Husband Kody Brown, along with his four wives (only one of which is legally married to Kody) and their combined 18 children, attempts to navigate life as a "normal" family in a society that shuns their lifestyle.
Season 0
Season 1
The season premiere introduced viewers to Kody Brown and his three wives, Meri, Janelle, and Christine, and their twelve children, all of whom lived in a ranch-style home with three interconnected apartments. It also chronicled Kody's dating and engagement to Robyn Sullivan, who herself has three children, marking the first time in 16 years Kody had courted another wife. The new relationship creates insecurity and jealousy among the other three wives, but they ultimately accept her and welcome her into the family. During the fourth episode of the season, Christine gives birth to her sixth child, Truely, which brings the family to 16 children including Robyn's three kids. Later, Kody and Meri go to Mexico to celebrate their twentieth wedding anniversary, where Meri discussed her sadness about her infertility problems and the jealousy that has arisen from Kody's engagement to Robyn. Kody proposes in vitro fertilisation, but she turns down the idea as she is only interested in a naturally occurring conception. As Robyn's wedding approaches, the three sister wives help Robyn prepare, and they begin to bond. However, Kody upsets his wives when he reveals he secretly chose Robyn's wedding dress himself, which makes Christine feel so betrayed that she angrily walks away in mid-interview. Kody eventually apologizes, and the five reconcile. The first season finale ends with the wedding of Kody and Robyn, where Meri, Janelle, and Christine present her with a Claddagh ring to welcome her into the family.
Season 2
Season two goes deeper into this unconventional--yet somehow relatable--family as they experience the ups and downs of living a plural lifestyle, from the Browns' bold decision to "come out" as polygamists on national television to the changes brought on by their recently extended family. After learning that they are under investigation by the police for their lifestyle, Sister Wives now follows the Browns as they try to go on with their lives - by visiting the family ranch in Wyoming, planning a Halloween celebration and taking the brood on a winter cabin trip. But throughout season two, the tension mounts steadily until finally--fearing that their happy, loving family could be torn apart--the Browns make an enormous decision that will change their lives forever.
Season 3
The twenty one episode season mainly dealt with the family's inability to be a cohesive unit while living in four separate homes. Meri explains more about the infertility problems she has experienced, while Christine discloses more on her jealousy of Robyn. The season returned from hiatus on November 18, 2012, to the Brown family still discussing their options into moving their family onto one property, and invest in a cul-de-sac where they can build four homes. It is more evident this season that living in separate homes is tearing the family apart. Towards the end of the season, the family plans a three-day trip to Nauvoo, Illinois, the birthplace of American polygamy. In the last episode on December 30, 2012, the family also deals with the upcoming departure to college of the eldest Brown child, Logan.
Season 4
After living in separate rental homes for the past two years, the Browns are one step closer to fulfilling their dream of being together under one roof, moving into four adjacent houses in the same neighborhood. But now they have four large mortgages and a struggling start-up jewelry business. Meanwhile, Meri finally decides on whether or not to accept Robyn's offer to be her surrogate, but will Kody agree with her decision? And as more kids prepare to leave the nest, Kody and the wives have a surprise in store that will rebuild the closeness the family once shared back in Utah.
Season 5
Season 5 begins with two daughters graduating high school, Mykelti and Madison. The grown ups plan to lip sync a song to celebrate, but it brings out some negative feelings for Janelle, who is not comfortable being so outgoing and admits to being embarrassed in public by the others' behavior. And a deeper issue of feeling like she's not heard bubbles to the surface and she sees a therapist to discuss that along with her challenging relationship with first wife Meri. On a business level, the family discusses whether to turn down investors' money and keep full ownership of Sisterwives' Closet and whether to keep the products all their own creations or branch out and resale other artists' designs and products. Christine's mother moves in with her in Las Vegas, and in episode four, the Browns allow two anthropologists to live with them for two days to see the inner workings of polygamy, an arrangement that could either put their lifestyle in a positive or negative light. Finally, after five years of mental deliberation, Meri files for legal divorce from Kody. Her alleged reason for the divorce is so Kody can adopt Robyn's three children from her previous marriage. By the end of the season, Meri and Kody maintained that they would continue their relationship, although some reports claim Meri will not be appearing in the series' upcoming sixth season.
Season 6
Kody and the sister wives - Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn - are at a crossroads in their relationship. While the divorce from Kody was supposed to be just a document shuffle, it has become nothing like what the family thought it would be. So much has changed and the whole family struggles to figure out how to move forward. In addition to the shifting family structure, the Browns begin their journey to legally adopt Robyn's children from a previous marriage. Kody also takes his youngest daughters to the beach in an attempt to bond more with them, and Robyn announces her pregnancy to the family, kicking off the countdown to her due date.
Season 7
Kody and the sister wives are put to the test like never before after Meri confesses to being catfished into an online relationship with a woman impersonating a man. The family—devastated and confused—struggles to come to terms with the situation and enlists the help of their therapist to begin the long healing process and build back the trust that was lost. Despite this family conflict, there is still plenty of celebrating within the Brown household as wedding bells and a new baby are in the near future. Madison takes her relationship with Caleb to the next level, announcing to the family that she is engaged and moving to Montana to be closer to her fiancé. Robyn and Kody have the final meeting with their midwife before the birth, and they do their best to prepare Solomon for his baby sister while the rest of the family waits to welcome the Brown's 18th child.
Season 8
While Janelle's daughter Madison's wedding prep is in full swing for the big day, Christine's daughter, Mykelti, also announces she wants to get engaged, and to a guy who she met just five months earlier. The catfishing incident looms over the family as Mariah is still furious with her mother. Kody is forced to deal with the hard truth that his own relationship with his first wife is in shambles. Meri visits another victim of the same person who catfished her and gets closer to the cause of the problems between Kody and herself that allowed this to happen in the first place. The family retreats to a remote lodge, high in the mountains of Utah, to try to pull it all together. Maybe the high mountain air will bring the family to its senses... or maybe not.
Season 9
The Browns are on a roller coaster ride of family drama and joyous milestones. Just months after the first marriage among their children, a second wedding is approaching quickly. Mykelti is marrying Tony Padron and everything about this wedding is completely different from her sister Madison's. Meri is still struggling in her marriage to Kody and a visit to their therapist reveals just how much they've grown apart. Meri is also trying to patch things up with her daughter, Mariah, who recently announced that she is gay. While Meri was initially caught off guard by the news, she has a chance to redeem herself when Mariah invites her and Janelle to participate in the March for Women in Washington, D.C. along with Mariah's new girlfriend. Meanwhile, Maddie and Caleb have some major news to share: not only is Maddie expecting her first child, but the couple is also planning to move to Las Vegas and have their baby at home.
Season 10
The beloved Brown family returns with the sound of wedding bells for Aspyn and Mitch, but not all is bliss for the four wives. All mayhem breaks loose when Kody reveals the family doesn't have the money to support Meri's bed and breakfast venture. Plus, old wounds are reopened when Meri revisits her catfish experience. Meanwhile, wedding fever is in full swing when Mitch pops the question and Aspyn says yes. Maddie and Caleb, who recently welcomed baby boy Axel into the world, decide it's time to move into a place of their own and Janelle has a hard time letting go. Christine is confronted with the daunting reality that her daughter Ysabel may need surgery for her scoliosis. Further adding to the chaos, Kody drops a bomb when he announces he wants to move the family out of Nevada and to a new state.
Season 11
The Sister Wives have just moved to Flagstaff, Arizona, where they find that the ups and downs of their family's polygamist lifestyle are as dramatic as they've ever been. Angry neighbors drive one wife out of her rental house and the cost of the many properties the family needs for Kody's four wives and many kids are threatening a financial disaster. In hopes of reducing this burden, Kody makes plans for the whole family to build one giant house, but the wives are not so sure. And an argument erupts when the Browns try to divide up their new property. Tensions with first wife, Meri, are still unresolved and she goes back into therapy with Kody to try to fix their relationship. Of course, there's much to celebrate as well. Meri's daughter Mariah and her girlfriend Audrey get engaged and Janelle's daughter Madison has a second baby!
Season 12
Last season, Kody Brown, his four wives, and their families relocated to Flagstaff, Arizona where they hoped to start an exciting new chapter of their lives. Little did they know that settling down in temporary homes before breaking ground on the land they purchased would be harder than they thought. This season, we see the Browns continuing to work through their new lifestyle of living apart from one another and the stressful decisions they must make about their future home. Like the rest of the world, COVID-19 puts an extra strain on the family and the Browns' big gatherings and large parties that brought the family together are now a thing of the past.
Season 13
Kody talks to each of his wives about Christine's desire to move to Utah and gets a resounding no from each of them. When he tries to talk Christine out of it, she can't even have a conversation with him and walks out in tears. A difference of opinions about COVID protocols creates tension between Janelle's family and Kody and Robyn. Despite the fact that Meri has no romantic relationship with Kody, she seems to be doing better and managing the drama within the family well. As the family prepares to start building on their property, they are splitting apart at the seams over the upcoming holidays. Both Janelle and Christine's families refuse to follow Kody's COVID rules. Is the family not getting back together, even for the holidays? With tensions boiling over, more than one wife is questioning the future.
Season 14
Last year, Christine kicked Kody out of her home, which was one of the hardest things she has ever done. But now, formally putting an end to their marriage turns out to be even harder. And when she has to tell her sister wives and her children, nobody takes it well. She is determined to move to Utah to be with her older children. The stresses multiply as people begin to take sides. And on top of it all, COVID is still a major issue for the Brown family. When Christine's daughter Mykelti gives birth, she invites some of the sister wives to be part of it, but not others. Then, without talking to Kody, Janelle buys a giant RV and moves onto their undeveloped Coyote Pass property as she is desperate to get construction started on their homes. This season will see the family divided like never before, leaving one thing for certain: the Browns will never be the same.
Season 15
In this season, Kody is still grappling with the fallout from his divorce with Christine, and he is struggling in many of his other relationships. Christine, however, is learning to love who she is on her own by planning trips and celebrations along the way. Robyn is the only wife secure in her marriage yet devastated that her original dream of a big, happy polygamist family is falling apart. Meri is steadily coming to realize that Kody isn't going to have the change of heart she has been waiting for and makes a life-changing decision. Lastly, Kody has been spending less and less time at Janelle's house, and, after an explosive fight, she kicks him out. Through their transparency and vulnerability, the Browns shed light on the hardships their family is struggling to overcome.
Season 16
This season, the family faces the devastating passing of Janelle and Kody's son, Garrison Brown. Through the heartbreaking pain, the family navigates this incredible tragedy and comes together to mourn and celebrate his life. There has been much change over the past few years, where all the Browns are facing new pathways forward. While three of Kody's wives have left, his fourth wife Robyn remains legally married to him. Now that the Browns have left polygamy behind, Robyn and Kody face challenges together as a monogamous couple and how to adapt to a lifestyle they never planned on living.