Why you need to watch Terrace House: Boys & Girls in the City

Missing out on Terrace House is a bit more forgivable than other shows. Yes, it is a world-wide hit and phenomenon. Yes it has been on since 2012. However, as it was only purchased by Netflix in 2014, it’s unlikely a Western audience would have any way of stumbling across it prior to the collaboration with Netflix. Even still, sifting through Netflix’s ever-growing selections of original programming is famously a task longer than watching an episode itself. So to save you time: you need to watch Terrace House.

The premise is simple: six young Japanese people, usually ranging from 18-29 and also three men and three women, live together in a beautiful house, complete with a car for them to use, and with no script for us to watch the daily occurrences of their lives unfold. Each episode opens with this explained by the ‘hosts’, who offer commentary on said occurrences and predict future developments. But it’s not Big Brother, because the members can come and go as they please – in fact, their lives basically resume as normal as they retain their jobs and can openly discuss the goings-on with their friends and family from outside the house.

It’s closer to MTV’s long-gone The Real World, but with markedly less drama – famously, even, and that’s one of its biggest strengths. Yes there are disagreements and dates, but it’s remarkably tame to the point of being the television equivalent of a hot chocolate – ideal to sit down with after a long day and take a break from the world and its realities for a while. Plus, when anything crazy does go down, the hosts are right there with you in their shock and excitement. 

It has several iterations, starting with different members each time, so it’s basically free reign to start with whichever, but Boys & Girls in the City is a good starting point as it’s the earliest season currently available on Netflix and so you won’t miss any of the references to it featured in the other versions.

Terrace House: Boys & Girls In The City is available to watch on Netflix now.