Warner Bros. Television has sent a cease-and-desist letter to former "Bachelor" host Chris Harrison over his new Fox Nation dating series "The Vow," arguing that its marketing borrows the franchise's intellectual property with falling red roses and use of "the bachelor."
The dispute centers on a 30-second teaser Fox Nation debuted on September 16. The teaser shows rose petals showering across the screen as a man, his face concealed, displays rose cufflinks; then the words "The Bachelor. The Women. The Drama." appear before Harrison, 55, is revealed. He tosses a rose to the ground and says: "Expecting someone else? Roses fade. True love lasts forever." Two days later, on September 18, Warner Bros. Television — which produces the "Bachelor Nation" shows — sent a legal warning to Fox News Media and Lionsgate over the promotional material.
In the letter, obtained by E! News and TheWrap, WBTV wrote: "Red roses are, of course, one of the central and instantly recognizable symbols of the Franchise, and this image from the Series teaser is plainly a direct copy of numerous Franchise promotional materials." The company added: "Taken together, the above represents a plain attempt to capitalize on and 'ride on the coattails' of WB's instantly recognizable intellectual property." The letter also flagged a thumbnail showing a man holding a rose and a mansion evoking the iconic "Bachelor Mansion." WBTV emphasized it has "no objection to Fox and Lionsgate releasing a dating show hosted by Chris Harrison in and of itself" — but argued the series has thus far been promoted "entirely on the back of the Franchise, not on its own merits."
Fox Nation fired back in a September 24 response. The network argued that Warner Bros. holds no exclusive rights to a "falling roses motif" or to the words "the bachelor" when used in their ordinary meaning to describe a single man, and said the teaser's purpose is to convey that "The Vow" offers a different approach to dating — focused on meaningful relationships, commitment and building a life together. Fox Nation accused WBTV of targeting Harrison in a "malicious and vindictive manner" to restrict a competing dating show, concluding: "'The Vow' exhorts its participants and viewers to 'Choose Love.' We trust Warner Bros. will do the same and drop its pursuit of these meritless claims."
"The Vow" follows 30-year-old Jace Cates as he dates 10 women while looking for a lasting relationship and marriage, with an explicit focus on faith, shared values and long-term commitment. It is scheduled to premiere on Fox Nation on November 11. For Harrison — who hosted the Bachelor franchise for years before his 2021 departure — the show is a highly anticipated television comeback. The legal clash has only added another layer of attention to it: a war of roses, fought with lawyers, over who owns the language of televised romance.