Bursting onto the reality TV scene in 2014, the 90 Day Fiancé franchise has been a major hit with viewers. TLC may not have anticipated the dating show would resonate so strongly with fans, but now it’s one of their biggest and most popular franchises. Though it had humble beginnings, the 90 Day Fiancé franchise has spawned many spin offs and introduced several reality tv superstars. The show features couples participating in the K-1 visa program—where the foreign partner has 90 days to wed their American fiancé or risk deportation.
Not sure where to begin with this popular franchise? Everything you need to know is in this handy-dandy guide.
Cast Members
Cast members are the lifeblood of any reality TV show, and can make or break a franchise. Fortunately, the 90 Day Fiancé franchise has featured many cast members, like Big Ed Brown, Angela Deem, Larissa Lima, and Natalie Mordovtseva, who are extremely compelling. It’s no surprise that TLC brings back casts its stars in multiple seasons and spin-offs to keep viewers tuned in.
Much of the drama revolves around which couples have stuck together and which ones have split up. At its heart, 90 Day Fiancé is a show about relationships, and watching those relationships crumble or persevere is the most interesting part of the franchise. The success rate of each season varies. There are both happy couples and bitter exes who have emerged from the franchise.
Memorable Moments
One of the reasons that the 90 Day Fiancé franchise has become so popular is that it regularly serves up dramatic moments that have become iconic. From Larissa’s “who is against the queen will die” to Ariela Weinberg getting a face full of wine, there have been numerous moments that are etched in viewers’ minds forever.
90 Day Fiancé Seasons
So far, there have been nine seasons of 90 Day Fiancé. However, a 10th season is almost certainly on the way. Each season presents a new group of couples who are starting their 90 days on the K-1 visa, and follows their journey down the aisle. Some seasons have been received better than others, with Season 9 receiving some of the harshest criticism yet.
90 Day Fiancé Episodes
When 90 Day Fiancé started, Season 1 had only 6 episodes—not uncommon for a new show. TLC was obviously testing the waters and didn’t want to commit to a full season. But since then, the episode count for each season has increased. Though most seasons after Season 1 average about 13 episodes, Season 9 had a whopping 19 episodes, which may explain why viewers got so bored.
90 Day Fiancé Franchise Spin Offs
With the success of 90 Day Fiancé, it was inevitable that TLC would greenlight spin-offs to build up the franchise. The first was 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After?, which premiered in 2016. Happily Ever After? quenched fans’ desire to find out what happened to the 90 Day Fiancé couples after they got married. There have so far been seven seasons of the popular spin off.
But TLC didn’t stop there. Soon after Happily Ever After? came 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days in 2017, which followed the journeys of couples who hadn’t yet started the K-1 visa process. 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way premiered in 2019, and gave viewers the opposite dynamic from 90 Day Fiancé. On The Other Way, American cast members move overseas to be with their foreign partners.
There have been other popular spin offs as well, including 90 Day: The Single Life, which follows the journeys of formerly boo’d up cast members who have re-entered the dating pool. Other spin offs, like What Now?, 90 Day Diaries, and 90 Day: Foody Call, have proven less popular.
There are also two spin offs following some of the more popular cast members, including Chantel Everett on The Family Chantel and Darcey Silva on Darcey & Stacey.
Though fans have their complaints, 90 Day Fiancé is still an enormously popular franchise. With its continuous programming and rumored production of new spin offs, 90 Day Fiancé is still TLC’s golden goose, and won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. There may be an awful lot to catch up on with the 90 Day Fiancé franchise, but it’s definitely a franchise worth diving into or revisiting.
TELL US – WHAT MAKES THE 90 DAY FIANCE FRANCHISE SO INTERESTING?
This story originally appeared on Realitytea
