The Real Reason Why '90-Day Fiance' Became A Mammoth Hit; Lady Gaga And Pete Davidson Join The Bandwagon

TLC’s “90 Day Fiancé” is proof that there’s really no clear-cut formula to crack the code on the silver screen. For instance, who would’ve imagined that a show with an underlying bittersweet message, about how a naïve but human hope that love can conquer all, would be preferred over the big boys in the league like “The Sopranos,” “Sex and the City,” “Breaking Bad,” “Homeland,” “The Good Wife,” “Boardwalk Empire,” “The Walking Dead,” “Downton Abbey” and “Game of Thrones” just to name a few?

Well, the truth is, “90 Day Fiancé” and its spinoffs have exceeded expectations.

Believe it or not, stats testify that “#90 Day” constantly finds a spot in Twitter’s top-five trending topics on Sunday nights. The most recent “Before the 90 Days” reunion, which aired last weekend was reportedly the most-watched program in America that week. The franchise makes for an impressionable one-third of the network’s programming with an expanding viewer base -- logging in approximately 3.5 million viewers on day one.

While nobody really knows what made the show click, critics believe that it was “the casting of people of myriad socioeconomic classes, cultures, and ethnicities -- more often struggling than not -- desperate not just for money and fame, but love. Very, very desperate for love.” The theme focussed on how no matter what circumstances one is embroiled in, happiness ultimately boils down to finding that missing piece to your jigsaw puzzle.

For the better or worse, “90 Day Fiancé” resonated a lot more than expected during the lockdown. More so, because it’s built-in global settings pushed viewers to reflect and be grateful about the time things were taken for granted. Some viewers believe the show came through as some form of a salve amid a job loss due to the pandemic. “I think we’re kind of relatable,” Colt, a 34-year-old former tech worker says.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re foreign or domestic -- everyone can relate to the conflict.” Colt is returning to the show this month, with his mom Debbie.

The show that initially went through multiple rejections, finds a volley super fans such as Pete Davidson, Lady Gaga, Chrissy Teigen and John Legend, Amy Schumer, Sophie Turner and Mindy Kaling and the like.