CNN just canceled yet another show – this time before it could even air. The network ordered an original series starring cookbook author Alison Roman in January of 2022, but it has been delayed and shuffled around for over a year now. Finally, in a new interview with TIME, Roman revealed that the show has been canceled altogether.
Roman’s show would have been called (More Than) A Cooking Show with Alison Roman, and it was originally slated to premiere on CNN+, the network’s brief attempt at a streaming service. That platform shut down before Roman’s show ever premiered, but at the time CNN reportedly announced that it would air on cable instead. It was meant to premiere in the fall of 2022, but it missed that date and no further news came out. Meanwhile, Roman is on a press tour promoting her new cookbook Sweet Enough. She told TIME that CNN has canceled its plans to air her show, but she is currently looking for a different distributor.
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“Hopefully it sees the light of day,” she said. The good news is Roman is at least selling a finished product. She told reporters that she has already filmed two seasons of the series, and they are self-contained and timeless enough to air belatedly. Each episode apparently focuses on a specific ingredient, exploring its origin and its history before delving into Roman’s favorite uses for it. She said that the show will have a particular focus on sustainability, educating home cooks on how to stock their kitchens with minimal environmental impact.
Roman’s announcement follows CNN’s cancellation of Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, an original series about food and travel hosted by a beloved actor. Of course, food shows aren’t the only programs getting shuffled around in the turmoil at CNN, but it’s easy to see why fans related these two to each other. Roman herself said she took comfort in the fact that her show wasn’t the only cancellation.
“I’ve had a bit more of a hard time keeping it together this second time around because we were like a month and a half away from premiering,” she said. “But me and Stanley Tucci – I’m in good company.”
Roman’s new book Sweet Enough officially went on sale on Tuesday, March 28 in the U.S. She continues to create content on YouTube and Instagram. There’s no telling if or when her cooking show might air, but it is filmed and ready to go.
