Kink Optional: A Pitch for SEXY BEASTS on Netflix

The other night, I messaged my apartment group chat, “Anyone want to watch the new furry show on Netflix?” Immediately, three of available roommates responded in affirmation and we settled in for what we correctly assumed to be a wild ride. Between awkward allusions to Beauty and the Beast and contestants who clearly don’t know how to function without exploiting their pretty privilege, Netflix’s newest dating show, Sexy Beast, begs the question, is this kink?

Kudos to Kariselle the Panda for absolutely rocking her look

The set up is simple; a young single is masked head to toe in special effects makeup and set up on three blind dates to test the power of chemistry when physical attraction is stripped away. After a round of one-on-one dates over drinks, our lead beast makes an elimination. After a brief reveal and a second round of dates with the remaining contestants, a final elimination takes place. Finally, a grand reveal where all prosthetics, feathers, sense of security, and paint are stripped away and our sexy beasts finally meet face to face in all their human glory. Usually, our lead beast and their chosen paramore start making out right away, with the occasional contestant reminding us that sometimes physical attraction matters and that’s ok. Be they demon or beaver, baboon or troll, every one of our sexy beasts is looking for love and willing to test the limits of reality TV in the process. 

With Rob Delaney as narrator, Sexy Beasts needs to be your next binge

Sexy Beasts, in all it’s chaotic glory, is ultimately a good time. A reboot of a 2014 BBC3 show of the same name, it really does test it’s contestants ability to make connections through layers of latex and faux fur. But the question my roommates and I had remains; is Sexy Beasts a piece of furry kink media? The line between a lighthearted twist on blind dating and full on furry exhibitionism is certainly blurred. Whether or not the creative team behind Sexy Beast knew the implications of dressing a man in a wolf costume and sending him on what appears to be highly public dates, an extended foot massage montage and a conversation about piss play leaves no doubt that the minds behind Sexy Beasts- or at least those in the editing room- knew exactly what they were doing, and personally, I think It’s about time. 

The straights and fiscally conservative gays have the Bachelor and Bachelorette. Love Island and Are You the One? has done a lot for those of us with an appetite for chaos, first piqued by early aughts VH1 gems like Next and Room Raiders. With an estimate at around 2 million people worldwide identifying as a “furry,” Sexy Beasts appeals to a very specific slice of the market pie. Online message boards, dedicated websites, and conventions have turned this very specific interest into a prosperous subsect of the adult sex industry. But for most who self identify as a furry, there is little to no sexual component to their participation in the greater community. It’s a common misconception for those outside of the furry fandom that it is a strictly sexual fetish akin to puppy play or BDSM, but that’s simply not the case. Taboo and misrepresentation has cursed the furry fandom and deemed it anathema to popular culture.

It does appear those in charge at Sexy Beast tried to claim plausible deniability by throwing in the occasional zombie or scarecrow, wanting to appeal to a broader audience and assuage any accusations it was just a show for furries. But what if it was? Would it be so horrible if a TV show catered to a highly specific part of the population, regardless if kink is part of it? If the Bachelorette can go to couples therapy with 10 of her boyfriends on national TV (season 25) and pretty much every dating show ever can make it’s contestants suck each other's toes during a prescribed game of Truth or Dare, then we should let the furries have their moment.

Ultimately, Sexy Beasts is a beautifully cringey and all around good time watch. Is it a show for furries? I don’t know. Probably not but I wish it was. The furry fandom is a large and complex subculture misunderstood and largely ignored, and it’s high time we see some media that caters to them. Sexy Beasts may be that show, it may not be. Whatever the case, it’s a fun watch, and if you like reality tv, appreciate sfx makeup, and have a few hours to kill, Sexy Beast might be the show for you. Furry kink optional.