in "Everlasting" will include a Black Lives Matter activist who does not really want to be a part of the show in the first place. It will also feature a sportscaster who happens to be the daughter of the NFL franchise owner, as well as a blogger-type hipster girl from Brooklyn. It means that the series will never run out of drama this season.
Cast member Constance Zimmer, who portrays the role of the devious producer Quinn, also talked about what fans should look forward to in "UnREAL" season 2.
"We're not afraid to do anything," Zimmer shared. "It's actually really exciting because I do feel like the second season for us means we can kind of go darker. And we can maybe go a little bit further than we might've been afraid to in the first season."
The second season of "UnREAL" is slated to premiere this season.
