I Kissed a Girl launches its best season yet despite BBC axe

I’m only three and a half episodes in, and the drama is high (Picture: BBC/Two Four)

This review is based on the first three episodes of I Kissed A Girl season 2.

BBC Three’s hit dating series I Kissed A Girl is back tonight with season 2, and the new episodes don’t disappoint.

It’s just a shame that a show this crucial is ending, after it was recently axed.

It might just be the beginning of the 10-episode season, but IKAG round two is definitely proving messier and more explosive than the last time around.

In the first few episodes, there’s a drama-filled dinner, partner-swapping aplenty, and new bombshells that shake up the Masseria.(

For the uninitiated, that’s the big Italian house they’re staying in, affectionately called the ‘mazzy’ by influencer-turned-presenter Charley Marlowe, the show’s narrator.

Her personality shines through even more this season, giving the show its distinctive character, positioning it as the perfect watch for girls, gays and anyone who follows @loveofhuns on Instagram (there’s a Jane McDonald x Mighty Hoopla reference within the first five minutes).

While season 1 might have been an introduction to lesbian culture, season 2 has levelled up(Picture: BBC/TwoFour)

The new season brings new opportunities for education and stereotype-smashing.

Viewers can learn about the ‘messy mascs’ trope (masculine-presenting lesbians), which contestant Elisha playfully suggests love interest Elise might be part of.

Shortly after, Renee reminds audiences that masc girls cry too. After an emotional couple of days, the self-professed ‘North-West London Baddie’ shows her vulnerable side, tearfully explaining that a lot of masculine women don’t get the same grace that others might.

‘I’m just a really emotional woman as well,’ she says.

These beautiful chats and moments of self-discovery, like when Elisha discovers she’s not just into femme girls and Elise starts to see herself as an identity separate from her sexual identity, are the reason why this show is a privilege and a pleasure to watch.

It sets itself leagues ahead of shows like Love Island, which can be equally as addictive but nowhere near as stimulating or explorative.

There are small tweaks to the previous season, including an opportunity to rate the chemistry from the famous first kisses at the start of the show.

Upon arrival, the girls, who have been partnered up by host Dannii Minogue, walk up to one another and have a good old kiss before any of the small talk even starts.

It’s so sweet to see how invested Dannii is in the couples (Picture: BBC/TwoFour)

After that short interaction, they’re then sent their separate ways and asked to rate the chemistry from their kisses between one to 10.

The answers are telling and force the girls to self-reflect and be honest with themselves from the get-go, which is what’s needed for the limited time that they have in this queer utopia.

They’re then put in order as couples, with those who rated each other highest at the top of the line and those who rated each other lowest at the bottom.

This sparks conversation and plants seeds in the minds of others about whose heads might be turned and whose might not.

Unfortunately, without giving away any spoilers, there still appear to be some girls who are playing the game so they don’t leave the Masseria first.

Is this a fault of the show? It’s hard to tell.

If the first kiss-off came any later, it would be lacking pace. But equally, if it were delayed, there might be less of a rush to force a connection, which defeats the point of the series.

Perhaps I’ll eat my hat anyway, and the couples who I think aren’t as compatible might surprise us all.

It has happened on previous series of the sister-show I Kissed A Boy (IKAB), so I’m ready for it to happen here.

Like with so many reality shows out there, the games can drag slightly. Chat to most people about Traitors, and they’ll tell you they lose focus during the challenges. I feel similar here.

That said, Dannii has such energy, empathy and genuine investment as a host that it’s heart-warming seeing how she interacts with the cast.

Since beginning in 2023, the IKAB/IKAG franchise has brought us such iconic characters, hilarious one-liners and pure joyful scenes. It feels like an injustice to say arrivederci to what is such a seismic show.

IKAG is cementing itself deeper in queer pop culture history with every episode that airs, while simultaneously showing young girls it’s ok (and so fun) to be gay. What a tragedy that it has to go.

I Kissed A Girl season 2, episodes 1-4 are available to watch on BBC iPlayer. New episodes drop next Tuesday.

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