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‘Love Island’ Renewed for Season 3 by CBS, Production Moves to Hawaii

CBS is returning to “Love Island” for a third season, this time in Hawaii. Casting is underway for a new edition, CBS Entertainment senior executive vice president of programming Thom Sherman confirmed on Wednesday.

Sherman made the announcement during the Eye network’s virtual Television Critics Association press tour.

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“Love Island” has been a slow burn for CBS, debuting to tepid ratings in 2019 — but Eye execs saw potential in the series, which has been a wildly popular phenomenon in the U.K., were the format was born. The show was renewed for a second season, but had to adjust to a Las Vegas locale in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Love Island” has indeed continued to see a ratings uptick for CBS, and by the end of Season 2 was attracting an audience of 2 million viewers.

In moving “Love Island” to Hawaii, where the pandemic has been slightly more under control than most of the rest of the nation, the show will also continue to follow strict COVID procedures. The shift to Hawaii is a boon to the state, which has suffered a major economic crisis due to a collapse in tourism.

Hawaii has been a major production locale for CBS over the last decade, thanks to “Hawaii Five-O” and the currently airing “Magnum PI.”

“Love Island” maroons a group of singles on an island and asks them to couple-up or get dumped from the tropical villa. The Islanders face challenges and the arrival of new Islanders almost every episode as friendships and relationships form. In addition to choosing their partners, Islanders must also win the hearts of viewers who have the opportunity to shape events on screen and ultimately crown one lucky couple the winner, who will then have the chance to walk away with both love and the cash prize.

The series is produced by ITV Entertainment. David George, Adam Sher, David Eilenberg, Simon Thomas, Mandy Morris, Ben Thursby, Richard Foster and Chet Fenster all serve as executive producers. The series is based on a format owned by ITV Studios and Motion Content Group, and distributed by ITV Studios Global Entertainment.

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