TBS has pulled the plug on a new reality dating show that was set to be hosted by The Bachelorette alums JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers just weeks before its premiere date.
The Series was called The Big D and had been scheduled to debut on July 7. Quite frankly with such a questionable name, it’s surprising the show even got this close to being broadcast. However, the show has now been removed from TBS’s upcoming schedule a network representative has confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
“We’re assessing our schedule to ensure we have the right content mix to support our network strategies,” TBS said in a statement. “We are grateful to JoJo Fletcher, Jordan Rodgers and the executive producers of Big D for their partnership through the process.”
The Big D was first announced last year and was filmed in Costa Rica. The show would have centered on 10 recently divorced couples being brought together to explore the possibility of finding romance with another member of the cast. It hails from the same creative team as VH1’s Dating Naked and MTV’s Are You the One?.
Presumably, multiple episodes, if not an entire season, have been completed so it comes as a surprise that TBS would axe the show this late in the game. It’s also unclear if The Big D will eventually find its way to air later down the road. However, based on the brief statement from the network’s spokesperson, it seems very unlikely that the show will ever see the light of day on TBS.
Fans of the hosts will likely be disappointed the most at this cancelation. Fletcher and Rodgers are one of the biggest success stories of ABC’s Bachelor franchise. The pair met on The Bachelorette in 2016 and even got last married. The Big D wasn’t the duos first hosting gig having previously helmed CNBC’s Cash Pad and Paramount’s Fittest Couples.
Networks canceling shows before they debut isn’t super uncommon, but usually, unaired series are canned during the early development stage. It’s pretty rare for a show to be greenlit, filmed and given a premiere date, but then get canceled just weeks before broadcast. Clearly, TBS executives saw something in The Big D that they really didn’t like and felt their only option was to cancel the entire show.
