‘Terrace House’ Is Officially The Most Zen Show On Netflix

“Zen” isn’t really a word used to describe reality TV. From The Real Housewives franchise to The Bachelor and its spinoffs, these series exist to entertain us with a maelstrom of set-up, exaggerated drama and fighting, torrid love affairs and cheating scandals, and an occasional moment of heartfelt sincerity. It’s a formula that’s been polished to perfection over the years and which works well, but it’s also a tad exhausting. That’s why Terrace House: Opening New Doors is such a refreshing—and yes, extremely zen—addition to the genre.

The current series of the Japanese reality franchise, which began back in 2012 with the original series Terrace House: Boys x Girls, brings six young people—three men, three women—together in the same house and, well, sort of lets them get on with things. There are no house competitions or tasks, no forced interactions or showmances. Instead, participants in the process come from across the country with a goal in mind, which usually ends up being to find love or creative/professional fulfillment. Beyond that, not much really happens… and that’s kind of the beauty of the thing.

I’ve seen Terrace House compared to Norwegian slow TV, and that’s a fair comparison. However, it feels like there’s something so uniquely Japanese about it which ensures that a series like this couldn’t be truly replicated in any other country. The housemates are (for the most part) incredibly considerate and respectful, working together to cook meals and clean up. They do ask one another out on dinner dates and outings, but the most sexual thing to have happened this season has been a chaste kiss, and even that was such a slow burn that it took the better part of 20 episodes for things to get that far.

To say that Opening New Doors moves at a glacial pace feels like somewhat of an understatement. And yet, unlike with Western television shows, there’s no urgency on the part of the participants or the audience to hurry up and make much of anything happen. Instead, it truly is more about the experience: they really are there to make friends. It is, quite simply, one of the most relaxing and enjoyable things to watch on TV, low on anxiety and tension and high on chill factor.

That’s not to say that the show fails to offer any excitement. Things do get surprisingly emotional at times, especially when one of the participants decides that their journey is complete and that they’re ready to leave the house—another unique element given that most other reality shows rely on a voting system to get rid of people. Here, when one person leaves, another of the same gender replaces them and is folded into the mix. Seeing how the new housemate fits into the mix always offer some of the more intense moments on Terrace House, as growing pains and personality clashes are a pretty universal concept.

Still, even during its rare nail-biting and cringeworthy moments—see: Mayu’s dogged (yet still incredibly tame by Western standards) pursuance of fellow housemate Noah—the overall ambiance of Terrace House as well as the low-key nature of its participants means that there are never raised voices or aggressive fights. Instead, they handle one another with an extreme care, conscious of one another’s feelings and intent on avoiding major conflict. It’s refreshingly peaceful in the most surprising way, not to mention a total pleasure to watch.

Perhaps the most boisterous moments of the show come during the panel segments. Japanese stars You, Reina Treindl, Ryota Yamasota, Yoshimi Tokui, Shono Hayama and Azusa Babazono all sit around in a comfy living room set, watching along with the audience and offering commentary on an episode’s events. They’re refreshingly honest, funny, and tend to say what most of us are thinking about what’s going on at any given moment. They offer a complementary juxtaposition to the calmness of the house, without compromising the overall relaxed vibe of the series.

It’s hard to describe what makes a series like Terrace House, and particularly Opening New Doors, so addictingly good since on the surface level, it lacks all the high-powered intensity of other shows in the genre. There isn’t much in the way of climactic moments; there’s certainly no sex (though rare, vague allusions to it do pop up every once in a while) or alcohol-fueled brawls (wine is drunk over meals and on nights out but never result in sloppy behavior). In essence, it’s the antithesis of everything we know about reality TV, and maybe that’s where the magic lies.

Jennifer Still is a writer and editor from New York who cares too way much about fictional characters and spends her time writing about them.

Stream Terrace House: Opening New Doors on Netflix