My thoughts on the Netflix show
When Netflix sent me an email about An Astrological Guide for Broken Hearts saying ‘here’s a show we think you’d like’, they were spot-on.
Alice is an assistant to a TV producer. Her ex-boyfriend, who she is still in love with, is engaged with a baby on the way (and to make it even more complicated, she works with both of them). Fate brings Tio, an actor and astrology guru, into her life. Tio starts sending her daily, personalised horoscopes and helps her navigate the world of dating through explaining the compatibility of each sign as she meets them. Helpfully, the people Alice meets are in zodiacal order, so we begin the first episode with Aries and finish the 6-episode season with Virgo.
Along the way, Alice inadvertently pitches an astrological dating show to her new boss (which stars Tio as an astrological dating guide). The show is a hit and her career takes off, even if her love life doesn’t quite take the same trajectory. But at least through dating the zodiac she is learning the qualities in a partner that work for her (a Libra, if you’re curious).
The show is sweet and the astrology information is accurate albeit a little surface-level (but really, there is only so much you can fit into a 30 minute episode and there is a story to tell so I don’t feel like this is too big a deal). It’s set in Turin, Italy and I enjoyed the armchair travel component and the musicality of the Italian language. I also love Alice’s apartment. The show follows the rom-com formula with its awkward dates, minor mishaps and sexual-tension-with-a-colleague element. The formula feels comforting to me, like a nice big hug.
An Astrological Guide for Broken Hearts will have you thinking more about your compatibility with others based on your signs. The talking head moments where Tio presents highlights about each sign will have you going through your mental rolodex and matching the qualities mentioned to people in your life who have that Sun sign.
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