TV wants to normalize age-gap relationships—viewers aren’t too sure

“Age is just a number” is the adage that people return to when discussing the inevitability of growing older—and also relationships where one partner might have been grasping their ABCs while the other was getting their driving permit.

However, some will respond that age-gap relationships are destined for doom, or that there are unfair power dynamics at play.

Recent popular romantic comedies on the big screen have given representation to this kind of dynamic. In The Idea of You, Anne Hathaway stars as Solène, who is demonized for her relationship with the lead of a boyband, who is a lot younger than her. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy showed Renee Zellweger’s famous character, Bridget Jones, fall for a younger beau, Roxster, played by Leo Woodall, while navigating grieving her husband.

Whether you agree, disagree or are indifferent toward romances that transcend age brackets, they are prevalent in modern society—but less so in marriages.

The characters Izzy and Steve sit crouched together on some grass.

A 2024 Pew Research study from 2024 found a growing share of husbands and wives in the U.S. are more or less the same age, with 51 percent of married couples being aged within two years of each other. However, according to a 2024 Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of the dating site Cougar Life, many American adults have had relationships with a 10-year-plus age gap.

TV is often a mirror of society, and the small screen is dividing viewers with two new programs—Hulu’s upcoming Alice and Steve, written by Sophie Goodhart, and Netflix’s Age of Attraction—exploring the age-old taboo in different ways.

First is the new British comedy-drama Alice and Steve, which has been coined a “wrong-com,” available on Hulu on June 8. The six-part story follows protagonist Alice, played by Nicola Walker, who is “devastated” when her best friend, Steve, Jemaine Clement, starts dating her 26-year-old daughter, Izzy, played by Yali Topol Margalith.

The first-look trailer shows Alice in a bar with Steve where she asks a fellow revealer how old they look after she revealed they had known each other for 30 years.

The trailer then shows Alice comforting her best friend, who is lonely from singledom, and Alice returning to live with her after breaking up with her boyfriend. The daughter and best friend then strike up a relationship, to the fury of Alice.

Despite an intriguing glimpse into a messy love story, some viewers have taken umbrage at the divisive storyline.

“This should be marketed as a horror film instead,” posted Loz.

“No let’s not romanticise that,” said Jordan.

“This is really disappointing,” added Jack.

Pfeifer Hill and Derrick Fleming kiss in “Age of Attraction.”

Goodhart told Newsweek: “I first became interested in this idea because of the way society judges intergenerational relationships.”

She said that she likes examining controversial topics, to question pre-conceived ideas through a comedic lens.

“Are all age-gap relationships bad? At different points throughout the series our attitudes and sympathies will change. Of course Alice is furious with Steve, but the show explores whether our initial impulses are always the right ones,” she added.

A spokesperson for Disney+ told Newsweek how the protagonists enter a “consensual relationship between adults”, but that the show explores the fallout effect of this bond across their families and friends.

“The show looks at the hilarious and complicated ways in which different generations react, how it affects family and friendship, and the impact on the relationship itself,” the spokesperson added.

Netflix’s Age of Attraction is a dating series where 40 singles, aged 22 to 60, get to know each other at a secluded retreat, without ever revealing their ages.

“It simply does not matter how many candles were on your last birthday cake or how few wrinkles have formed on your forehead. Age is thrown out the window as singles search for their soul mates,” the press release reads for the show

The hosts of the show, married couple Nick Viall, 44, and Natalie Joy, 26, who have an 18-year age-gap, opened up about the “fascinating topic” of age-gap couples in a recent interview with Decider.

Viall shared how many people are having a tough time dating right now, leading them to explore different age brackets.

“And now more than ever, we really are prioritizing compatibility. Do we have things in common? And when you start listing that off, age becomes less and less of a thing we care about. But it is something that the outside world has a lot of opinions on. So it’s, like, kind of this interesting thing. Does it really matter when it comes to your compatibility?” Viall shared in the interview.

He and Joy shared that the show is opening up space to destigmatize age-gaps, particularly for older women who like to date younger men.

To haters, Joy said “everybody is an adult” and, to those who say the show is encouraging age-gap relationships, Viall added that the show is not “pushing an agenda,” rather encouraging contestants “to make meaningful connections.”

However, not everybody online agreed with the couple’s comments.

“It does matter. Especially if the person could be your parent. You are at different stages in life with different priorities. Sometimes the older person ends up manipulating the partner with less life experience,” shared one YouTube viewer.

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