CBS Pushes ‘Love Island’ & Explores New Locations Including Domestic Options

Peter White
·2 min read

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CBS’ version of hit British format Love Island is the latest non-scripted series to be pushed back due to the COVID-19 production shutdown.

Deadline understands that CBS is still planning to move forward with the second season of the dating format but is pushing it from its original May 21 premiere.

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This comes after UK broadcaster ITV revealed earlier today that it had pulled the plug on the summer season of the British version.

The first season of the show, which is hosted by Arielle Vandenberg, was filmed in a villa in Fiji. CBS and producer ITV Entertainment are also understood to be exploring other locations, including domestic options, as and when filming will be able to be back up and running.

One of the advantages for the show, which features a group of sexy young single “Islanders” on a lookout for romance brought together in a stunning villa in a beautiful tropical location, is that once given the greenlight, the show can be up and running relatively quickly. ITV America CEO told Deadline in March that each episode of the show is turned around in less than 48 hours. “Once the switch is turned on, we can get it to air very quickly,” he said. “We’re trying to get it as ready as possible so when [CBS] says ‘go’, we’re ready, location-wise, build outs, casting.”

The ITV2 version, which has aired on Hulu in the U.S., had explored filming domestically, with ITV’s director of television Kevin Lygo saying that they had explored making it in Cornwall. However, the U.S. version may be more able to film within the United States given the warm weather in many parts of the country.

CBS’ Love Island, which is based on the format owned by ITV Studios and Motion Content Group, is exec produced by David George, Adam Sher, David Eilenberg, Simon Thomas, Mandy Morris, Ben Thursby, Richard Foster and Chet Fenster.

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