NBC has fallen in love with "For Love or Money" -- before the new reality skein has even aired its first episode.
Peacock has given producers Nash Entertainment and 3 Ball Prods. the greenlight for a second season of the relationship-based series, which puts a twist on "The Bachelor" by hiding a key fact from the single guy at show's center: The woman he picks at the end of the series gets $1 million.
In a sort of double twist, the woman he chooses then has to decide between taking the coin or continuing the relationship.
"Love" bows Monday, June 2, at 9 p.m. with a two-hour premiere (Daily Variety, April 23). But NBC execs were so keen on footage shot for the first season, they quietly gave the go-ahead for producers to move ahead with another batch of six episodes.
Production on the second season began last week, with a bachelorette at the center of the show. Contestants are sequestered and, because "Love" hasn't yet bowed, won't know about the various twists to come in the game.
Exec producer J.D. Roth called the early pickup "a real shot in the arm."
"(NBC execs) Jeff Gaspin and Jeff Zucker are forward-thinking guys, and they sense that something special happened while we were shooting the first go-round," Roth said. "Having them believe in us like they have is great."
Roth believes there are enough potential twists inherent in the "Love" format that the show could continue even after millions of Americans come to understand the game. Still, having another season of the show in place before the beans are spilled will yield another batch of episodes reflecting the "pure concept" behind the show.
Early pickups are becoming something of a trend: Fox has said it plans to air a second season of kiddie competish "American Juniors" this fall, although the first season has yet to premiere.
Roth and Bruce Nash are exec producers of "Love" along with Roth's 3 Ball partners Todd Nelson ("Endurance," "Moolah Beach") and John Foy ("The Martin Short Show"). Nash is repped by CAA, while William Morris reps 3 Ball. (As reported by Variety)
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