I Know Why Married At First Sight Season 19 Is Trying To Be Inclusive (Which Hit Reality Shows Is Production Taking Hints From?)

Married at First Sight season 19 will be inclusive, and I know why, as production seems to be taking hints from other popular reality shows. Married at First Sight season 18 wrapped up in March 2025 and is currently on hiatus. In an exciting development, MAFS is moving from its original home on Lifetime over to the streaming giant, Peacock. This change will take place in 2025 with the premiere of MAFS season 19. This news is huge, as it means many exciting changes could take place, including the show’s format, cast make-up, and success rate.

I’ve noticed growing criticism of the show in recent years, as it’s become apparent that not many couples are actually matched well. The panel of three experts are tasked with matching the participants and guiding them through the eight-week-long process. However, out of the 69 couples matched since 2014, only 13 of them are still together, making the success rate only 19%. Production inference has also become a negative trend I’ve seen, as I believe producers have overstepped. Regardless of the pitfalls, season 19 is moving towards inclusivity, and the show is taking notes.

MAFS Season 19’s Cast, Location, & Filming Schedule Are Known

There is already information available about Married at First Sight season 19 via @mafsfan, a MAFS fan and spoiler account. It’s official that season 19 was filmed in Austin, with an Austin-based cast. Moreover, the weddings took place from February 16-20, 2024. It’s predicted, based on MAFS‘ historic scheduling, that season 19 will premiere in late summer 2025 or early fall. The last two seasons began airing in October 2023 and October 2024. This means that by the time season 19 hits TV, the weddings and on-screen drama will already have occurred a year and a half in the past.

While this timeline does annoy me, I think production will speed up under Peacock. I believe the editing hindrance as to why it’s taking so long to produce and be ready to air lies with the platform switchover. Peacock is known to turn out shows and seasons at a faster pace, and MAFS‘ scheduling will likely improve. Regardless of the issues I see with the schedule, I’m excited that MAFS is going to a new city, will be on a new network, and that the cast has an unprecedented new twist.

MAFS Season 19 Will Have An Inclusivity Twist

The MAFS Instagram spoiler account also leaked details about the upcoming cast members that I’m jazzed about. Season 19 will have the customary five couples highlighted, but the age range of the cast has changed. I’ve seen season after season of Married at First Sight target and showcase a younger demographic of people. The typical age range I’ve noticed has been participants in their late twenties to early thirties, and it hasn’t done the show justice. With season 19, the age range is getting an overhaul.

While there will be two couples in the usual young adult category, three of the couples will be older. What’s exciting me the most, is that there will be one couple in their late forties/early fifties and another in their late fifties/early sixties. I feel this opens doors for Married at First Sight to display a different kind of pairing. With that, comes new relationship dynamics to watch for viewers, since the couples will be facing different obstacles and have more life experience than younger participants and couples would.

The fifth couple I haven’t mentioned yet are both in their late thirties, which I’m also happy about because they’ll have their own “almost-forty” hangups. Not only is this the most mature cast to be presented on MAFS but it’s also the most inclusive cast. I was really starting to feel like MAFS’ production had something against showcasing older couples, but I’m happy to say I don’t feel like that anymore.

I think producers wised up, and are taking hints at other shows’ inclusive successes as well as realizing that what they’ve been doing hasn’t been creating long-lasting couples.

Which Shows Is MAFS Production Taking Hints From?

I’m convinced Married at First Sight production is taking a page from the book of other, newer, hit reality shows that are all about inclusivity and highlighting love for older sets of people. The shows I’m talking about ABC’s Golden franchise, with the 2023 and 2024 introductions of The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette. The Golden shows have taken the reality TV world and Bachelor Nation by storm, as viewers are rooting for and enthralled by the backgrounds, issues, and hopes of seniors as they try to find love in their sunset years.

The other show that received rave reviews from viewers was Netflix’s The Later Daters. It, too, focused on senior dating and was an extremely fun watch produced by Michelle Obama. While I realize that these two shows are senior-focused and neither of the older MAFS couples can be considered truly seniors, the inclusion does tell me that MAFS’ is leaning away from ageism and striving to showcase a more well-rounded cast and people who are more seasoned.

MAFS Should Keep With The Reality TV Trends

I feel it’s important for MAFS to keep up with reality TV trends so that it doesn’t fall behind in any way in a saturated reality world. The addition of older participants is a good sign that the show is accepting of change and growth, and that it has a pulse on what viewers want. Married at First Sight can only get better from here, and the inclusivity, I think, will also lead to wider audience growth and an older demographic of people enjoying the show as well, because they are represented.