There’s nothing TLC loves more than a large family with a dramatic story, so The Blended Bunch is right up their alley. Like a real-life version of The Brady Bunch, widow Erica Shemwell and widower Spencer Shemwell met, fell in love, and married, making one big family with all their kids. Unlike The Brady Bunch, the show often takes a somber tone, as the children in particular struggle to adjust to their new family situation along with the grief of having lost a parent. But then, after episode six, TLC suddenly stopped showing episodes, leaving viewers questioning why.
Besides Erica, Spencer, and their children, the show also highlights how this marriage affects the extended families as well. Audiences can see the grandparents struggling to let their adopted grandchildren know they are loved without imposing upon the children’s relationship with their biological grandparents. Then, there’s Erica’s brother, Quinn Kendall, who is known for his outspoken opinions. He expressed concern about Erica’s late husband being forgotten if the kids changed their last name. All around, the situation leads to lots of difficult conversations that drew in curious audiences.
While season one’s main narrative was about Erica and Spencer legally adopting each other’s children, viewers didn’t feel the show came to a natural close after the last episode of the season. On top of that, season one was only six episodes, which is shorter than most show's seasons. Some viewers were so concerned when there wasn’t a new episode, and they took to Reddit to ask if the show had been unexpectedly canceled. One Redditor started a thread asking, “Is the show canceled? Not showing in my guide for this week or next week.” These days, even popular shows often get canceled by short-sighted networks, and audiences are constantly aware of the risk of getting left hanging by an unexpectedly ended show.
Luckily, another Redditor was able to link to the Shemwell family blog, managed by Erica, which offered clarity. The Shemwells' blog has more information about each of the family members, as well as behind-the-scenes stories about the show. Erica’s post about episode six was solely about all the reasons why adopting each other’s children was so important, including having legal guardian rights, offering a sense of security to the children, and honoring the deceased parents. But the title of the blog post lists the title of the episode followed by the words “season finale.” Apparently, this season was planned all along to be a short one.
The Blended Bunch has really appealed to some viewers, and they aren’t ready for the show to come to an end already. Although the show wasn’t suddenly canceled, it hasn’t been renewed for season two, so fans can’t rest at ease just yet. Other viewers, however, would prefer the show not be renewed, as they worry about the psychological effect on the many young children of the family. It’s hard enough to grieve for a lost parent as an adult, and is much harder as a young child. Add in camera crews, producers who crave drama, and a world of internet trolls, and you have a possible recipe for disaster.
Source: Reddit, Shemwell Blog