Tiffany "Tiff" Chester, is a psychology student moonlighting as a dominatrix. She enlists the help of Pete Devin, her gay best friend from high school, to be her assistant. The semi-estranged characters reconnect in New York, where Pete works as a waiter and as an aspiring stand-up comedian with stage fright. Tiff struggles as she balances her personal life with school and her job, as well as Peter's exposure to sadomasochism and BDSM and how it gradually helps him become liberated in his life.
Cast and characters
Main
Zoe Levin as Tiffany "Tiff" Chester, a psychology grad student living in New York. She works as dominatrix by night under the alias "Mistress May". She enlists the help of Pete to become her assistant.
Brendan Scannell as Peter "Pete" Devin, a young gay man who becomes an assistant to Tiff. He initially chooses the alias "Carter", but is later referred to as "Master Carter".
Supporting
Micah Stock as Doug, Tiff's psychology classmate
Kevin Kane as Professor Charles, Tiff's psychology professor
Stephanie Styles as Kate
D'Arcy Carden as Daphne
Theo Stockman as Josh
Alex Hurt as Frank, Pete's roommate
Gabrielle Ryan as Portia, Frank's girlfriend
Eric Berryman as Andy, Daphne's husband
Charles Gould as Fred, one of Tiff's clients
Matthew Wilkas as Rolph, Tiff's German man-servant and one of her clients
Jade Elysan as Cat Dom
Alysha Umphress as Murphy, a stand-up comedian and Pete's friend
Amy Bettina as Chelsea
Stephen Reich as Trevor
Episodes
Production
Development
On December 14, 2018, Netflix announced it had picked up the series for a seven-episode first season. The series is created by Rightor Doyle, who is credited as an executive producer, alongside Dara Gordon, Jacob Perlin, Nina Soriano, Tom Schembri and David Sigurani. Production companies involved with the series include Blackpills and Anonymous Content. On January 16, 2020, Netflix renewed the series for a second season.
Casting
After Netflix acquired the series, it was confirmed that Zoe Levin and Brendan Scannell would star in the series.
Release
On April 22, 2019, Netflix released the official trailer for the series.
Reception
On review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 71% with an average rating of 6.95/10 based on 14 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Though Bonding's juicy spin on friendship and sexuality boldly treads into uncharted territory, the show's writing too often teeters uncomfortably between bewitchingly funny and bewilderingly underwhelming to make it a truly satisfying experience."
