The Flatshare Is the Perfect Mini-Series, but I Want More!

When a show starts with a woman sitting alone in her apartment sobbing to loud music haunted by memories of her past, you know that you’re in for a relatable ride. Then she goes and picks up the phone to the exact person that left her in this situation, and you think to yourself, ‘why is she doing this?,’ when we have all been there ourselves. That’s why in one respect, a relatable journey is exactly what you get from Paramount+ series The Flatshare: a journey that we have all taken, trying to get over an ex, the excitement of meeting someone new, and not to mention being completely broke in the modern world where everyone else seems to be doing a lot better financially than you are. But then there’s something that makes this show unique and I think that is why it stood out to me amongst the others.

I did not come across The Flatshare the way I would usually discover something new. I was taken in by a Snapchat ad of all things. In between skipping through various stories the trailer for the show popped up and instead of skipping I became intrigued as I listened to the story of a woman and a man who share an apartment but have never met.

To be honest, when I first heard the concept it sounded mysterious and scary. I did for a brief moment think that I was watching the trailer for something quite spooky where this woman would turn out to be living with a serial killer who would hide in the apartment when he wasn’t supposed to and attack her, or a stalker that had the place covered in hidden cameras, and I was all for that. However, it turns out to be a romantic comedy-drama. The unique aspect mainly comes from the alternative living situation the two main characters share, which made this a very modern love story.

I look to television shows to make me happy and give me a place where I feel comfortable and like I’m hanging out with friends, however sad that may sound. And when The Flatshare came into my life I was in a very low place, being stuck at home for months after falling down the stairs and breaking my ankle. While my partner worked, I was at home unable to even get out of bed and had to entertain myself the only way I knew how, by binge-watching. I have to say that The Flatshare ticked all the boxes for what I was needing at the time. I was invested in this love story, and the show had multiple layers for me to sink my teeth into. 

The main character Tiffany (Jessica Brown Findlay) has been cheated on by her ex and decides to find herself a place in London. But as a writer for an online magazine she is strapped for cash, and ultimately ends up sharing a flat with a man named Leon (Anthony Welsh), who has listed a flat-share opportunity because he needs money for lawyers, as his brother is in jail after being wrongfully convicted. While it may not be ideal, and while Leon may be technically illegally subletting his rented apartment, the situation seems to work out for them both for the time being and takes them on an emotional, romantic, and rather comedic rollercoaster ride. 

Would I recommend that you watch The Flatshare? Absolutely. If you are like me and feel the urge to become part of a new world for a few hours then I say fully submerge yourself into these six episodes because it’s a show that is ridiculously watchable time and time again. What makes it so good? It’s giving you so much to hope for and that’s exactly why it keeps you hooked. Let me tell you why. 

We all love a love story, and you’ve got that here. Leon and Tiffany have never met when they first start living together. Tiffany gets the flat from 8pm to 8am and on weekends, and Leon gets the flat from 8am to 8pm after his night shifts. While Tiffany is getting over her ex, and Leon is still involved in a relationship that’s on the rocks, you shouldn’t think that they will end up falling for each other, but it’s easy to see where that will be heading from the beginning, so you’re already waiting for their romance to begin. 

The second aspect that keeps you interested is Leon’s brother, who was accused of an armed robbery that he didn’t commit. He’s stuck in jail and Leon is sacrificing his whole life to get him a chance at freedom. Leon’s brother Richie (Shaq B. Grant) is an instantly likeable and charming character from the second he calls the flat, and Tiffany seems to feel that way too, so she looks to help his case by writing a profile on him for the magazine that exposes his innocence. As a viewer, it is so easy to watch to the end even if the only thing you are rooting for is Richie’s release. This subplot tugs at your heartstrings and leaves you feeling as helpless for Richie as his brother does. 

Then there is Justin (Bart Edwards.) Tiffany’s ex-boyfriend is quite the opposite of Richie in that you will instantly recognise the character as the lying scumbag that he is, who feels he can use the women in his life when he sees fit to do so. The man himself isn’t keeping you around for the show, but what does is patiently waiting for his sneaky antics to be exposed to Tiffany who can’t seem to get him off her mind. 

A theme of The Flatshare is people’s online presence, and your ‘digital hygiene.’ Tiffany and Justin had very bad digital hygiene because they shared passwords in their relationship and it was proven to be bad news when he did not log out after they broke up. Instead, he kept a close eye on her phone, deleting messages from friends as they came in, and I could not wait for the others to find out so that Tiffany could finally stop idealising this man who was up to no good from the very beginning.

The theme of people living through their online accounts is part of what makes The Flatshare a very modern tale because love shouldn’t evolve around the internet, but it can have a major impact on your relationships and that is definitely showcased in this show. It’s also incredibly relevant to the age we are living in. It’s increasingly more popular to meet our partners online, announce our relationships through social media, and then put them in danger by having our secrets stored in our mobile devices, exactly as Justin did.

When Tiffany’s article comes out after being edited poorly, making it seem like she was slandering Richie, Leon sees that and walks away from the relationship they had built rather than talking to Tiffany in person. It’s a very common story now, if something is put out online we tend to base our judgements on that and disregard the people involved. The internet does not give people a face or a voice because things can be so highly edited or misleading. It comes up again later when Justin shows up at Tiffany’s award acceptance speech singing a proposal to her. Leon sees this through a video online where Justin proposes and shouts ‘she said yes!’ to the crowd who couldn’t have even heard her if she did, but in reality, Tiffany said nothing and was disgusted by him. Leon then felt betrayed by something that didn’t happen because of a video posted to social media. 

I think it ties in nicely with another theme I noticed in the show which is perceptions, and conveying tone through writing. Throughout their whole relationship, even after meeting, Tiffany and Leon are on ‘post-it note terms.’ They talk through post-its left in the flat for each other, which shouldn’t come across as romantic and enticing, but it does when you’re watching it unfold. As we see them read notes from each other we hear the way that they read the note in their head, how they assume it was intended to sound, and it can come across in entirely the wrong way. In my opinion, this could have just as easily been text messages between the two, and in real life, it likely would have been. But I think the romance of the post-its was much more entertaining. Just like having the ability to hide the truth online, you can write anything that you are feeling with very respectable intentions and the person on the receiving end of your message can read into it however they like, making you come across in a way that you did not intend to. I think these common occurrences throughout The Flatshare may not have been intended to highlight the dangers of living and communicating through technology, but they certainly do that and make you question the level of digital hygiene you may have yourself.

The love story of two strangers who have never met falling for each other, a wrongly convicted criminal fighting for freedom, and a jealous ex-boyfriend trying to ruin their former partner’s new romance, it’s things we have all heard before. But as I mentioned earlier the technological side of modern-day life, paired with this alternative method of living that has likely become more popular since this show aired in the UK, makes the whole story feel fresh and exciting. It lifted my spirits during that dark time of my life.

I do want to acknowledge that The Flatshare is at the moment a six-episode series, and in a way, it is the perfect mini-series that ties up loose ends in a lovely way during its finale. But as the words ‘the end’ turned into ‘the beginning’ on the opening of the end credits I became convinced that it needed to come back for more. Because we spend these six episodes rooting for the characters to get to where they wanted to be through a mess of the unfortunate realities of life. Now that they are there, I want it to continue. I need it to continue. I am too invested to not have The Flatshare come back for a second chapter. 

What do I want out of a second season? I want Richie to face finding a place of his own and start working in London. Maybe he could even work with Leon at the hospice. I believe his caring nature would help him fit in nicely there. I want to see Richie’s character develop outside of prison. I want to learn about Leon while his mind isn’t clouded by lawyers and needing money for Richie. I want to hear more stories of the patients at the hospice that Leon forms friendships with. I want Tiffany and Leon to turn their flat-share into a home where they live together and develop their relationship. I want Tiffany’s friends Mo and Maia to publicly declare their love. I want Tiffany’s award and newfound popularity to let her get out of Bother Magazine and start a website of her own. I want weddings, parties, falls and successes, and to be a part of this group of friends once more. And I hope that if you decide to subscribe with Paramount+ and check out The Flatshare, you will be hoping along with me that a second season is announced.

Editor’s Note: The Flatshare is currently available on Paramount+ in the UK, Ireland, Canada, and Australia. At the time of publication, an official date for a US release has not been announced, though there are indications it should be sometime in 2023.