New Show
TLC’s New Series ‘PolyFamily’ Features ‘Closed Quad’ Couples: What Does It Mean?
After 15 years of success with Sister Wives, TLC is exploring another polyamorous family dynamic on the upcoming series PolyFamily. The network announced plans for the show on Monday, March 17, and introduced fans to the cast members.
PolyFamily features a quad relationship, with two married couples living and raising their families together. The show will document their nontraditional family structure. Scroll down for everything we know about the series so far.
PolyFamily premiere date
The show premieres on Tuesday, April 29, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on TLC. PolyFamily is described as “a fascinating, vulnerable and unpredictable look at love, loyalty and the complexities of modern family life.”
PolyFamily cast
PolyFamily features two married couples — Alysia and Tyler, and Sean and Taya. They all live together in a relationship that’s considered a “closed quad.” The nontraditional aspect of their relationship is that Tyler and Taya are dating, but Alysia and Sean are also dating.
Alysia and Tyler have been married for 11 years. They entered the quad relationship with two children, and Alysia gave birth to a third child since joining the quad. Sean and Taya have been married for six years. Her first baby was born once the quad had formed, and she’s expecting baby No. 2 on the show.
Paternity for the three children born once the quad was formed has not been confirmed. “With five kids in the picture, things are bound to get complicated, especially since the biological father of the three younger kids remains unknown,” a press release from TLC revealed. “The quad has intentionally chosen not to find out who the father is to avoid jealousy and remain committed and equal parents, which they discover is much easier in theory than in practice.”
Not only does the foursome have to navigate raising their family together, but there are also complex dynamics when it comes to their relationships with each other. “Non-romantic partners Taya and Alysia must navigate their insecurities and the inevitable jealousy that comes along with this unique relationship,” TLC shared. “At the same time, non-romantic partners Tyler and Sean often clash over their differing parenting approaches. But with the new baby almost here, the quad must get on the same page sooner than later. Things get even more complicated when later in the season Taya drops a bombshell that threatens to dismantle the fragile family dynamic.”
PolyFamily trailer
TLC dropped the first trailer for the show on March 17. “How does this work?” a producer asks, to which Sean replies, “Taya’s my wife, and Alysia’s my girlfriend.” Tyler jumps in and adds, “And vice versa. Alysia’s my wife, and Taya’s my girlfriend,” with a shrug.
As Tyler explains, “We are a closed polyamorous quad. A closed quad is four people, us. We’re all dating within ourselves and married within ourselves. We don’t have any outside partners.”
“We never set out to live our lives like this,” Alysia reveals. “But we realized we can love more than one person and make our own rules as to what we want our family to look like.” The footage then cuts to the couples spending time with their children and addressing the paternity information.
“Since the guys switch rooms every night, we don’t know who the fathers of the younger boys are,” Taya says. Tyler admits, “Of course we wonder sometimes, but finding out could cause a lot of hurt.” At one point, Taya gets a text message from Sean that says, “Just got Q’s blood test results…I guess we know who the dad is…”
The dynamic between Tyler and Sean is also explored when a producer asks them to describe their relationship. “We live together. We have mutual partners. And we parent together,” Sean shares. “But if we weren’t in this situation we probably wouldn’t be friends.” Alysia also worries that Taya and Tyler may be “more in love” than she and Tyler are.
There’s also tension between Alysia and Sean, as she tells him, “I don’t feel like we’re the same people we were in the beginning.” He asks, “Do you want to work on it or not?” Taya also sits the group down and tells them, “I have something to share. I feel like I have a connection with someone else.”
PolyFamily, Series Premiere, Tuesday, April 29, 10/9c, TLC
