The One

The show places black characters Hannah and Mark, South Asian character Megan, Spanish characters Sophia and Sebastian, and Portuguese character Matheus in major roles. Women also fill the central scientist, company boss, and detective roles. The international mix fits a near-future London story about a worldwide service, so the mismatch is limited. Howard Overman still said he wanted a mix of nationalities, which adds a clear diversity choice.

Kate is bisexual, and her personal story runs through the season. She is matched with Sophia, a woman from Barcelona, and later feels drawn to Sophia’s brother Sebastian. The show also makes Ethan a gay man and uses him as Rebecca’s public matched partner. Same-sex attraction is treated as normal, but the story is mainly a DNA dating crime drama, not a queer-centered series.

The source novel follows soon-to-be-wed heterosexual Nick, whose match is a man. The show replaces that storyline with bisexual detective Kate, whose match is Sophia, a woman. That sexuality and role change becomes a major subplot across the season. The DNA matchmaking premise remains, so the change is important but not the whole show.

A Reddit post about the show accused it of using forced diversity because it includes a gay character and a mixed cast, and the post received many upvotes. Some AlloCiné users called the LGBT plot an imposed Netflix formula, political correctness, or quota-style representation. These complaints are direct anti-woke reactions, but they come from user comments rather than a major news story or organized boycott. The supplied X search found no anti-woke reaction.

Howard Overman is best known for Misfits and Crazyhead. His earlier work includes LGBTQ+ representation and female empowerment themes. He has also said he prefers to avoid open political moralizing. The One itself remains mostly a romance crime story.