Why was TBS show The Big D cancelled weeks before premiere? Cause explored

The Big D, TBS' new dating series, has been cancelled only a few weeks before its planned launch on Thursday, July 7, 2022. Notwithstanding the fixed launch and many promotional campaigns, the uncripted show, hosted by The Bachelorette alumni and newlyweds JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers, has reportedly been canceled altogether as per the network's officials.

Following the latest Warner Bros. and Discovery merger, which prompted the parent company to re-evaluate its entire schedule and make significant cutbacks, The Big D was one of the many shows to be cancelled. TBS' comedy series Kill the Orange Bear also met a similar fate, getting axed even before it was set for production.

These developments are a result of David Zaslav and his team's thorough reassessment before their subsequent takeover of networks including TNT, TBS, and truTV from the Turner Channels, along with HBO and HBO Max. Recently, J.J. Abrams' sci-fi thriller Demimonde, which was allegedly budgeted at $200 million, was also scrapped by HBO.

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More on TBS' The Big D and its untimely cancellation

Helmed by the creators of Are You the One? and Dating Naked, The Big D was a relationship-focused show with ten episodes which was commissioned in March 2021. The unscripted series was expected to follow twelve recently-divorced individuals as they looked for romance on a tropical island. However, the twist was that their former partners would be traveling with them.

Six divorced couples and one tropical getaway in a Costa Rica villa, the combination would havve surely led to a fair amount of drama. The contestants would have had only a few weeks to polish their dating skills and find love amidst those present there. To help their cause, they would have had to prioritize making real connections around themselves. In some cases, finding closure with their former partners would have helped them conquer the obstacles preventing them from starting afresh.

The official logline of the show stated:

"Ten divorced couples move into a tropical villa in Costa Rica to re-learn how to date and search for love amongst a group of other single divorcees – including their ex. The group takes part in revealing relationship EX-ercises designed to help the singles form connections, make peace with their former partners, and finally get over the issues holding them back from dating."

Produced by Lighthearted Entertainment with Rob LaPlante, Jeff Spangler and Kevin Lee serving as executive producers, the show featured The Bachelorette alumni JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers, who recently got hitched, as hosts.

A TBS/TNT spokesperson reportedly said in a statement:

"We're assessing our schedule to ensure we have the right content mix to support our network strategies. We are grateful to JoJo Fletcher, Jordan Rodgers, and the executive producers of Big D for their partnership through the process."

Previously, newlyweds JoJo and Jordan co-hosted projects such as the documentary series Cash Pad in 2019. Following their popularity on The Bachelorette, they agreed to host TBS' unscripted dating competition series,The Big D, hoping to get a similar response. Aside from serving as hosts on the show, the couple was also supposed to act as mentors for the participants as they went through the competition.

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While no information has been provided about the possibility of the show being taken up by a different service, interested viewers can only hold on to little scraps of hope that The Big D might air in the near future.