Canceled HBO Show Getting Shopped Around at Other Networks

HBO Max canceled FBoy Island this week, but it may already be searching for a new home. According to a report by Deadline, the company behind this reality dating series, STXalternative, is currently in talks with other networks and streaming platforms that may want to pick up the show. It’s still not clear where the show is most likely to end up – if it is rescued at all.

FBoy Island was a reality dating series where three women are tasked with categorizing 24 men as either “FBoys” or “nice guys” – in other words, as womanizers or as men seeking a serious relationship. The men self-identified on this paradigm ahead of time, but all of them have the goal of seducing one of the women and winning the $100,000 prize. The show was hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser and it aired two seasons on HBO Max – one in the summer of 2021 and one in the summer of 2022. Variety reported the show’s cancellation on Monday.

The cancellation was reportedly a delayed ripple effect of the departure of executive Jen O’Connell from HBO Max. The streamer is undergoing a lot of changes as its parent company Warner Bros. continues to integrate with Discovery Inc., and a reduced interest in unscripted original content is a major part of that new strategy. Still, FBoy Island was expected to be one of the most successful unscripted series going forward, so its cancellation is no small matter.

HBO Max did not provide any viewing metrics or other data for FBoy Island, but there was plenty of evidence of its success. It was renewed days after its premiere in spite of its larger-than-usual price tag for a reality show, and the buzz on social media was substantial. The show had some extremely positive reviews, though its openly competitive setup proved to be divisive among critics.

The show sometimes seemed to endorse or encourage the “FBoy” behavior of its competitors since those contestants would get to keep the $100,000 prize all for themselves if they finished, whereas the “nice guys” would be expected to split it with the woman who chose them – not to mention maintain a lasting relationship with them. However, the “FBoys” would also need to maintain a much more difficult facade for the duration of the show. All in all, fans viewed the series as more of a social experiment than anything else.

FBoy Island is streaming now on HBO Max. At the time of this writing, the series is simply canceled, but fans are hoping to hear news of a rescue at another outlet soon.