Duane ‘Dog’ Chapman Reveals New Show ‘Dog Unleashed,’ But Is ‘Dog’s Most Wanted’ Canceled?

Duane “Dog” Chapman is prepping for an all-new series, Dog Unleashed. But what does that fact mean for his WGN America series, Dog’s Most Wanted? Dog Unleashed was unveiled on Thursday, via Deadline. The series will appear on Unleashed!, a law-and-order-themed streaming service set to launch on Jan. 1. While Chapman’s fans were surely pumped about the new show, the news comes as they await word on Dog’s Most Wanted Season 2.

Dog’s Most Wanted premiered on Sept. 4, 2019, and ran for 10 episodes, ending on Nov. 6. The reality series was the spiritual successor to Chapman’s previous shows Dog the Bounty Hunter and Dog and Beth: On the Hunt. This program followed the final hunts Chapman embarked on with his wife, Beth Chapman. In addition to covering the couple hunting bail-jumpers, Dog’s Most Wanted chronicled Beth dealing with cancer and her eventual death.

The show was a big hit for its home network, WGN America. Dog’s Most Wanted easily became the No. 1 original series for the channel, with Deadline reporting that the series’ average rating was 49% higher than the network’s original series average. However, no official greenlight on a second season has ever reached the public.

In fact, the opposite is true. An alleged insider told The Sun in January that the show was done. “WGN called Dog last week to tell him the show was canceled,” the outlet’s source claimed. “He would absolutely have loved to make a second season of the show so is obviously disappointed.”

However, a February TMZ report claimed not all hope was lost. The outlet claimed “the future of Dog’s Most Wanted is currently up in the air.” It described the program as on hiatus, with the pause due to new leadership and primetime plans at WGN America.

With no word since then, Dog Unleashed might signal that Dog’s Most Wanted is done, and Chapman is moving on to his next TV venture. However, the premise for the Unleashed! show leaves some wiggle-room for two competing Chapman properties. He won’t be dealing with bail jumpers, as he’s done on his main shows. He will instead go after criminal offenders, including murderers, rapists and child molesters. Furthermore, Unleashed! is a streaming platform, meaning that WGN America, a cable network, might be less likely to worry about the two show formats clashing. Chapman’s fans will have to wait and see.