‘Sister Wives’: Season 19 May Be the Hardest to Watch in the Series’ History
Of all the seasons of TLC’s Sister Wives thus far, its 19th installment may be the hardest to watch in the series history. Will the series catch up to the present day? Or will viewers painfully watch the continued dissolution of the Brown family, knowing the real-life events surrounding Garrison Brown’s death in early 2024? One thing’s for sure, the season will remain a hot-button topic for many of its most loyal viewers.
‘Sister Wives’ Season 19 will face tragedy head-on, or ignore it completely
One of the most frustrating elements of Sister Wives is the show’s two-year-old timeline. This means fans will likely watch Brown family storylines filmed in late 2022 and early 2023 during season 19.
In that time frame, Christine Brown had just met David Wooley, her future husband. They married in October 2023. Kody and Christine Brown’s daughter Mykelti welcomed twin sons, Archer Banks and Ace McCord, on Nov. 17, 2022, with husband Tony Padron.
Gwendlyn Brown became engaged to Beatriz Queiroz in November 2022. Their wedding took place on July 15, 2023.
In January 2023, Meri and Kody Brown formally announced their split. And Maddie Brown and Caleb Brush welcomed their third child, Josephine Lee Brush, on Feb. 10, 2023.
These are just some milestone Brown family moments that have not yet aired on the TLC series. Therefore, it appears likely that, unless the season’s contents are re-edited, the death of Janelle and Kody Brown’s son, Garrison, may not even be featured this season.
TLC will go one of two ways with the series’ content. They will address the topic head-on in its first episode, and then show the family’s backstory over the past two years, getting fans up to speed on storylines. Or, they will ignore it completely and treat Garrison Brown’s death like a major storyline for season 20.
Filming continued after Garrison Brown’s March 2024 death
According to a story published by The Sun, the Sister Wives cast continued to film after Garrison Brown’s death in March 2024. As unbelievable as that seems, there’s a reason.
The outlet reports that the Brown family is always filming. “As sad as it is, his unexpected death came during the timeline of filming,” a source claims. “I just don’t how far this will go and how deep the family will get.”
This commentary lays bare the dilemma for Sister Wives fans. How can they continue to support a show where its stars will potentially use a tragic event to boost ratings? Is there a line that cannot be crossed in reality TV?
Kody Brown and his son Garrison were reportedly estranged at the time of his death. He was seen at a memorial held for the late National Guardsman in late March sitting next to Robyn Brown. Janelle Brown, Garrison’s mother, sat separately from her estranged husband.
Fans react to potential ‘Sister Wives’ season 19 storylines
In a Reddit thread, fans debated what storylines could be featured in the newest season of the TLC series. They question if Kody Brown will make any changes, after his son’s death and the breakup of his family.
“I have a feeling Garrison’s death will cause even more separation. Of course, we’d hope it would make him realize everything and bring them back together in the supportive family sense BUT, this was so painful and people want to rationalize, and then the blame game starts,” wrote one Redditor.
A second fan posted, “I think it depends on where the next season picks up. If they start with the footage that was filmed before Garrison’s tragedy, I can see Kody continuing his tantrum throwing along the lines of ‘Oh everyone’s going to leave me! Fine, I don’t love any of you anyway! I NEVER loved any of you! So you didn’t leave me! I left you!'”
“On her Patreon, Mykelti said there would be another season. But I agree with you. Season 18 could have easily been the last, with the original marriages dissolved and Christine getting her happily ever after with the family celebrating around her,” deduced a third viewer.
Finally, a fourth fan posted, “There’s nothing Kody could do on or off camera at all in an S19 capacity to make amends for the viewers to forget how he called his kids jerks and proclaimed there would be other holidays in regards to his estranged sons when we all saw his complete neglect over the years to spend more time with Robyn. Although I have been a faithful viewer, I personally think it is time to pull the plug entirely on the show. Kody and Robyn are not deserving of a redemption arc.”
An airdate for Sister Wives Season 19 has yet to be confirmed by TLC.
