Dog Unleashed, the highly-anticipated next series starring Duane “Dog” Chapman has been canceled due to a breach of “contractual agreements” during the show’s production. The series was set to be the featured show for a new streaming platform called Unleashed Entertainment, a platform for reality shows and documentaries focusing on crime. Dog Unleashed would have been the latest show from the Dog the Bounty Hunter star, following the 2019 WGN series Dog’s Most Wanted.
“It is with a heavy heart that we must announce the decision to cancel the production of Dog Unleashed on our much-anticipated streaming platform Unleashed Entertainment,” Unleashed Entertainment CEO Mike Donovan said in a statement to PopCulture. “We greatly respect the incredible work of Duane Chapman (AKA Dog the Bounty Hunter) tracking down and bringing fugitives to justice.” According to Donovan, the company “received reports of actions taken” by Chapman during production that were in “breach” of contractual agreements.
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“After a thorough investigation, including the review of hours of audio and video material, we have decided to halt production of Dog Unleashed permanently. Mr. Chapman was given an opportunity to take part in the inquiry, but chose to not participate,” Donovan wrote. The company did not provide details on the alleged improper actions Chapman took.
“Our values drive our programming,” Donovan wrote. “We stand for equality and justice, and we will not be associated with projects that are not congruent with these values. Though it saddens us to part ways, we cannot in good conscience continue to work with those who do not share our values.”
Chapman has not publicly commented on the situation. He did recently announce the launch of Dog Unleashed CBD, even calling on his Instagram followers to invest in the product. The product’s website makes no mention of the Unleashed Entertainment show. The Unleashed Entertainment website has also been stripped of Chapman references, although the URL is still “dogunleashed.com.”
After it became clear that WGN was not planning to order a second season of Dog’s Most Wanted, Chapman announced plans to launch Dog Unleashed on the brand new streaming service in September 2020. In January, Chapman announced Dog Unleashed would debut on April 1. He has since deleted the Instagram post in which he announced the date.
Chapman got engaged to Francie Frane in May 2020, just months after Beth Chapman’s death from cancer. They have not set a wedding date due to the coronavirus pandemic.
