'Indian Matchmaking' Season 2: It's Still The Best Dating Show

Netflix

“Indian Matchmaking” is finally back with Season 2, and it is as good as you remember it. Prepare to catch up with some Season 1 stars (Nadia, Aparna, and Pradhyuman) and meet some lovely new ones. The formula is the same, the people are equally interesting, and their journeys are just as compelling. Sima Taparia returns refreshed and ready for another round of matchmaking. 

Like always, her clients have unique needs and desires, and Matchmaker Sima has her answer on how to deal with them, namely compromise. Many watching “Indian Matchmaking” will undoubtedly have their opinion on how to deal with narrowing down Sima’s clients’ sometimes long wishlist. Thankfully for a Season 1 star, the road to finding true love happened, and one of the most beautiful wedding ceremonies of all-time commences. 

“Indian Matchmaking,” giving viewers a glimpse at what happily ever after looks like when heading down the aisle, injects tremendous romance into the season. Love may or may not blossom elsewhere (no spoilers here). However, the romantic ease is understandably not elsewhere as ardent as it is with the newlywed couple.

Back to the matchmaking

Choosing a partner is a life-and-death choice, and you do not want to end up with the wrong person because you are afraid to go after what you want. As someone in their thirties who is single had their heart broken and is well aware of the anemic dating scene facing our generation -- a lot of what the “Indian Matchmaking” participants have to say -- hits home.

I cannot speak for my parents’ generation but what the current market has to offer for a partner is bewildering. So, it is surprising that such a plethora of promising potential matches chosen by Sima Taparia get passed over by her clients when they make such great impressions. The quality of a match is truly in the eye of the beholder. 

That is something about “Indian Matchmaking” that makes it far more fascinating than your average dating show. The process documented here is about finding a match for marriage, not a short-lived romance or the outside hope of an engagement. Let’s get real about finding love on reality television.

Dating just for show

Those watching “The Bachelor” have reason to doubt the ability of the series to make a lasting match through its date-a-million-partners-at-once antics. In contrast, “Indian Matchmaking” believes in a serial approach that gets to the heart of the matter. Its approach to finding legitimate love is far more earnest.

It is built on the intriguing premise of matchmaking and the personally accurate idea that an individual looking for a life partner needs to consider that a prospective partner is not marrying them alone. They are also marrying into another family. Those that understand this heading into a close-knit family do better than those that do not, in my opinion.

As a TV show, it would be nice for “Indian Matchmaking” to consider tightening its scope, and removing any dangling threads. Akshay’s story, in particular, receives no distinct resolution, as viewers are left on what feels like an episode-to-episode cliffhanger that never gets resolved. On a related note, participants’ lives are always changing and evolving, so it would be pleasant to have the latest last-minute update in an epilogue.

What does the future hold?

It appears that if there is an “Indian Matchmaking” Season 3, it will not follow up with any American stories as it would instead shift gears to the UK. Hopefully, the stories in India will remain the throughline. Of course, it would be lovely if some previous cast members’ love lives continued being chronicled, namely the super-sweet Arshneel and Rinkle. (Please tell me they are still together!)

As for Season 1 alums, Aparna seems -- more complete than ever in Season 2. On the other hand, “Indian Matchmaking” has plenty more to follow where Nadia and Pradhyuman are concerned. Both of their journeys would be wonderful to watch unfold as they head on distinctly different paths.

In related news, Matchmaker Sima seems to have made more successful long-term matches this time around, per this Cosmopolitan relationship update on the show’s stars. That said, Pradhyuman deserved a little more acknowledgment from Sima that the woman he wanted was possible to find, after all. He just needed to find her.