Keshet Axes Big-Budget Reality Show ‘2025’ After One Season

By Amy Spiro

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Keshet’s splashy original reality series “2025” has been canceled in Israel after a disappointing first season.

The decision is a reversal of ’s announcement last April that it was renewing the show for a sophomore run. Despite the network’s high hopes and a long buildup to the show’s unveiling, “” never caught ratings fire with Israeli audiences, and the format failed to attract buyers in any international market.

“2025” saw a group of Israelis from all walks of life move into a purpose-built, hi-tech mini-city manned by robots and dotted with cameras. Contestants competed to end the season with the most cash by completing various tasks, being popular and spending thriftily.

Keshet and production arm Keshet International declined to comment on the decision to walk away from the heavily teased and touted series. While the show was often the most-watched of the night, it sank considerably in the ratings after its premiere and never rebounded, despite extensive guest-celebrity appearances and twists in the competition. There were complaints from viewers that it was overly complicated and difficult to follow.

After its third week on the air, a Keshet spokeswoman told Variety that it wasn’t worried about “2025’s” low ratings, saying: “This is our pilot season, and as such we anticipated that there would be a learning curve, that modifications will be made in real time. We have patience.”

The network invested tens of millions of shekels in building the interactive set, and is now hoping to find alternate uses for the large complex erected just outside Yavneh, south of Tel Aviv.