'Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' was mired in scandal. 'Orange County' is hoping for a fresh start

LOS ANGELES — With "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County" premiering this week as the first spinoff of the popular but mired flagship series, it faces a test tougher than learning a viral TikTok dance: figuring out if the reality TV property that became an unexpected hit can successfully franchise beyond its Utah backdrop — and baggage. Born from a confession that took off online by influencer Taylor Frankie Paul about "soft swinging" — an arrangement she and her then-husband had with other couples that involved group drinking and intimacy short of intercourse — "Mormon Wives" turned intrigue about a salacious suburban scandal into a reality TV hit. Suddenly the time-honored reality TV format built on documenting the personal lives and social dynamics of women, pioneered by Bravo's "The Real Housewives" franchise, underwent a modern makeover in Hulu's series by casting its lens on a group of Utah-based TikTok influencers known as #MomTok. kAmxE AC6>:6C65 :? $6AE6>36C a_ac — D9@H42D:?8 2 >6DDJ 4@42CC:286 5J?2>:4D — 2?5 H2D DF49 2 9:E E92E 7@FC >@C6 D62D@?D 92G6 366? AF>A65 @FE :? 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