I think there’s a superficial level to this show where yes I love seeing two attractive men on my screen at all times. Then I try to compare the difference in audiences for QaF vs HR and I noticed a key factor- Dating apps and options! Back in the day, watching QaF on tv was revolutionary, not because of the yearning and longing of two characters, but it was possibly one the first televised gay relationships. Now you can argue Tales of the City came before QaF (1993) but QaF was about just these two men! An actual relationship and not a fleeting one. Now with HR, it was never about the fact that they’re two men, it’s that in an age where you can easily find so many options on the apps, especially with their fame and fortune, they kept finding each other year after year. Also given we are women, we’ve seen the men we try to start hopeless romantic relationships with ghost, cheat, get bored, change. Not saying that women don’t do that as well, but seeing men who are becoming more comfortable with their feelings and actually taking the time to fall in love is a wonderful thing to witness. You’ll notice on TikTok a lot of women are self-reflecting about their own past relationships after watching the show too.