Mormon Wives Go Orange County: Hulu's Spinoff and This Week's TV Picks

Hulu streams "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County" starting Thursday, giving the 2024 hit franchise a Californian spin after a year of cast upheaval. Bravo answers the same night at 9:15 p.m. with Season 12 of "Southern Charm." And on Wednesday, Netflix drops all eight episodes of "The Body," a supernatural thriller rooted in "Carrie."

That's the week in television, and it's a busy one: one spinoff launch, one long-running reality return, and a new horror series built on teenage desire and dark rituals.

What's happening with the Mormon wives?

The original "Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" premiered in 2024 and became a hit for Hulu. The show turned its Utah-based cast into career opportunities and small-screen fixtures. Then it hit a snag: cast member Taylor Frankie Paul quit the show this year, leaving the series in limbo.

The spinoff is the answer. "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County" follows a new set of women — all influencers and content creators in their own right, all with ties to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Californians viewers will meet over eight episodes include Avery Woods, Aspyn Ovard and Bobbi Althoff. One familiar face crosses over from the Utah delegation: the influencer Jen Affleck.

So what does this change for the franchise? It keeps the format alive despite losing its most talked-about cast member, and it relocates the drama to a wealthier, coastal setting while holding onto the faith-and-influencer-culture premise that made the original work.

Southern Charm returns — with an Austen Kroll wrinkle

Back on the East Coast, "Southern Charm," the show about the messy friend group living in Charleston, S.C., returns for its 12th season Thursday at 9:15 p.m. on Bravo. The main cast comes back intact, with one newcomer: Allie Newman, who had some sort of previous romantic entanglement with longtime cast member Austen Kroll.

Fans who want more of Craig Conover, one of the show's veterans, have a second option. His new Peacock microdrama, "Charmed by a Southern Monster," is streaming now.

What is "The Body" about?

Halloween is over, but the horrors persist. "The Body," a new Netflix series streaming Wednesday, follows a group of Catholic schoolgirls who are also part of a dance squad. They gather to perform an initiation ritual on the group's newest member, Grace, played by Sofia Wylie.

Things go wrong — as they tend to when dark spiritual forces are involved — and the group ends up with significant side effects: prophetic visions and sinful desires that cause mass hysteria in their small town.

The series has clear cinematic DNA. Creator Quinn Shephard drew inspiration from the 1976 horror classic "Carrie," as well as other films centering on teenage girls' desires, including "Jennifer's Body" and "Heavenly Creatures." All eight episodes arrive at once, making it a binge-ready midweek drop.

How to watch this week

Here's the full slate:

• "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County" — begins streaming Thursday on Hulu; eight episodes introducing Avery Woods, Aspyn Ovard, Bobbi Althoff and Jen Affleck.
• "Southern Charm" Season 12 — Thursday at 9:15 p.m. on Bravo, with newcomer Allie Newman joining the returning Charleston cast.
• "Charmed by a Southern Monster" — Craig Conover's Peacock microdrama, streaming now.
• "The Body" — begins streaming Wednesday on Netflix; all eight episodes release simultaneously.

The pattern across the week is familiar: established reality brands expanding and horror aimed squarely at the "Carrie" lineage. If the Orange County spinoff pulls the original's audience, expect Hulu to keep mining the Mormon-influencer formula — with or without its Utah originals.