“No, no, no, don’t sign me up for any of that,” Christine says. On many long-running unscripted shows, like “The Kardashians,” the cast becomes more involved in the actual show, taking on producing credits. 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.” I’ve been overwhelmed that it’s been going for 10 years. I still use those words,” says Christine. “The other day, I introduced Janelle as my sister wife. Now, it’ll be more based on co-parenting. 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. Janelle, who entered the family in 1993, and Christine, who joined in 1994, both separated from Kody in 2021. Kody divorced his first wife, Meri, in 2014 so he could legally marry Robyn. Ultimately, the separation between certain members of the family became permanent. The family, who were used to living under one roof, had to change everything and abide by Kody’s rules even further. No one could predict Meri would end up in a catfishing scandal after beginning an online relationship - and the aftereffects spanned multiple seasons. Little did they know, it hadn’t even really begun. Kody Brown with wives and children in 2010. “Every year we’re surprised by how much new drama there is.” “We were like, ‘This may be the end of the show. In third season, as the family settled in Las Vegas, the showrunners weren’t sure what was next. There were people who thought it was not a good idea.” “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. 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.”Īlthough there was “some debate” about what to feature on the show, ultimately everyone agreed to keep the cameras rolling. They’d be fugitives if they left, but they had not been charged, so they were free to move. If they had been charged, they wouldn’t be able to leave. “It was obvious that he was looking to charge them with crimes. “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. But at no time did they consider stopping filming. 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. They never turned the cameras off, though. Over the course of 13 years, the family hasn’t been without scandal and drama. In total - and with a boost from Discovery+ - “Sister Wives” has been watched for more than a billion hours. Season 17, which aired its finale in January, scored a 2.12 in the same range, the highest since 2020. But the interest in this family isn’t going anywhere in fact, Season 1 scored a 1.99 rating among women aged 25-54. It’s no secret that the television landscape is far different in 2023 than it was in 2010. It was just so incredibly unusual to see four different relationships happening at once under one roof separately.” “It’s endlessly watchable to see how one man and his four wives navigate each of their relationships. It’s that difference that keeps viewers returning, he says.
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