Before there was the wildly popular Teen Mom franchise, there was 16 and Pregnant.
Back in 2009, the controversial MTV reality series introduced Amber Portwood, Farrah Abraham, Maci Bookout, and Catelynn Lowell to the world.
A year later, the show’s second season brought us Jenelle Evans, Chelsea Houska, Leah Messer, and Kailyn Lowry.
Obviously, the experiment paid off, both for MTV and for some of the girls involved in the series.
(Dozens of others moms starred in one-and-done episodes.)
Now, Starcasm is reporting that network execs are hoping that lightning will strike twice, as a new season of 16 and Pregnant is now filming in south New Jersey.
It remains unclear how much the new series will have in common with its predecessor, but we do know that it’s a project that’s been gestating for quite some time.
“We are retooling 16 and Pregnant,” head of MTV programming Susanne Daniels announced back in 2015.
“We decided to try something new. 16 and Pregnant was stand-alone episodes [in the past] and we are going to use the Teen Mom format for 16 and Pregnant this season.”
One obvious format change is that last time the moms-to-be were spread out all over the country, and this time they all reside in Jersey, a state that’s proven to be fertile ground for successful MTV reality franchises in the past.
Beyond that, it sounds as though the show will closely resemble Teen Mom, but with younger stars who are expecting (and not necessarily moms yet) and the time of filming.
Reality producers tend to favor the serialized format, as it tends to make for “can’t miss” appointment viewing.
Revival series are all the rage these days, and MTV is clearly hoping fans will be up for another season of 16 & Pregnant.
But even if it turns out to be a flop, you can bet the franchise won’t be going away any time soon.
A new season of Teen Mom 2 just debuted last night, featuring new cast member Briana DeJesus.
The franchise is so popular globally, that American MTV has begun airing episodes of the UK-based Teen Mum stateside.
So no matter what happens with the new show, we think it’s safe to say that MTV is planning on remaining in the pregnant teens business for the foreseeable future.
Watch Teen Mom: OG online, along the rest of the current TM series over at TV Fanatic.
