Why was the show such a commercial failure? Easy: It was calledScrotal Recall.
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Created by Tom Edge, the show follows Dylan, a 20-something landscape gardener who contracts chlamydia and must contact all his past sexual partners to tell them to get tested. As Dylan reconnects with all his fizzled romances, he reflects on why these lost loves failed, retracing their ups and downs in an introspective search for self. In similar fashion to500 Days of Summer, the series was a bittersweet love story told in a non-chronological way, but there’s no way any viewer could possibly discern that from the titleScrotal Recall.
Originally the show’s working title that somehow ended sticking,Scrotal Recallis a one-note pun onthe classic filmTotal Recall, with that being the name’s only merit (the TV is not sci-fi in any way, it doesn’t referenceTotal Recall, and no one involved inTotal Recallwas involved withScrotal Recall). Stuck with this dud of a name, the show flailed on its first airing – although critically it was strong, commercially it was floundering. After the first season failed to get any traction, Channel 4 cancelled the series without any remorse and world completely forgot about this crudely titled nobody.
Well,until Netflix revived it. In a shocking move, the then-young streaming service brought the rights to the show in 2016 on the cheap, announcing it was renewingScrotal Recallfor a second season, but thatthey would definitely be changing its name.
Surprisingly though, Tom Edge said in an interview that the decision wasn’t made by Netflix but by the show itself. WhenScrotal Recallmade the jump to the streaming service, Edge asked Netflix if they could investigate how audiences reacted to the name – if the word “scrotal” was actually having an impact. The results were astounding: the vast majority of viewers said they loved the show, but wouldn’t recommend it to their friends and family because they didn’t want to say the word “scrotal” out loud. The show’s dwindling numbers weren’t due to a failed concept or inert cast but rather because fans embarrassed to share its title.
So, they changed it. The show earned itself a new moniker –Lovesick– which still referenced how the show is framed around an STI treatment but without the guttural shadiness of the word “scrotal”. Netflix released the new season and the audiences loved it. Armed with a new bland-but-not-self-sabotaging name, the show was a commercial success, with viewers flocking to the feel-good story of three friends growing up together and conquering the world of modern love. Indeed, the show was so popular, it was renewed for a third season by Netflix (something thatthe streaming juggernaut is often reticent to do).
Moreover, the show was so popular that it seemingly launched the careers of many involved. Edge signed a deal with multiple production companies following the show’s relaunch, contributing scripts toNetflix’sThe Crown, BBC’sStrikeand even writing the screenplay for Oscar-winnerJudy. Johnny Flynn, who plays the show’s lovable but STI-ridden lead, has exploded in popularity as well,being cast as David Bowiein the upcoming biopicStardust. Equally, Antonia Thomas, who plays the shows female lead, has been starring as Dr. Claire Brownin ABC’sThe Good Doctor, and the list goes on. In fact, ironically, plans for a fourth season are currently on hold due to the cast and crew being so suddenly popular
By changing its title,Lovesickdid more than distance itself from the puerile, frat-boy connotations of the word “scrotal” - it allowed the TV series to actually achieve commercial triumph, helping many involved to achieve similar success through association. But the biggest benefactor might have been for the show’s fans. As Edge aptly puts it, “I think most people are quietly relieved to be able to tell their grandparents what they watched this weekend without curling up and wanting to die.”
