Is there any question that geek culture has overtaken popular culture? We live in a world where one of the Lord of the Rings movies won Best Picture, Lost was an insane hit, and they made a freaking Thor movie. Thor. The guy with the hammer and the "forsooth," they gave him his own movie. Because the geek dollar spends just as well as anybody else's, and geek devotion to the shows and characters and ideas they're passionate about is pretty much unequaled (see Whedon, Joss). But if there's one front that geeks are lagging behind on, it's in the area of reality programming. Sure, we had Beauty and the Geek for a few seasons a while back, but it's still been far too long since we've had a reality show specifically focused on trafficking in nerd stereotypes and laughing with (not at, we swear) the travails of the socially awkward in search of true love.
Fear not, for TLC is coming to the rescue! The network, best known for shows about food, little people, and couples with too damn many children and/or wives, will be branching out with a project called Geek Love. Before you get too excited, no, it's not about the love lives of those carnival guys who bite the heads off chickens. No, it will instead focus on Sci-Fi Speed Dating, a speed-dating service that caters to the nerd set by setting up shop at events such as Comic-Con. EW reports that TLC has ordered two half-hour specials, and if they do well in the ratings, they'd like to expand the concept to a full series.
If you're intrigued, or just want to watch the potential train wreck, you can tune in to TLC on December 19th. And if you want to see a "Chewbacca mating call," check out the trailer below.
