“It’s beautiful to see the unapologetically romantic moments but also the ones that challenge what we have deemed as romantic”: Jessica Brown Findlay and Anthony Welsh on The Flatshare

There was a time not so long ago when the bona fide romcom was deemed to have died a death – or at the very least, there seemed to be a lack of imagination in how to make the genre work in a contemporary way that wasn’t either saccharine binge fodder or a plain unfunny, trying-to-please-everyone-but-pleasing-no-one cringe-fest. Shows such as The Flatshare, landing on Paramount+ this week, are a sign of that trend being bucked, accurately capturing the messiness of millennial existence in a relatable fashion, whether in the sky-high cost of rent or of avo on toast, while keeping an enjoyable balance of wit and romance.

Drawn from Beth O’Leary’s novel of the same name, it follows 20-something-year-old online journalist Tiffany (Jessica Brown Findlay) and hospice worker Leon (Anthony Welsh), who, for their own reasons, enter into an extreme solution to the crippling cost of London rent by sharing not only a flat, but one room and one bed – just at different times of the day. Of course, the arrangement presents its unique set of challenges, not least that the pair only have scribblings on Post-It notes as a way of communicating with each other, and before long, despite their best efforts, their lives unavoidably start to become intertwined.

The Upcoming spoke to the stars of the series ahead of its launch on the streaming platform about the appeal of bringing an adaptation of O’Leary’s book to the small screen, how they could relate to their millennial, cash-strapped characters and the ways in which the series plays on and challenges the tropes of a romcom.

Sarah Bradbury

The Flatshare is released on Paramount+ on 1^st December 2022. Read our review here.

Watch the trailer for The Flatshare here: