Seeking Simone and the Online Dating Web Series

Dating has long been described as awkward, and online dating sites emerged as a way to skip some of the clumsy opening steps. A Canadian comedy web series built its premise on the gap between that promise and reality. Seeking Simone follows a lesbian who moves from Vancouver to Toronto after a painful breakup and tries to meet someone through dating sites.

Its creators have discussed the show in interviews around the release of its seasons.

How the project began

The writer and the lead actor had talked for ages about making something together. They decided on a comedy about lesbians, and since a more explicit route was out of the question, they chose a web series. Both came from theatre, one with screen experience in acting and production and the other new to screenwriting.

They saw the genre as a middle ground between the immediacy of live theatre and the uncertainty of television, a way to release work without waiting for permission. Independent web productions of this kind often rely on volunteer cast and crew.

Humour drawn from real dating

The creators said members of the team had tried online dating themselves, and that real experiences, including a fast whirlwind romance that began with a first online date, informed the writing. The show accepts that cranks and oddballs exist online and that sincere connections do as well.

They also played with a long-running stereotype about how quickly couples move in together. In their view the dating scene is as varied as dating anywhere, producing good choices, bad choices and plenty of material for comedy.

Online dating as a theme

The writer's reasons for liking online dating were practical. Profiles state who is single and what people want, which spares months of guessing whether a friendly barista is interested. The creators treated unpleasant dates as story fuel, and said viewers who shared their experiences might see them turned into episodes.

In the second season the title character stays committed to online dating despite past disasters. The creators described her as a hopeless romantic whose search keeps producing comic mishaps.

From web to television

Asked whether the series could work on a broadcast network, the lead actor said it had been conceived to show a concept with potential beyond the internet. The stories aim to be relevant to an under-represented community while speaking to universal themes of love, pain and dating.

Web series like this one illustrate a broader shift in which independent creators reach niche audiences directly and use online releases as proof of concept for larger platforms.