A 'How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days' Show Is Happening With A Totally New Format

The new streaming service Quibi is adapting the classic '00s rom-com How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days into a television series — but this reboot comes with a twist. Released in 2003, the movie starred Kate Hudson as a reporter writing an article that examines mistakes women make in relationships that lead to their early end. Matthew McConaughey played her unwitting test subject, an ad executive who wants to prove he's a romantic by making a woman fall for him in 10 days. The TV show will follow a similar story, but it will come in the form of 10-minute, bite-sized episodes made for viewers to watch on their phones.

Per TVLine, the official synopsis for the How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days notes the series "follows a glib young online columnist and an oversexed advertising executive who both need to prove, once and for all, they're capable of being monogamous. They soon discover, however, keeping a relationship is harder than Andie Anderson made it look!" The reference to Andie, Hudson's character, seems to hint that the show may take place in the same universe as the movie, rather than being a total retelling.

At this early stage, details are still scarce, but the show is joining a growing roster of high profile projects at Quibi. The fledgling streaming service's name is short for "quick bites," and in a new Los Angeles Times article, it's explained that the streamer's goal is to distinguish itself by serving up content that comes in the form of easily digestible 10-minute episodes.

Given how the movie's characters were involved in media industries, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days feels like a natural choice for a short form rom-com reboot. As reported by the LA Times, Quibi is being designed with smart phone users in mind. Since the programs are intended to be watched on phones, they're being made with an eye toward user interactivity. For instance, viewers will be notified when new episodes of The Killing showrunner's Veena Sud's short form thriller The Stranger drop with a notification that sounds like one of the character's ringtones from the show.

It's easy to see the How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days reboot actually producing readable columns from the main character, or even fake ads from the ad exec to take the show to the next level. Since Quibi is all about making content for a new era of plugged in viewers, it only makes sense for a show with two tech savvy characters to lead to a certain level of interactive entertainment.

As reported by The Verge, Quibi is set to launch in April 2020. If you want to see the How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days reboot — in addition to The Stranger and projects from Hollywood heavyweights like Steven Spielberg and Chrissy Teigen — you'll have to subscribe to the new service, which will cost $5 with ads and $8 without. That seems like a small price to pay to see what a modern update of the classic Hudson-McConaughey rom-com will look like when it's translated for the digital age.