Alex Cooper’s First Reality TV Venture Has Officially Sunk at Hulu After Only One Season
Alex Cooper has spent the past couple of years steadily expanding well beyond her “Call Her Daddy” podcast empire, building out a growing media company that’s touched everything from beverages to scripted television. Not every venture in that expansion has managed to stay afloat, though, and her first real foray into unscripted TV just became the latest casualty.
The podcast host’s yacht-set dating series marked a genuine departure into new territory when it premiered earlier this year, representing Cooper’s first attempt at producing reality television rather than conversational audio content. Hosted by “The Bachelorette” and “The Traitors” alum Gabby Windey, the show followed 22 singles competing for both romantic connections and access to the luxury vessel’s amenities.
That experiment has now officially come to an end, with Hulu confirming that ‘Love Overboard’ has been canceled after just one season. The nine-episode series premiered on March 26 and, despite the built-in audience Cooper’s brand typically commands, failed to generate the same level of buzz as some of Hulu’s other unscripted hits, including ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,’ ‘The Kardashians,’ and ‘Vanderpump Villa.’
According to reporting on the cancellation, low viewership played a central role in Hulu’s decision to pull the plug on a potential second season. By the time the first season wrapped, contestants Gia Aldisert and Tim Demirjian had emerged as the winning couple, taking home a $100,000 trip around the world as their prize.
‘Love Overboard’ was produced under Cooper’s Unwell Productions banner alongside Jeff Jenkins Productions, in association with 3BMG and Walt Disney Television Alternative. Cooper’s husband and business partner, Matt Kaplan, also served as an executive producer on the series, alongside Mina Lefevre at Unwell Productions and additional producers from the other partnering companies.
The cancellation lands during a particularly bumpy stretch for pieces of Cooper’s growing Unwell empire. Her Unwell Beverage Co., another arm of the business launched less than two years ago, is also reportedly shutting down, with production winding down after a final batch of seasonal flavors hits shelves.
Despite these setbacks, Cooper’s relationship with Hulu itself appears to remain intact and active. Since June, Unwell has announced more than eight new shows and films in various stages of development, with several projects still in the works alongside the streamer. That includes a scripted series titled ‘You Deserve to Know,’ currently in development at Hulu and starring ‘Vampire Diaries’ favorites Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley.
Cooper’s unscripted ambitions haven’t slowed down elsewhere either. Her dating game show with Harry Jowsey, ‘Let’s Marry Harry,’ recently debuted on Netflix, marking another attempt at reality programming outside of Hulu. She’s also expanding into digital content with ‘Unwell Winter Games’ on YouTube earlier this year, with an ‘Unwell Summer Games’ installment set to debut on September 7.
The company’s rapid expansion has also come under some scrutiny recently, with a Vanity Fair investigation published in June detailing allegations from current and former employees who described a difficult work environment at Unwell. That reporting adds another layer of complexity to Cooper’s efforts to build out a media company beyond her original podcast success.
For now, ‘Love Overboard’ joins the growing list of streaming reality shows that failed to find a lasting audience despite starting with a recognizable name attached. Whether Cooper’s future TV ventures fare better remains to be seen, but her overall production slate shows little sign of slowing down.
What do you think was the biggest reason Love Overboard got canceled?
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