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Thirteen years ago, TLC introduced viewers to an unconventional family. Kody Brown and his three (and later four) wives were proud polygamists living in Utah, in defiance of the state’s laws against plural marriage. Their reality show, Sister Wives, explored their unique family dynamic, the relationship between the wives, and Kody’s desire to marry for a fourth time. 

Now, 17 seasons later, the Browns are still a fixture on TLC. But their family has changed in some major ways since Sister Wives premiered in 2010. Kody has welcomed more children, and a number of his older kids (he has 18 in all) have gone on to start families of their own. The family has also relocated twice, first to Las Vegas to escape the threat of prosecution in Utah, and then to Arizona. Most significantly, three of Kody’s four wives have left him, leaving the polygamist patriarch with just one wife, his fourth spouse, Robyn Brown. 

Will there be a ‘Sister Wives’ spinoff?

Despite (or because of) all those shifts within the Brown family, Sister Wives keeps chugging along. The show’s 18th season premieres on August 20, and the breakdown of Kody’s marriage to his second wife, Janelle Brown, will take center stage in the new episodes. 

The Browns might be divided personally, but they remain united on one TV show. Even though there have been rumblings about Sister Wives spinoffs focused on one or more of Kody’s exes, producers have said they have no immediate plans for such a series. 

“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,” showrunner Chris Poole told Variety earlier in 2023. “Nobody’s disappearing from the show.”

New episodes of ‘Sister Wives’ will explore what it’s like when a wife leaves 

The family breakup has actually given the show fresh material to explore, says Christine Brown, whose contentious split from her spiritual husband was the main focus of Sister Wives Season 17. Even though she’s no longer in a relationship with Kody, they’re still in each other’s lives thanks to the six children they share. Christine has also remained close to her former sister wife Janelle. 

“I think what people might think is still more interesting is how does the family actually work after somebody leaves?” Christine told Variety. “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.”

“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,” Poole said. “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.”

Christine Brown does have a cooking show 

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Though a full-fledged Sister Wives spinoff is unlikely at this point, TLC has made one small addition to the Sister Wives universe. Christine stars in her own cooking show, Cooking With Just Christine. The digital-only series features Christine demonstrating some of her favorite recipes, sometimes alongside other Sister Wives cast members. New episodes begin airing on August 20 on TLC.com, the TLC YouTube channel, and the TLC Facebook page. 

Sister Wives Season 18 premieres August 20 at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.

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