Shira Teichman, a dating coach and founder of Breakthrough Dating, explained that one of the most important things for a successful dating process is for individuals to be comfortable in their own skin and appreciate their unique personalities. “I like that they encouraged hopefulness by conveying that message,” says Teichman, “and that Divine Providence will unite you with someone who appreciates you for who you really are – even if that ‘chance meeting’ happens through a blind-date mix-up! I think this is a crucial message for single men and women to receive.”
“The fact that the ‘second Sara’ and the ‘first Sara’s’ real dates weren’t caricatures of bad dates was important to show,” says Sherry Zimmerman, author of Dating Smart and a psychotherapist. “They weren’t ‘over the top.’ He was a little self-absorbed, she was a little shallow; they were poor matches for David and the first Sara, but another person might have connected to them. They weren’t made out to be bad catches just because they weren’t matched up perfectly.”
The need to represent more than just the “cookie cutter” girl or guy is why the producers created characters with very distinct personalities and interests. “Many people in shidduchim feel they are like Sarah (the artist) and David (the rabbi). I keep hearing that from so many people,” says Chizik. “But singles are pressured to conform to a certain norm or stereotype – as portrayed by the other Sarah or Ben the law student, even though I believe that norm barely exists in reality…. everyone is out of the box in his or her own way. I strongly believe that. So this resonates with a lot of people.”
“The dates on the first episode of the series, ‘The Setup,’ were so comically mismatched, I found myself thinking about clients who have wondered what the person who set them up was thinking. I know I’m a guy and she’s a girl, but aside from that we had nothing else in common,” relates Mann.
“I hope that parents who watch the series gain an understanding of what their children could be going through,” says Jessica Schechter. “Sometimes I think when they are pushing their children to date more or matching people up that they don’t always remember what it was like, and even if they do, it’s such a different dating landscape now.”
The consensus seems to be that it wouldn’t hurt, and maybe would even help, to stop, take a step back, and see the humor in this all-consuming passion we call dating; let’s laugh at ourselves a bit. Marriage is exciting, and the journey there shouldn’t be any different. So im yirtzeh Hashem, soon by you!
The producers are actively looking for businesses and brands to partner with the show. Says Hoffman: “We’ve fortunately got a lot of eyes on our series, and would be happy to bring those eyes to a quality product or service like Shabbat.com, a Jewish dating app that is featured in the episode and is one of the official sponsors of the series.” The Soon By You producers have also recently partnered with the Jewish Entertainment Network of LA, which has a new fiscal sponsorship program for different projects. “Anyone who wants to support our project can donate through their site and its tax deductible,” says Gottfried.