Dancing with the Stars had its biggest year in nearly a decade, Duck Dynasty and Ice Road Truckers returned, and the Chrisley family was back on television after being pardoned by the former host of The Apprentice. Suffice to say, 2025 was a strange year for unscripted television, which feels like it’s taking a leaf out of the early aughts. The messy reality series is clearly back, as evidenced by the success of Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
This trend is set to continue in 2026, particularly at Disney, which is exploring spinoffs for its cast of dirty soda-drinking ladies, bringing Brooks Nader and her sisters back for a second run, and developing another show with the Kardashian family. Netflix is also getting in on the action, and Bravo is as busy as ever with the Housewives, a new season of Vanderpump Rules, more Below Deck, and plenty of spinoffs.
Classic IP is going to be big, with remakes of Star Search, Fear Factor, and American Gladiators, while Netflix is basing reality shows on Clue, Monopoly, and Willy Wonka, and NBC is trying to turn Wordle into a game show with Jimmy Fallon. The Bachelorette is poised to have its biggest season in years with the introduction of Mormon wife Taylor Frankie Paul. Amazon will hope MrBeast can replicate the success of Beast Games, and there’ll be tears in Washington, DC, as Netflix’s Queer Eye comes to an end after 10 seasons.
After spinning off Vanderpump Rules into The Valley, Bravo is doing the same with Shahs of Sunset. The Valley: Persian Style will star Mercedeh Javid, Golnesa Gharachedaghi and Reza Farahan as they grow their family in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley. Fear Factor is back with House of Fear, hosted by Johnny Knoxville, where strangers face stunts and live together Big Brother-style. Netflix’s Star Search, hosted by Anthony Anderson, will introduce live fan voting for the first time.
ABC’s The Greatest Average America, hosted by Nate Bargatze, will feature trivia and challenges for contestants to guess how everyday Americans think, with the prize being the average American salary of $67,920. Alan Cumming will host a civilian version of The Traitors on NBC, with production expected to start in May. Alex Cooper, of Call Her Daddy fame, is producing a dating series for Hulu called Love Overboard.
