Once there was a young man looking for love, so he went on TV to find it. So 20 beautiful young women moved into a mansion, each dating the man and hoping to win his hand in marriage. But only one of them would live happily ever after. Sound familiar? The drama UnREAL pulls back the curtain on what goes into making a reality dating show. The series — which is now streaming on Netflix in the US — takes place on the set of Everlasting, a fictional reality show where contestants compete for love. But in this show, most of the drama occurs behind the scenes. 

Ready to go on this journey? Here’s everything you need to know about UnREAL. 

What happens in UnREAL? 

UnREAL jumps right into the action, as the series opens on the set of Everlasting’s 13th season. Field producer Rachel Goldberg (Shiri Appleby) is lying on the floor of a limo after recovering from a nervous breakdown as she arrives on set with three contestants who are excited to meet this season’s suitor, Adam Cromwell (Freddie Stroma). Goldberg and her boss, Everlasting executive producer Quinn King (Constance Zimmer), work together throughout the series to bring the romantic young hopefuls to tears and emotionally manipulate them into having meltdowns and arguments — all in an effort to deliver the most entertaining and salacious reality show. But these two producers seem to feel trapped themselves, because they know their jobs rely on exploiting young women for shock value and TV ratings. 

Who’s in the cast of UnREAL? 

• Shiri Appleby (Girls, Your Place or Mine) as Rachel Goldberg
• Constance Zimmer (Entourage, Shameless) as Quinn King 
• Craig Bierko (The Long Kiss Goodnight, Sex/Life) as Chet Wilton
• Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman (American Horror Story) as Jay Carter 
• Brennan Elliott (Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb) as Graham 
• Genevieve Buechner (Jennifer’s Body) as Madison
• Freddie Stroma (Pitch Perfect) as Adam Cromwell
• Josh Kelly (General Hospital) as Jeremy Caner 
• Donavon Stinson (Call Me Fitz) as AD Dan
• Nathalie Kelley (Dynasty) as Grace 
• Johanna Braddy (Quantico) as Anna Martin
• Breeda Wool (Mr. Mercedes) as Faith Duluth
• Ashley Scott (Secret Obsession) as Mary Newhouse

Is UnREAL based on a true story? 

Not exactly — the series is a fictionalized take on the behind-the-scenes drama that unfolds on the set of a reality dating show. While the show may not be based on real-life events, UnREAL was co-created by Marti Noxon (Sharp Objects) and Sarah Gertrude Shapiro — who previously worked as a producer on The Bachelor for six seasons, so she knows a thing or two about how these shows work. 

Shapiro told Vanity Fair in 2018 that some of her former Bachelor co-workers had reached out about the show. She said: “What I’ve heard from them is that it feels really accurate, and is kind of satisfying for them to see their job represented on TV, because what they do is invisible work a lot of the time — producers literally have to hide behind plants to stay out of shots. And nobody really knows that they basically write these reality shows.” 

When is UnREAL coming to Netflix? 

You can watch all four seasons right now.

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