How Sister Wives Will Move Forward Following the Brown Family Dismantling

Publish date: 2024-04-10

Thirteen years ago, “Sister Wives” shocked viewers when it debuted on TLC, following the ins and outs of the polygamist Brown family — Kody Brown, his four wives, Robyn, Meri, Janelle and Christine, and their 18 children. Viewers flocked to the screen.

“We needed to be heard, polygamous people,” Christine says now. “We wanted people to know that we’re just regular people who are just doing our best to raise kids and have a big, great, awesome, happy family.”

Howard Lee, president of Discovery Networks and TLC, recalls the first time he saw the non-traditional Brown family. “We knew we had something special,” he says. “It was completely different from anything that we all consider what defines family.”

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It’s that difference that keeps viewers returning, he says. “It’s endlessly watchable to see how one man and his four wives navigate each of their relationships. It was just so incredibly unusual to see four different relationships happening at once under one roof separately.”

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It’s no secret that the television landscape is far different in 2023 than it was in 2010. But the interest in this family isn’t going anywhere; in fact, Season 1 scored a 1.99 rating among women aged 25-54. Season 17, which aired its finale in January, scored a 2.12 in the same range, the highest since 2020. In total — and with a boost from Discovery+ — “Sister Wives” has been watched for more than a billion hours.

Over the course of 13 years, the family hasn’t been without scandal and drama. They never turned the cameras off, though. In Season 2, they documented the effect the show had on the family, including a legal investigation during which the family challenged Utah’s criminal polygamy law and eventually moved to Las Vegas. But at no time did they consider stopping filming.

“We figured even if — it was actually a real possibility — if the state of Utah came down hard on the family and Kody was arrested, we’d cover that,” says showrunner Chris Poole, who recalls the Utah County attorney investigating the family and saying on TV that they’ve committed a crime: polygamy. “It was obvious that he was looking to charge them with crimes. If they had been charged, they wouldn’t be able to leave. They’d be fugitives if they left, but they had not been charged, so they were free to move. They decided that was the best course of action because there really was a real risk of Kody being arrested and separated from his family.”

Although there was “some debate” about what to feature on the show, ultimately everyone agreed to keep the cameras rolling.

“That’s not normally done, that you would acknowledge the fact that they’re on TV and that being on TV is changing their lives,” says Poole. “It was fundamentally blowing things up. It was essential to document it. There were people who thought it was not a good idea.”

In third season, as the family settled in Las Vegas, the showrunners weren’t sure what was next. “We were like, ‘This may be the end of the show. The big drama’s over,’” Poole says. “Every year we’re surprised by how much new drama there is.”

Little did they know, it hadn’t even really begun. No one could predict Meri would end up in a catfishing scandal after beginning an online relationship — and the aftereffects spanned multiple seasons. And then the pandemic hit. The family, who were used to living under one roof, had to change everything and abide by Kody’s rules even further. Ultimately, the separation between certain members of the family became permanent.

Kody divorced his first wife, Meri, in 2014 so he could legally marry Robyn. Janelle, who entered the family in 1993, and Christine, who joined in 1994, both separated from Kody in 2021.

So, how does a show called “Sister Wives” continue when there’s only one wife? Well, the family is still intact — they’re just not under one roof. Now, it’ll be more based on co-parenting.

“The other day, I introduced Janelle as my sister wife. I still use those words,” says Christine. “I guess we’ll have to see. I’ve been overwhelmed that it’s been going for 10 years. I’m going to stick with it! I think what people might think is still more interesting is how does the family actually work after somebody leaves? How do we manage the divorce with still having sister wives? So many people get divorced and work on their relationships with their exes and learn how to take care of kids together.”

On many long-running unscripted shows, like “The Kardashians,” the cast becomes more involved in the actual show, taking on producing credits. The Brown family never wanted that.

“No, no, no, don’t sign me up for any of that,” Christine says. “Let’s leave that up to them. It’s not my cup of tea.”

Poole notes that they made an important promise with the family on day one, and they’ve kept their word.

“They were nervous about media portrayals that they’d seen of other polygamous families that were often slanted in a negative way,” he says. “The promise that we made to them was that we would always be truthful. We weren’t going to make something up and portray something that wasn’t happening. But the deal was that they also had to be truthful with us.”

And the formula has worked. Those at the top don’t see the show going anywhere anytime soon, despite the many changes. Variety can exclusively reveal that “Sister Wives” is officially returning for Season 18, during which the Brown family will navigate the highs and lows of family life in the wake of heartbreak and breakthroughs.

“Christine leaving the family was a massive event that really shook up the entire family. But we’ve shot quite a bit of footage since then,” says Poole. “It continues to be just as interesting and dramatic because, as much as Christine’s left, Kody is still the father of her children. They still have to interact and figure that out.”

Right now, it’s difficult to get everyone together — both because they’re living in different locations and because of the heartbreak they’ve experienced — but they’re hopeful it will get easier. Clearly, there are opportunities for spinoffs, but for now, TLC isn’t focused on that. Poole’s focus is on capturing all of that footage for “Sister Wives.”

“Of course I would love to [do spinoffs] and I think people would love to see what happens to each one of them. But fortunately, we’re in a place right now where we’re covering that on ‘Sister Wives,’” he says. “Nobody’s disappearing from the show.”

And for now, there’s no end in sight.

“I hope ‘Sister Wives’ doesn’t end,” says Lee. Poole adds, “There’s always something going on. I am confident there’s always going to be something going on, because they are who they are.”

The last reunion special was filmed with with wives in separate locations, but according to Christine, they all have been in the same room a few times since then.

“We’re all still a family,” she says. “Hopefully it just gets less awkward.”

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