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Movies & TV

31st Jul 2018

Five guilty pleasures to fill the void now that Love Island is over

Carl Kinsella

Love Island

Love Island is finally over.

Jack and Dani have been crowned the King and Queen of Love Island and now it’s time for the rest of us to find some way to move on with our lives.

It won’t be easy. After all, we’ve spent the last few months becoming utterly engrossed in the behaviour of Alex and Megan and all the other lads and girls whose names we pretend not to know until we’ve confirmed that everyone else in the room is also avidly watching the show.

So what now? Fortunately, there’s no shortage of guilty pleasure TV still out there. We’ve compiled some of our favourites in order to fill the void.

Terrace House

Featured on Netflix, Terrace House is kind of like the Japanese inverse of Love Island. Like a Big Brother from an alternate university where everybody is nice to each other and wants to enjoy each other’s company.

While it might sound a little short on drama, but also much lower stress than Love Island. It’s also strangely addicting, and pretty informative watching romances develop in a culture totally different to our own.

There are now three whole seasons of the show on Netflix, so it will probably keep you busy for a while.

Clip via Netflix Asia

Australian Love Island

Of course, if all else fails… Coming on at 10.05pm every night on TV3 is Love Island Australia. It mightn’t have the same dramatic punch as the UK version (since the winner has already been decided and spoilers are available online). But if you’ve found yourself unable to divest from the love lives of those shiny, tanned, swimsuited folks then Love Island Australia will fill the void.

There’s also the bonus of being able to pick up some Australian slang while you watch, so you can practice your Steve Irwin impression. Not to mention THE FIGHTS.

And by the time it’s over, you’ll have made it all the more closer to the beginning of next year’s Love Island UK.

Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents

This is for the people who took a look at Love Island and thought “No. This isn’t enough.” Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents is one of those “How did this get made?” kind of shows that features sixth years on their holliers in spots like Magaluf, doing Magaluf things, all while their parents watch them on a laptop screen, or through binoculars, or literally god knows what.

The show was cancelled eventually, but word to the wise, a lot of it is still on YouTube…

Clip via hizzbani1.

Jane The Virgin

Based on the Venezuelan telenovela Juana la Virgen, Jane The Virgin is a comedy show that satirises the typical tropes of telenovela sitcoms. It’s basic premise that a young woman becomes artificially inseminated by accident. It pretty much maintains that over-the-top level of storytelling throughout its four seasons, which are all on Netflix — and perfectly tailored for anyone whose secretly up for a bit off drama.

The Great British Bake Off

Less sex appeal than Love Island? Perhaps. Well. Definitely. But there’s something special about watching British people struggle to make lovely cakes in a high-stress situation while you sit back and eat your store-bought Swiss Roll and wait for Mary Berry to say something saucy. 7 seasons on Netflix, so no shortage of runtime here either.

Clip via PBS.

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