ABC’s ‘Bachelorette’ Troubles Are a Sign of Bigger Problems for Reality TV
ABC’s decision to indefinitely delay the premiere of Taylor Frankie Paul’s season of The Bachelorette is the latest setback for the reality TV business.
Reality TV industry faces serious challenges
The unscripted side of the entertainment industry is “running into the harsh realities of the fast-changing TV business,” noted The New York Times in a recent report.
Networks have drastically cut back on the number of shows they air as the number of cable TV viewers dwindles. Last year, HGTV went on a cancellation spree. The network axed familiar shows like Christina on the Coast and Married to Real Estate. So far in 2026, MTV canceled Jersey Shore Family Vacation, and Bravo put The Real Housewives of Miami on pause (though it’s also launched a new Housewives show set in Rhode Island). Overall, the number of unscripted and reality series has fallen by a third since 2022. Industry consolidation and a shift to YouTube are accelerating the decline, experts say.
“There are fewer channels greenlighting fewer shows, and it all seems to be moving unstoppably to the bottom,” said producer Mark Cronin, one of the creators of Bravo’s Below Deck franchise. “Everything’s contracting, and there are no new shows right now.”
For viewers, the shifts mean fewer new shows to binge on a lazy Saturday. For people who work in the industry, it translates into a loss of income – and a potential career shift. Hitting pause on The Bachelorette Season 22 means that “a huge post-production staff that will now have to be laid off,” according to TMZ. (Only one episode of the upcoming season was edited and ready to air.)
“The industry seemed to be changing,” Chris Arundel, who’s worked as a postproduction supervisor on shows like Ghost Hunters, said. “You get a bad feeling, you get a pit in your stomach and you think to yourself: This isn’t trending upward anymore — this is trending downward.”
Does Taylor Frankie Paul drama mean the end of ‘The Bachelorette’?
Industry insiders have been bemoaning the state of things for years. In 2024, The Hollywood Reporter declared that reality TV was “on life support,” noting that an expected boom in the wake of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes didn’t materialize. In 2025, the number of reality TV shoot days in the Los Angeles area declined by 21%, according to The LA Times.
Even marquee reality franchises have struggled in recent years. One reason The Bachelorette cast Paul – who rose to fame thanks to Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives – was to revive interest in the show, which had been lagging in ratings. Unfortunately, the move backfired in a major way. The debacle could end up costing ABC tens of millions of dollars. While there have been rumors that Paul’s season may eventually see the light of day, some people – including former Bachelorette star Rachel Lindsay – predict that her scandals could kill the long-running Bachelor spinoff. If that happens, it would add another series to the growing list of canceled reality shows.
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