Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav may well have had a big part in crafting the tentative agreement between striking writers and Hollywood studios over the weekend, but on the heels of that triumph, WBD looks to be mired in a much different type of controversy.
The Hollywood Reporter is outlining that controversy, as WBD is drawing criticism for the importation of a British reality dating series called “Naked Attraction” to its streamer Max. The show features full frontal nudity in each episode, and that has drawn the attention of conservative parents groups.
“Naked Attraction should not exist on the Max streaming platform, and HBO should immediately remove this exploitative, pornographic program,” wrote the Parents Television Council, a media watchdog organization. “Max has mediocre parental controls, enabling children to access some of the most explicit streaming content on the market. There is no doubt children will be able to easily access Naked Attraction, the purpose of which is to shock and titillate the audience with uncensored and explicit nudity. And in a new low for HBO, the show fully exploits its own participants, somehow convincing them that their exploitation for the purpose of dating is right and good … {HBO} gives the appearance of a trusted family brand by hosting Harry Potter and Sesame Street, but HBO has now lifted its own veil, revealing that it is and always was a pornography channel.”
Max allows parents to set up kids profiles that are pin-protected, and filter out any content rated more mature than the settings allow for. But when HBO Max first relaunched as Max back in May, The Streamable found that there were plenty of movies in the “Kids and Family” section on adult Max profiles that featured PG-13 rated movies with nudity, violence and language some parents may find objectionable. Although Max designed kids’ profiles to prevent children from getting to adult content on the service, children who find their way out of a kids’ profile can access essentially whatever they want.
Many viewers who watched “Naked Attraction” have praised its portrayal of a wide range of body types, as well as contestants of diverse sexual orientations. Some fans also point out that the show is full of important tips for good sexual health, and that part of the backlash is just a culture shock stemming from differing American and British attitudes about nudity.
From WBD’s perspective, all publicity is likely good publicity in this case. The entire affair is reminiscent of the controversy surrounding “Velma,” which fans of the “Scooby-Doo” franchise reviled when it was released in January of 2023. Despite — or perhaps because of poor reviews and a vocal pushback from fans, the series shot up the streaming charts, generating 37 times the demand of an average streaming show according to Parrot Analytics. Perhaps “Naked Attraction” will see a similar ratings bump due to the controversy it has generated.
Max has made a concerted effort to be known as a streaming platform for the whole family since its relaunch in May. Getting people buzzing about a new show with large amounts of nudity won’t exactly help in that regard, but it could drive a big spike in viewership for Max nevertheless.
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