Trading_Spouses

<i>Trading Spouses</i>

Trading Spouses

2004 reality television series

Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy is an American reality television series broadcast by the Fox Broadcasting Company (Fox). The series ran for three seasons from July 20, 2004, to May 5, 2007. Each episode of Trading Spouses followed two families, often of different cultural or social backgrounds, who swapped mothers or fathers for a week. Both families were awarded $50,000, with the stipulation that the guest mother decides how her host family must spend the money.

Quick Facts Trading Spouses, Genre ...

The show shares a very similar format to Wife Swap (and its U.S. remake). In 2004, ABC showcased their upcoming Wife Swap show including projections of its popularity. Weeks before the show's debut, Fox introduced Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy.[1] The producers of Wife Swap, RDF Media, claimed Fox stole their concept.[2]

The show completed airing its third season on May 3, 2007. On February 27, 2008, Fox announced that it had sold the rights to Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy to CMT, effectively ending the series.[3]

In 2005, Trading Spouses was one of several television programs cited in a class-action lawsuit filed by the Writers Guild of America concerning labor law violations.

Reception

Brian Lowry of Variety criticized the series, stating, "Trading Spouses is as cynical as its name — designed to stoke conflict and elicit well-orchestrated feelings of contempt or bemusement toward the key 'characters.'"[4]

Lawsuit

On December 15, 2004, Fox and Rocket Science Laboratories were sued by RDF Media over allegations that Trading Spouses copied Wife Swap.[5]

References

  1. [1]
    "Spouse swap a fit for Fox: Net snipes at Alphabet with Trading Spouses". Variety. Archived from the original on 2011-12-23.
  2. [2]
    "Wife Swap sues Trading Spouses". post-gazette.com. Archived from the original on 2007-03-10.
  3. [3]
    "Twentieth Television Sells Family Focused Reality Series "Trading Spouses" And "Nanny 911" To CMT". TheFutonCritic.com.
  4. [4]
    Lowry, Brian (July 21, 2004). "Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy". Variety. Archived from the original on January 22, 2024. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  5. [5]
    Collins, Scott (December 16, 2004). "'Wife' Producer Sues Fox Over Rival Show". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 14, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
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