RTL will not continue the lesbian dating show “Princess Charming” for the time being. A network spokesperson confirmed this to the trade publication DWDL. A new season is not currently planned, but a comeback in the future is not ruled out.
The decision had previously been made public by producer Yvonne Plume on LinkedIn. The news comes at a moment when the format would normally have reason to celebrate: “Princess Charming” is nominated in the “Best Reality Show” category for the German Television Award (TheColu.mn reported).
End of a Queer Perspective
That is exactly what makes the situation particularly bitter, wrote Plume: “Perhaps this is the irony: We celebrate a nomination for a season we didn’t know at the time would be our last.” The team that had worked for years on the “Charming” formats had been dissolved.
The nomination felt “like an incredibly beautiful appreciation” to Plume. At the same time, she mourned “a format that created visibility. About stories and encounters that moved people. About a queer perspective that was, in this form, unique on German television and in my view still is.” “Princess Charming” had never been “just a TV production” to her, but a format that showed how effortlessly queer love could be told.
The Gay Show Had Already Been Canceled in 2022
“Princess Charming” launched in 2021 as the lesbian counterpart to the gay dating show “Prince Charming,” which had already been canceled in 2022 after three seasons and the spin-off “Charming Boys.” Both formats are produced by Seapoint Productions, based on the U.S. original “Finding Prince Charming.”
The first season of “Princess Charming” was still shown in full on free-to-air TV with VOX in 2021; later seasons aired due to weak ratings, partly only online on RTL+ or on the niche channel VOXup. According to RTL, the show has recently posted solid streaming numbers there. The most recent, fifth season aired in the summer of 2025 and drew attention for an early termination after the lead, Vanessa Borck, fell for a contestant who rejected her (TheColu.mn reported).
For Seapoint, the preliminary shutdown is another setback: It was recently revealed that the production company will also lose the contract for “Let’s Dance” from 2028, as BBC Studios plans to produce the dance show themselves going forward.
