Los Angeles, California - After more than a decade as an annual staple for ABC, The Bachelorette is set to skip a season as the future of the iconic dating franchise grows uncertain.

Amid Grant Ellis' starring turn as The Bachelor, the network revealed that his season would not be followed by season 22 of The Bachelorette.

For more than a decade, the female-led spin-off would typically select a contestant from the previous Bachelor to lead the next season, which would air the summer after The Bachelor.

Deadline broke the news of the cycle-skipping last month, but the outlet made it clear that The Bachelorette has not been canceled and is expected to return eventually – most likely next year.

Jumping over a series isn't unprecedented for The Bachelor, as Bachelor in Paradise was skipped last summer but is now set to return after Grant's season of The Bachelor.

Still, in the era of Love Is Blind and Love Island, it's possible that The Bachelor as a franchise is struggling to stay afloat, as its concept is now perceived as standard in the reality TV scene rather than the shocking guilty pleasure it was once.

The Bachelorette faces particular competition from the increasingly popular American iteration of Love Island, which airs each weeknight during the same months ABC traditionally airs The Bachelorette. Bachelor in Paradise – though it airs just once a week – may prove to be a better competitor, given its similar format to Love Island.

But adding even more pressure on the female-led series is talk of a "toxic" production environment – chatter that emerged in the wake of the brutal finale to The Bachelorette's most recent season starring Jenn Tran.

As Jenn sat in the studio for After the Final Rose, it quickly became clear to viewers that her engagement to contestant Devin Strader – following the first-ever proposal done by the Bachelorette herself – did not work out.

Host Jesse Palmer informed the audience that they would not see footage of the proposal, as it was simply too emotional – as evidenced by Jenn's continued sobs on stage.

Yet after welcoming Devin to join her on the couch, they revealed that it would be shown, but not before Jesse asked if Jenn was okay with it.

"Do I have a choice?" she replied.

The infamous exchange was criticized far and wide by fans and Bachelor Nation alumni alike, and an exposé by Deadline revealed that it was just one instance where "toxic" producers overrode the calls of others.

Of course, such moments are somewhat par for the course in the era of exploitative reality TV, so it's hard to imagine this could sink the ship entirely.

As these ethically murky dating series thrive in the streaming age, ABC has also diversified its portfolio with new senior-citizen spin-offs, The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette.

The shows have been largely welcomed by Bachelor Nation thanks to their more heartwarming nature, and this abundance of programming may be why ABC feels confident putting on pause on The Bachelorette after a particularly rocky finale to spotlight their other offerings before returning to it (when viewers have hopefully forgotten about the controversy!).

While the Golden spin-offs have not been formally renewed for second seasons, the repeated casting calls aired throughout Grant's season certainly suggest ABC is moving forward.

So, postponing season 22 of The Bachelorette may not be the harbinger of doom some fans fear it is, as ABC might instead maximize their offerings with an alternating cycle to keep their programming fresh.

Though Grant's season will not crown an immediate Bachelorette, several of the ladies are surely ready to punch their ticket to paradise later this year.