Lifetime has been winning in the unscripted TV game thanks to the Married at First Sight franchise, which is going strong with the original series in Season 11. Now, fans don't have to wonder if the show will end for good after the current eleventh season wraps. In fact, fans don't have to wonder if Married at First Sight will be going anywhere anytime soon. The original show has been renewed for a whopping six more seasons.
Yes, Married at First Sight has been renewed for six more seasons, according to Deadline, which brings the count up to Season 17. This isn't the first time that Lifetime handed down a multi-season renewal to the hit unscripted romance series. The show was renewed for both Season 10 and Season 11 back in September 2019.
The renewal also comes when Married at First Sight in only three episodes into Season 11, although the show has done well in those three weeks since the July 15 premiere. After three episodes, Season 11 averages 1.7 million total viewers in Live+3 day calculations, which is up 12% from last summer's Season 9 and even with Season 10 in winter 2020. The audience has been growing each week.
All things considered, Lifetime ordering more than one more season isn't altogether surprising, but a six-season renewal is huge. The network also announced another show of faith in the Married at First Sight franchise that has been such a hit. Another spinoff is on the way, with a twist.
The original Married at First Sight follows couples who are paired by relationship experts and marry based on those recommendations, not having met before their wedding day. The couples have a wedding, a honeymoon, and two months of marriage before deciding if they want to stay married or go their separate ways. The first seven seasons centered on three couples, while that number jumped to four for Season 8-9 and five for Season 10-11. The results can be... awkward. The new spinoff will be very different.
The new spinoff, called Married at First Sight: Unmatchables, will feature different people looking for love in each episode. The show will feature people who are too hard to match to make it onto Married at First Sight, and each episode will see Married at First Sight's Pastor Calvin Robertson and Dr. Viviana Coles mentor two singles through physical and personal transformations, complete with relationship advice and a lifestyle overhaul. These two hopefuls are set up on a date by the end of the episode to see if they've finally found their match.
Married at First Sight: Unmatchables will premiere in 2021. For now, you can find new episodes of Married at First Sight Season 11 airing on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime. The season will run for 17 episodes of two hours each, so viewers can count on seeing just about every emotional beat as the unconventional couples get to know each other as spouses.
If you're in the market for some TV shows outside of the Married at First Sight franchise, check out our 2020 summer TV premiere schedule and our 2020 fall TV premiere guide!
