One of the biggest podcasters in the world is trying to dabble in reality TV, and let’s just say, the results so far have been unwell.
Alex Cooper, host of Call Her Daddy, took her first dip into the reality TV world serving as the executive producer of Hulu’s Love Overboard. This week, we learned the show has been cancelled after just one season.
Millions of people tune into Call Her Daddy each week, so why did no one care about Unwell’s debut reality show? Maybe we’re exhausted with dating shows. Or maybe reality TV just isn’t Alex’s lane.
Love Overboard was cancelled by Hulu after just one season
Following the success of Call Her Daddy, Alex has been building up her Unwell conglomerate with more projects than you can count. So far, the results have been mixed.
For example, Unwell Beverages just announced that it’s shutting down after just two years on the market. Earlier this summer, Vanity Fair published a report alleging a toxic workplace environment at Unwell, supposedly at the hands of Alex’s husband, Matt Kaplan.
There’s a lot going on over there. Perhaps there’s too much going on over there. Either way, when they started dabbling in reality TV, that caught our attention. And on paper, Love Overboard should have been a hit.
Hosted by Traitors and Bachelor Nation star Gabby Windey, the series debuted in March featuring a group of sexy singles looking for love on a superyacht. It felt like Below Deck meets Love Island, but it didn’t make a splash. Barely even a dribble.
Hulu cancelled the show this week, with sources telling Page Six that it “wasn’t finding its audience.” We haven’t seen a boat sink this fast since CBS’s The Real Love Boat.
But the issue here probably isn’t Alex’s ability to create reality TV or the behind-the-scenes drama at Unwell. It’s just the current landscape of the dating subgenre.
Alex Cooper gambled on a dating show in an already oversaturated market
In another timeline, Love Overboard is a hit with seven seasons and several breakout stars. Unfortunately, that’s not the timeline we’re living in.
Instead, we live in a world where six weeks of our year are blocked off for Love Island USA. Ariana Madix and her villa of thirsty singles have this market cornered. Who has the bandwidth to invest in another dating show?
Alex also produced the Harry Jowsey dating series for Netflix. The feedback there has also been mixed, but even proven franchises are struggling to keep up with the current supreme.
You’ve got Bachelor Nation, which is in shambles. Every time Netflix slops together a new season of Love Is Blind, we’re reminded that it should have been cancelled two years ago.
In a world where Love Island has an Emmy nomination, it’s tough to be a dating show. The market is full, and the fact that Love Overboard didn’t neatly tie back to the Unwell brand probably didn’t help. To really cut through the crowded field, Alex needs to lean into what made her famous, which is exactly what she’s doing with her next reality move.
What does Alex Cooper’s reality TV future look like?
The first swing may have been a miss, but Alex and Unwell are still heavily invested in reality TV. Shortly after Love Overboard premiered, she also launched the Unwell Winter Games, a competition series on YouTube featuring influencers and reality stars.
Unlike Love Overboard, Winter Games did find its audience. According to Deadline, its most-watched episode attracted 1.8 million viewers. So it’s no surprise she’s doubling down on that format for her next reality move: Unwell Summer Games. Smart, right?
The new series premieres on YouTube on September 7, featuring a couple of cast members from Love Overboard that no one will recognize, Netflix reality stars, some Love Islanders, and a few familiar faces from your For You page.
If Summer Games hits like Winter Games, then Alex may have found her niche. If not, that’s fine too. Alex and Unwell have plenty of other tricks up their sleeve, including a new scripted series at Hulu that’s currently in development.
Love Overboard is streaming on Hulu.
