Making even the smallest changes to an established show, like moving it to a new time or night of the week, can cause fans to lose interest or simply not remember to go looking for it in its new timeslot. Well, those behind Netflix comedy Scrotal Recall did the unthinkable when they changed the title of the series to Lovesick. And, now, we know why it had to happen. According to the show's creator, Tom Edge, it mostly had to do with word of mouth.
Everyone always assumes it was Netflix, but actually, we ended up asking Netflix if they could figure out whether the audience for the show found the title off-putting, and they did a little survey of people who had watched the first season, and rating it well, and they found that the majority of people wouldn't recommend it to friends and family because it would involve saying the word "scrotal" out loud. In terms of word of mouth, this seemed problematic, to say the least, and because it was Netflix, and we knew that they would be able to tell people who loved the first season that it still existed, but in new garb, we figured that it might be a wise decision to change it. I think we still have maybe five percent of our viewers who think we threw away the greatest title of all time, but I think most people are quietly relieved to be able to tell their grandparents what they watched this weekend without curling up and wanting to die.
Well, the idea that Tom Edge and others behind the show that would soon become Lovesick actually thought to see if the title was causing any issues for the series in regards to it catching on with viewers is certainly a novel idea. And, they were correct in their assumption that people might be having problems with the title. It turns out that many folks simply weren't keen on saying the word "scrotal" out loud, and, really, who can we fault for that?
Lovesick, which focuses on Dylan (Johnny Flynn) as he tracks down his many ex-girlfriends to let them know he's got chlamydia, obviously suffered a bit in the word-of-mouth department under its former title. Can you imagine spending the weekend binging Scrotal Recall and loving it, but then being asked what you did over the weekend when you call your mom Monday evening? Not many people would be eager to refer to anything that brings genitalia to mind.
As Tom Edge mentions later in his talk with Entertainment Weekly, Lovesick's former name also didn't do anything to really give people an idea of what the show is like. Instead of some wild, Porky's-style sex comedy, Lovesick is a really sweet show about friendships and falling in and out of love while trying to get romantic relationships right, especially when you're in your twenties. So, it turns out there were a couple of good reasons for them to kick Scrotal Recall to the curb.
All three seasons of Lovesick are on Netflix right now. For more on what you can watch streaming, check out The Cord Cutter Podcast. To get the inside scoop on everything debuting in the coming weeks, take a look at our midseason premiere guide.
