The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives series EPs discuss Season 2 changes, Taylor Frankie Paul’s journey, and the reality series’ connection to another Hulu series.
When The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives dropped on Hulu back in September, it caused a stir akin to when Taylor Frankie Paul dropped truth bombs about her swinging sex life on #MomTok.
I praised it for its fiercely fresh feminist take, calling it a “Twilight Zone episode” that depicts the “perfect” life (for J.D. Vance), and even compared it to another Hulu series: The Handmaid’s Tale. Series executive producers Jeff Jenkins and Lisa Filipelli agree.
“I did not think of that parallel on theme beforehand, Megan,” says Jenkins. “But certainly since making the show, other people have pointed out to me what you just pointed out, that they’re a strange kind of bookend thematically together, the two shows, Mormon Wives and Handmaid’s Tale. And I mentioned on a panel that Lisa and I were on the other day, both of these shows are connecting with the subscribers, right? In maybe a big way.And why is that? Both of them in different ways address the patriarchy, female’s place in society, the intersection of faith, religious faith, and general rest of life.”
“I’m also a very avid Handmaid’s watcher,” says Filipelli. “And it’s really interesting, especially I think in the last, we’ll say year, the way content, real life, and then unscripted can kind of like all play in together. I think Hulu has had such a perspective on the kind of content that they’re making. And I think specifically women’s content. And like, I also think women contain multitudes. So they can be Handmaid’s Tales, like Handmaid’s Tale fans and Mormon Wives fans sort of in the same breath, and it doesn’t mean one or the other thing. But that they just create, like contain multitudes.
I had such a fun conversation with Jenkins and Filipelli about this series, including meeting Chase and Miranda in Season 2 as well as Zac Affleck’s journey. Watch below!
