Better Late Than Single Review: A Sweetly Awkward and Different Korean Dating Show That Feels Real

Better Late Than Single Review

Director: Cho Wook-hyung, Kim Noh-eun, and Won Seung-jae

Date Created: 2025-07-08 23:04

Editor's Rating:
4.5

Better Late Than Single Review: Netflix’s new Korean reality series (모태솔로지만 연애는 하고 싶어) is a refreshing take on modern dating shows. Directed by Cho Wook-hyung, Kim Noh-eun, and Won Seung-jae, the series will bring together some of its cast members who are everyday people with no history of dating and take them on journeys of discovery about love, feeling, and confidence. The series is 10 episodes long at 70 minutes each, and premiered on July 8, 2025.

Hosted by Seo In-guk, Kang Hanna, Lee Eun-ji, and Car the garden, the show follows 10 contestants — Kim Yeo-myung, Kim Sang-ho, Lee Min-hong, Yi Do, Noh Jae-yun, Kang Ji-su, Kim Seung-li, Ha Jeong-mok, Park Ji-yeon and Kang Hyun-kyu — who have never been in a relationship their whole lives. It’s not some celebrity influencer’s show. Better Late Than Single on Netflix are normal people who don’t have self-esteem and have a lot of insecurities, finally entering the dating world.

Better Late Than Single Review

I’m going to be honest with you. I’m not a fan of reality TV. They’re rubbish or generic, and overall, I turn them off after the pilot. But Korean reality TV programs like Transit Love and Single’s Inferno always had me on the edge of my seat, because they can mix emotion, weirdness and humour, they’re so authentic. So when I’d heard of Netflix’s Better Late Than Single, I was intrigued straight away. And I’m pleased to say — I was totally taken aback by this.

Better Late Than Single Episode 1 of the show is all about getting to know the contestants and the stories of their life. The vast majority of them are in their 20s or 30s, have never dated anyone, and all by choice. That in itself makes the show seem very unlike your average dating programme. The way the show is introduced to these different personalities and it’s almost like you understand immediately because they all have strengths and weaknesses, but you feel them immediately.

And I also appreciated the way Motaesollojiman yeon-aeneun hago sip-eo displays vulnerability. It’s painfully awkward, unsure and anxious — and that’s why it’s a tribute to life. It’s sweet watching them reveal their fears of dating and hesitantly trying to emerge from their shell.

When it’s Better Late Than Single Episode 2, you see the group changing, though. They’re still on edge, but they begin to speak, and you get to see their personalities come through. Some of the scenes are absolutely hilarious, some are sad, but it’s all real.

One of the things that Better Late Than Single on Netflix does differently is that the series does not create artificial drama. It builds up with a slow, gentle pace and is patient enough to allow you to hear the tale of each individual. Where some dating shows dive headfirst into love triangles and jealousy, this one arrives quietly. And to me, that’s a bonus.

Better Late Than Single Episode 3 adds a little twist. The girls are taken to a secret place, and the boys randomly choose who they would like to date without knowing who they will see there. It’s a quick 15-minute date, but one that does have some sweet and cringe-worthy moments. You actually get to see something happen in there, which is great to watch.

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These unexpected match-ups are our reminder that dating is a risk-taking business. And because these involved parties are all new to romance, even the smallest gestures are huge and momentous.

Better Late Than Single is one of the funniest shows with the funniest hosts. Seo In-guk, Kang Hanna, Lee Eun-ji, and Car the garden all play together harmoniously and do not simply sit idly by mindlessly firing back and forth. They actually listen and respond emotionally or with words of wisdom. You feel like you are watching the show with them, and that is entertainment in itself.

I started watching the show with very low expectations. But the Korean reality show Better Late Than Single surprised me by giving me something I wasn’t seeking—hope. Hope that it’s never too late for new things, that it’s acceptable to be afraid and that you can begin falling in love even when you’ve never fallen before.

Reality TV tends to be filled with the stereotypically confident, outgoing varieties, and not individuals who wouldn’t catch camera crews’ eyes for weeks. And that is the beauty of this program. You care about the students because they are real, not because they are eye candy. The program does not strain when it attempts to be sensational or to be profound. It is simply about healing, learning and growing up. I believe that message is powerful.

Korean Reality Series Better Late Than Single Review: Summing Up

If you’re feeling like watching a slow, emotional yet realistic dating show, Better Late Than Single is a good bet. This show isn’t going to have the “wow” you’ll find with the other Netflix reality programs, but it provides you with something better: real people getting the chance to learn how to live with an open heart for the first time ever. Being someone who tends to stay away from reality shows, this was a pleasant surprise. I was genuinely hoping the show gets better and the magic I felt in the initial episodes does not dissipate as the series unfolds.

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