Fox cancels one Burnett series, orders another

US broadcaster Fox has cancelled a Mark Burnett-produced dating series, but ordered a music-themed, interactive format from the prolific producer.

At its TCA tour event, Fox revealed it had axed Coupled after one season, but picked up Beat Shazam, which counts The Voice producer Burnett (pictured), Beat the Lyrics creator Jeff Apploff and Shazam Entertainment among its producers.

Reality series Coupled debuted in May, but failed to gain traction with viewers. Inspired by dating app Tinder, the MGM Television and Grandma’s House Entertainment show featured twelve single women on a Caribbean island who choose dates by either going left or right when presented with potential partners.

“It’s hard to say exactly what didn’t work,” said Fox Television Group co-chairman Dana Walden. “Mark delivered a beautiful-looking show, that didn’t resonate with our viewers.”

Beat Shazam, meanwhile, will feature teams who attempt to identify songs, before the winning team competes against the song identification app.

Fox also gave a second season to high-concept crime procedural Lucifer.

In further news, Twentieth Century Fox Television has signed a first-look deal with Marc Platt, who produced recent Fox ratings hit Grease: Live.

Under terms of the agreement, Fox will have a first dibs on any live-action or scripted project Platt develops for television. Besides TV musical Grease: Live, he produced feature film Bridge of Spies and Broadway blockbuster Wicked, which is being developed for the big screen.

“Marc Platt is a powerhouse producer with an unparalleled track record of identifying and overseeing spectacular artists and marrying them with incredibly commercial ideas and properties,” said Walden and Fox TV Group co-chairman Gary Newman in a statement.