These binge-worthy reality shows have religious themes

By now, you've certainly heard of Hulu's smash hit reality show, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. As the title suggests, it follows several wives from the Mormon religion as they navigate their complicated friendships after being involved in a "soft-swinging" scandal that shook their group (and the state of Utah) to its core.

The ladies of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City certainly touch on their Mormon religion; however, according to them, they don't live by the strict rules. In fact, Lisa Barlow, the show's star, calls herself "Mormon 2.0" and talks openly about her (bland) tequila brand, VIDA.

Lifetime's former reality show, Preacher's Daugther, was extremely messy, chaotic, and very unserious. Based on the title, you can probably tell the show follows several daughters of church pastors who require them to live by strict and very unrealistic rules. Consequently, the show's leading stars often rebelled and had scandalous moments involving boys, alcohol, and each other.

Even if you don't like listening to gospel music, you have to give Mary Mary's biggest song a listen. Then, when you're done with that, you can stream their reality show of the same name to see their life outside of the recording studio. The series touched on their desires to go solo, drama with their manager, and one of the women's cheating husbands.

TLC is known for making extremely interesting reality shows, and Breaking Amish is no different. The series follows several young adults leaving their Amish communities to experience life under the bright lights in New York City. During their time in the Big Apple, the cast members wear jeans, use electricity, and even drink alcohol. They also experience pushback from those who stay back home and sometimes lose relationships for good.

Although the Braxton Family Values isn't explicitly a religious show, it does have some religious undertones. The singers were raised in a Christian household, and they often mention their love for God and people throughout the episodes.

If you thought a show called Preachers of L.A. wouldn't be as messy as The Real Housewives or Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, then you'd better think again. In fact, these bishops might've had more drama than those show's 10+ cast members combined. Throughout the show's two seasons, it touched on many topics. However, what stood out the most was when they boasted about driving luxury cars and had difficult conversations with their partners about cheating, having children out of wedlock, and previous divorces.

It can be easy to forget Beyoncé's bestie, Michelle Williams, has a successful gospel career in addition to her chart-topping hits as part of Destiny's Child. In 2018, she appeared on a reality show called Chad Loves Michelle, which followed her and her then-partner, Chad Johnson, who is a sports chaplain to several professional athletes.

Michelle filmed another reality show in the early 2010s called Fix My Choir. It followed her and another gospel legend as they went from choir to choir to help fix their internal relationships... and harmonies.

TLC's Forbidden Love is another reality show about love. However, before these two couples, who have fallen madly in love with each other, can become one, someone has to convert to a new religion. The challenge could take their relationship to new heights, or it could be a recipe for disaster.

Sister Wives is a TLC show that follows Kody Brown and his four wives, 18 children, and their chaotic polygamist family. Since airing in 2010, there have been 18 seasons and over 200 episodes. 

Welcome to Plathville follows the Plaths, a family of eleven in Georgia who share a deep bond over tradition and religion. They go through trials and tribulations, including complicated divorces that tear a young couple apart.

Although Shiny Happy People isn't a reality show, it's a multi-episode docuseries following the Duggar family from TLC's 19 Kids and Counting. Unlike their family show, this series highlights the scandals and allegations surrounding their family, including Josh Duggar's child pornography charge. The subjects also touch on Generation Joshua, a youth organization created by Christian fundamentalists.

Like some others on this list, Duck Dynasty isn't based on religion, but the show's stars are of the Christian faith and spoke openly during the show's run about their beliefs. Some stars were also involved in several scandals, including one based on problematic comments made about the queer community. Since the series' end, one of the show's cast members, Sadie, has lived life as a Christian influencer, speaking at large conferences, including Passion.

Bravo's Thicker Than Water followed a highly religious family who were messy, dramatic, and very wealthy. According to them, they're the "Black Brady Bunch," and all of their blessings come from God because he "wanted us to be rich." I need that sort of revelation.

Return to Amish is a spin-off of TLC's Breaking Amish. Based on the title, you probably can tell the concept is similar, except this show follows the original cast members returning home and trying to adjust to their Amish communities. Along the way, they run into trouble, causing some to be shunned and exiled.

I'm always up to watch a docuseries that details massive scandals, and Hulu's The Secrets of Hillsong is exactly that. It follows former Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz as he describes what led him to be unfaithful to his wife, Laura.