Has The Love And Hip Hop Franchise Been Canceled For Good? – TheThings

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, it was announced that VH1 had cut its ties with the production company Big Fish Entertainment.

Following the success of Love & Hip Hop: New York in 2011, it wasnt long before VH1 was willing to see whether a spin-off series would perform just as well, which later brought about the Atlanta edition in June 2012 starring the likes of Mimi Faust, Joseline Hernandez, and Stevie J.

It turned out that the latter show proved to be more popular with fans, with ratings at one point surpassing 3.5 million viewers per week, consequently giving producers the idea to produce another string of spin-offs: Hollywood in 2014 and Miami in 2018.

But in June 2020, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, it was announced that VH1 had cut its ties with the production company Big Fish Entertainment, leading many people to believe that the LHH franchise -- once starring rap superstar Cardi B -- could potentially be over but does it still stand a chance of coming back?

Things remain up in the air about the franchises future following the news that VH1 and Big Fish Entertainment are no longer in business together.

VH1, which is owned by ViacomCBS, announced in a statement that its relationship with the production firm had come to an end, meaning that all of its shows produced by the company are pretty much over and done with.

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We have decided to end our relationship with Big Fish Entertainment and will be producing our shows in house at this time, the statement read. "We thank Big Fish for their past contributions and wish them the best.

According to sources for The Hollywood Reporter, a decision to cut ties with Big Fish came about following the controversy concerning its A&E show, Live PD, which raised a lot of eyebrows and nationwide protests over its handling of footage from a traffic chase in March 2019 which resulted in the death of Javier Ambler.

While the chase was never shown on TV, the story in itself drew enough attention for viewers to ask those whod been watching the show to boycott the series.

In the midst of the Black Live Matter movement, while ViacomCBS isnt responsible for other shows that Big Fish producers on other networks, the scandal was big enough for the company to know that cutting ties with the company was probably the wisest decision they couldve made.

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To make matters worse, however, Big Fish also produced VH1s Black Ink Crew, meaning that two of the networks biggest franchises were wiped after a decision was made not to move ahead with new seasons.

In October 2020, however, executive producer and the shows creator Mona Scott-Young spoke out about the situation concerning Big Fish and ViacomCBS, admitting that while there had been a lot of back and forth between both firms regarding the future of two of its franchises, there was still a chance that all of the Love & Hip Hop shows, including New York, would be returning.

Its believed that Viacom has struck a deal to take over production of the aforementioned reality shows, which Young appeared to confirm in her interview.

The network has made a decision to take those productions in-house, so they have been gearing up and backing up in a way that will allow for them to do that, she said.

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It wont change my role in the way that I work with them but there is a process now thats taking place, and also of course, the caution, the precautions that need to be taken with figuring out how to reimagine a docuseries and do it while adhering to safety protocols and finding a different way of making the show.

Young did stress that while she wasnt sure whether all spin-offs would be coming back taking production costs into account having seen how popular the shows have been for VH1 and its roster of shows to follow, the TV mogul and longtime manager of rapper Missy Elliott says she sees no reason why the entire franchise wouldnt return as a whole.

I kind of embrace the challenge and see it as a new frontier to be conquered, she continued. The beauty of it is each city has managed to establish its own fan base and has its own place in the zeitgeist and with the fans, and, of course my hope is that all four cities come back, there has been nothing to indicate otherwise."

They all have fared really well for the network in terms of ratings and theyve been the cornerstone of the programming there so I dont see that changing.

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Maurice Cassidy is an entertainment writer with a BA in Media and an MA in Film Production obtained at the New York Film Academy. He loves keeping up with all pop culture news and Hollywood gossip, and despite being born and raised in Germany, Maurice is always up to date with his favorite US celebrities and shows, including Love & Hip Hop and Jersey Shore Family Vacation. His favorite documentary is The Defiant Ones on Netflix.

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Has The Love And Hip Hop Franchise Been Canceled For Good? - TheThings