Teen Mom: The Next Chapter premiered this week, and although viewers were excited for its debut, the ratings told a different story.
Teen Mom OG and Teen Mom 2 are no longer as viewers know them, as the casts have combined for one supersized series.
The spinoff won’t see Teen Mom 2 alum Kail Lowry nor Teen Mom OG alum Mackenzie McKee, but the other eight moms from the franchise joined the cast.
Amber Portwood, Maci Bookout, Cheyenne Floyd, and Catelynn Baltierra joined from Teen Mom OG and Briana DeJesus, Ashley Jones, Leah Messer, and Jade Cline are representing Teen Mom 2.
With the announcement of the combined-cast spinoff, many longtime, loyal Teen Mom viewers were excited to watch. However, viewership was lousy, at least for live TV viewing.
Following Episode 1 of The Next Chapter, The Ashley’s Reality Roundup reported that only 203,000 live viewers tuned in to MTV on Tuesday, September 6 for the premiere, landing in the Number 61 spot on Top 50 Cable Telecasts for Tuesday night.
Teen Mom: The Next Chapter premiere among least-watched episodes in franchise history
To put the number of viewers into perspective, less than half tuned in to the premiere of The Next Chapter than for the Season 11 premiere of Teen Mom 2. The premiere episode of Teen Mom Family Reunion, which debuted earlier this year, also fared better with views, bringing in 463,000 live viewers.
Teen Mom: The Next Chapter viewers took to Reddit following the premiere episode and discussed whether they think the spinoff stands a chance.
One critic called the show, “really boring,” and noted that it’s “pointless” to watch when much of the moms’ storylines happen off camera. Another criticized MTV for combining so many moms into one cast and told the network to “just let it go.”
Teen Mom: The Next Chapter viewers discuss the future of the spinoff
Speaking on the show’s target audience, one viewer surmised, “I personally think the whole teen mom franchise has had its day. It was a popular show about 10 years ago but it dosent draw in young audiences anymore, the only people who watch it are 30+. it needs to end now.”
However, one dedicated viewer felt they’ve already invested too much time into the franchise: “I still watch this show and idk why at this point. But do I want it cancelled, hell no. I’ve put so much time into it at this point I can’t back out now.”
It’s important to note that not all viewers catch episodes of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter on live cable TV. With the MTV app, viewers are able to stream episodes and watch them at their own convenience.
With eight moms in the cast, not everyone’s storyline will air each week. Viewers may have noticed that some of the moms — including Ashley Jones, Leah Messer and Catelynn Baltierra — were absent from Tuesday’s episode.
How will Jenelle Evans’ reality TV show fare compared to Teen Mom: The Next Chapter?
Teen Mom 2 alum Jenelle Evans will make a cameo appearance this season, as teased in a preview ahead of the debut, but won’t be a regular cast member alongside the other moms.
Instead, she has teased her own reality TV series, which her rep says will be “going to a major network.” If Jenelle’s show comes to fruition, it’ll be interesting to see whether it garners more views than Teen Mom: The Next Chapter.
Teen Mom: The Next Chapter airs on Tuesdays at 8/7c on MTV.
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