Kody and Christine Brown's divorce might have ushered in the beginning of the end of the polygamist clan's decade-spanning run, but some of the family's followers believe the couple's split is keeping Sister Wives afloat. Even though Kody's relationships with his wives have been fraught with conflict for years, viewers fear that they were losing interest in the series until Christine made the unprecedented move to leave her unhappy marriage. From tedious arguments about the Coyote Pass plot of land to repetitive issues in Kody's marriages, here's why Sister Wives fans think Kody and Christine's divorce saved the show.
Sadly, Sister Wives has relied on the seemingly empty threat that one of Kody's discontent wives would leave him to keep viewers engaged. For years, fans tuned in to see if Kody's original sister wife, Meri Brown, would conjure the courage to leave her neglectful spouse. Even after getting caught in an online affair with a catfish, however, Meri opted to stay with Kody. Although Meri, Janelle, and Christine would complain about their marriages, Sister Wives fans doubted any real change would come to the Brown family. Fans think Kody and Christine's divorce saved the show because, before Sister Wives season 16, the polygamous crew wasn't worth keeping up with.
Although Kody and Christine's divorce was devastating for the Brown family to endure, the Sister Wives fanbase was thrilled to witness Christine stand up to her unpopular husband. Even though Kody Brown has made no effort to hide his preference for his fourth with, Robyn Brown, since their marriage in 2010, Meri, Janelle, and Christine have put up with their unloving relationships dutifully. In Sister Wives season 16, however, Kody crossed the line when he spent virtually all of his time with Robyn throughout the pandemic. This caused Christine to become more rebellious than ever, and eventually, summon the tenacity to leave Kody. While viewers are sad Christine had to abandon the family she knew for almost 30 years, fans think Kody and Christine's divorce saved Sister Wives. A Reddit user exclaimed, "Christine's divorce saved this show!... it's EXCEEDINGLY repetitive until things really start to fall apart marriage-wise."
Although drama like Meri's catfish scandal kept Sister Wives entertaining while Kody Brown's relationships with his first wives plateaued, fans argue that the polygamous reality series was running out of steam heading into season 16. For the past few years, Kody and his wives' greatest conflicts have revolved around building a house. A fan agreed, "It is a slow-moving, tedious show that relies on flash-backs... Christine made it watchable!" Viewers also agree it was difficult watching Kody treat his wives so terribly without repercussions. By having Christine divorce Kody in season 16, fans learned that Sister Wives might still be worth watching as anything can happen now. A commenter added, "I [had] a hard time watching the past two seasons because Kody is really just intentionally behaving [antagonistically] towards most of the wives." Christine salvaged Sister Wives by standing up to Kody after years of his wives' submission.
Christine might not have ever wanted to divorce Kody, but Sister Wives' audience believes it was a necessary step to keep the Brown family's story compelling. Based on the monotony of previous seasons and Kody's habit of getting away with treating his wives terribly, Sister Wives fans think Kody and Christine's divorce saved the show. Hopefully, Sister Wives can maintain its momentum without Christine around in season 17.
Source: alisonation/Reddit