‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ announces Orange County spinoff but Jen Affleck won’t be leading it
Hulu is expanding the ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ franchise. For months, chatter online suggested that Jen Affleck would lead a new series set in Orange County. That rumor had legs for a while, and plenty of fans were excited about the possibility. Turns out, the idea of a spinoff was real, but the lead name attached to it wasn’t quite right. According to Deadline, the upcoming project is officially titled ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County’, and Affleck is not heading the cast. Instead, Hulu is going in a different direction, bringing together a new group.
Among the individuals stepping into the spotlight are podcaster Bobbi Althoff and actress Madison Bontempo, known for her work in ‘Chapel’. They will be joined by a lineup that includes Aspyn Ovard, Avery Woods, Salomé Andrea, McCall DaPron, Chandler Higginson, and Ashleigh Pease. This new series will shift the focus to Orange County, which has a strong Mormon presence and a very different social landscape from Utah. The show will follow a circle of young mothers whose lives are shaped by faith, family, and social media. Some of them stick closely to traditional values, while others are more open to change. That push and pull is expected to drive much of the drama. What makes this development more interesting is the timing.
The original show has had a rough run lately. Production on the upcoming Season 5 shut down after a controversy surrounding Taylor Frankie Paul and her former partner, Dakota Mortensen, drew attention. This caused delays and left fans unsure about what would happen next. But now, production seems to be picking up again, with filming confirmed to begin soon, though no official restart date has been announced yet. Meanwhile, back in November, Deadline reported that Hulu was already looking at expanding the franchise. At the time, producer Jeff Jenkins hinted that a spinoff could arrive “very soon.”
Jenkins and his team at Jeff Jenkins Productions are still involved, working alongside 3BMG and Walt Disney Television Alternative. A larger group of executive producers is attached as well, including Russell Jay-Staglik, Amanda Weinstein, Melissa Bidwell, Brandon Beck, Ross Weintraub, Reinout Oerlemans, Georgia Berger, Lisa Filipelli, and Danielle Pistotnik. There is also the question of how this Orange County version will connect to the original series, if at all. While both shows exist under the same umbrella, it is not yet clear whether there will be crossover appearances or shared story arcs. For now, it seems like the focus is on establishing a distinct identity, even if the themes overlap. The show is expected to premiere later this year, though an exact date has not been announced.
