TLC Premieres New Show ‘The Blended Bunch’ Following Family of 2 Widows With 11 Kids

Meet the Shemwells — a blended family of 13 and the stars of TLC’s new show, The Blended Bunch, premiering Tuesday, March 16 at 9 p.m. ET. The network announced Thursday the new series, which will follow the newly-blended family as they face the challenges of merging the lives of 11 kids under one roof and adjusting to their Utah home.

Erica and Spencer Shemwell both had a tragic start to their love story, losing their spouses to cancer and a fatal car crash, respectively, before meeting in an online widower support group and falling in love. Erica, a mother of seven, and Spencer, a father of four, quickly bonded over their trauma and lives as newly-single parents and exchanged vows after just 13 months together. Now, they’re trying to make things work with their large family and move into the next chapter of their lives together.

Erica is mom to four daughters and three sons — 12-year-old Landon, 10-year-old Emma, 9-year-old Lily, 8-year-old Sophie, 6-year-old Tanner, 5-year-old Amelia and 3-year-old Caleb. Spencer is father to three sons and one daughter — 12-year-old Braydon, 8-year-old Harper, 6-year-old Avery and 4-year-old Bexley. As the family settles in together, there’s a lot that needs to be worked out, from shifting family dynamics and step-sibling squabbles to legal struggles over adoption.

In the center are Erica and Spencer, two newlyweds trying to balance their changing day-to-day life with 11 kids under 13 — potty training toddlers, making dinners that everyone will eat, tackling a complicated bedtime routine and more. TLC promises The Blended Bunch “will take viewers on an emotional journey and show a new, large family from a whole other lens.”

“Our family series are a cornerstone of programming at TLC and these days, the word family has expanded to mean many things,” said Howard Lee, president of TLC, in a statement Thursday. “We are constantly evolving and the Shemwells are a wonderful reflection of the varied families in today’s world.”

TLC is home to a number of series about large families. From following Danielle and Adam Busby with their six kids on OutDaughtered to Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s extended family on Counting On and the Welcome to Plathville family’s nine kids, the Shemwells will fit right in with the channel’s demographic. The Blended Bunch premieres Tuesday, March 16 at 9 p.m. ET.