I Think Married At First Sight Season 18 Is Moving Too Slowly (The Series Needs To Pick Up The Pace Or Else It Could Fail)

Married At First Sight season 18 has been moving slowly, as is a trend in the last few years of the series, and I think things need to be quicker to keep viewers invested in the relationships. Throughout MAFS history, seasons have grown longer, spanning more episodes and stretching through months in a way that feels unnecessary to most viewers. Throughout Married At First Sight season 18’s first stretch of episodes, it’s felt strange to see so little happening, despite already being several episodes into the season. While some viewers expect the elongated season, I’m not looking forward to it.

Married At First Sight season 18’s cast has been introduced through the first several episodes of the season, and though the stage is set for a dramatic unveiling of their relationships, the pacing has been a problem. MAFS viewers have struggled for years as the show has become longer and longer for seemingly no reason. Married At First Sight seasons used to be a dozen or so episodes, and have now doubled their episode order most seasons, if not pushed it past that. While viewers enjoy the series, it appears the show is trying to milk each season too much.

Despite knowing that viewers are interested in the Married At First Sight couples’ journeys as they move through their marriages on screen, stretching the show into so many episodes tends to make some lose interest quickly. While some viewers are okay seeing less content of substance, I feel like elongating the material makes it thinner, which creates a lack of interest in what’s happening. Throughout Married At First Sight history, the show has shifted and changed to suit the couples, the experts, and the viewers’ interests. It’s unclear why, when viewers struggle to pay attention, the show is getting longer.

MAFS Has Stretched Out Its Seasons Through The Years

The Show Has Gotten Infinitely Longer

Although MAFS season 18 is just getting started, viewers can look to the previous seasons of the series for clarification about just how much things have changed. In the early seasons of Married At First Sight, the show ran for an average of 13 episodes per season. Including specials and check-ins after the show, which would span about three months, showing the experiment in full, and checking in with the participants after the fact. MAFS viewers were satisfied with the length of the season, as it felt long enough to get invested, but short enough not to lose interest entirely.

As the show has grown and become more intense, Married At First Sight seasons have gotten longer and longer. Though the first ten or so seasons were around the same length, things started to grow during the late 2010s and continued to do so. Seasons were 17 episodes, then 20, and included special episodes to bring the episode count up higher. Married At First Sight season 17 had 25 regular episodes, plus 6 specials to round out the season. With the show spanning from October to April, the 6-month stretch was overwhelming to viewers and caused some to lose interest.

The MAFS Wedding Episodes Don’t Need To Span Several Weeks

The Episodes Are Too Intense

Although Married At First Sight often shares more than the average reality TV dating series about its participants through the wedding episodes, the way the show has turned them into a month-long event is tiring. MAFS weddings used to span over an episode or two, introducing the couples and allowing them to get their bearings in their new marriage before whisking them away on their honeymoons. In recent years, the MAFS producers have made it clear that they want to start drama from the earliest possible moment, involving outside noise at weddings while the newlyweds get to know each other.

The current season of Married At First Sight has three episodes on the couples’ weddings, but with only five couples to follow, things could’ve been trimmed down considerably. Though the wedding episodes don’t necessarily need to follow all five weddings at once, distilling things down to only the most important drama would be helpful for viewers to stay on track. Despite knowing that Married At First Sight begins with the weddings, some viewers struggle to get through the episodes, as they’re typically chaotic and difficult to keep track of. MAFS should find a new way to deliver the wedding episodes.

MAFS Viewers Are Looking For The Drama To Get Started

They Want To Get In The Weeds

Although MAFS viewers know there’s typically wedding drama, they’re always looking for the best way to get into the issues of the season. As the couples get to know each other, problems often arise and MAFS can change at the drop of a hat. While some couples will flourish, others will struggle, and viewers understand that doesn’t begin to happen until midway through the season. I think viewers are looking for the seasons to be faster-paced, more dramatic, and direct with audiences rather than elongated and unclear. Married At First Sight would do better with a shorter, more impactful season.

Married At First Sight airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on Lifetime.

Source: Married At First Sight/Instagram