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Parents' Guide to

Starter Wives Confidential

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

More lady drama with catty arguments and mature topics.

TV TLC Reality TV 2013
Starter Wives Confidential Poster Image

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Starter Wives Confidential defines "starter wife" as a wife or girlfriend who supports a man in the beginning of his career and raises his children, and who must try to move on after the relationship is over. To this end, the women constantly discuss intimate details about their previous relationships -- ranging from the sudden death of an infant to their husbands' continued promiscuity and drug use -- and some of the perks and drawbacks that come with having a partner who earned fame and fortune with their behind-the-scenes help. It also shows how some of them are trying to move on by pursuing business ventures, finding religion, and cultivating new relationships.

Starter Wives contains the occasional positive and/or inspiring message, but these are often lost thanks to the women's endless catty behavior, much of which is an obvious result of them obviously being pitted against each other to produce voyeuristic reality drama instead of allowing their exes to be the antagonists in their stories. Some of the women are also finding it difficult to move on, too. The result is a show that misses the opportunity to underscore the inner-strength of these women, and fails to provide some real teachable moments that some viewers might benefit from.

TV Details

  • Premiere date: January 29, 2013
  • Network: TLC
  • Genre: Reality TV
  • TV rating: NR
  • Last updated: October 14, 2022

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