TLC‘s beloved reality show 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way is known for showcasing relationships in other countries. But there might be a rival series in the wings that is ready to topple TLC‘s flagship franchise. These are reality shows, centered around traveling internationally. The Other Way is one of the most popular 90 Day Fiancé spin-offs and focuses on Americans who travel and live abroad with their lovers. It’s one of the best spin-offs because it keeps many of the beloved 90 Day Fiancé characteristics while containing a unique aspect of living abroad. It also tends to breed more authentic relationships while showcasing cultural differences better. Now, HBO Max has recently released a new reality TV series that has its own transatlantic twist called Coming From America.
The first season includes four Black families who are ready to uproot their lives and transition careers to live in Africa. It’s similar to The Other Way because it showcases families living in another country. However, it might be an even better twist on an already great idea. All families have different circumstances that make their adventure more unique. Plus, unlike most of the stars on The Other Way, the families aren’t just there to visit. They have a home that they’re moving into and a career that they’re working toward, all while navigating family life in a country they’ve never been to before.
Both ‘The Other Way’ and ‘Coming From America’ Highlight International Living
The most obvious similarity between the two series is the focus on international living. When 90 Day Fiancé first started, it was a reality show focused on international stars traveling on a K-1 visa. The K-1 visa is also known as the “fiancé visa” because it’s for engaged couples, and they have to get married within 90 days. As the series became more popular, spin-offs like 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After?, 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days, and 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way came about to showcase different areas of the couple’s lives, even before or after the K-1 visa. The Other Way took the original premise and deviated slightly to follow the Americans who travel abroad instead. For example, franchise favorite Tiffany Francofirst appeared in The Other Way Season 1, which highlighted her experience with marrying Ronald Smith.
Additionally, another franchise favorite couple, Jenny Slatten and Sumit Singh are also from The Other Way. However, unlike Tiffany, Jenny is an older woman with adult children, which presents its own set of unique challenges. Overall, while there might be some differences in the plot, Coming From America has a similar idea. There are four families; the Smileys, the Jonses, the Kellys, and the Jovone-Davises, and they all used to live in America. However, a cheaper cost of living and an opportunity to connect with the “motherland” would ultimately convince them to uproot their lives and adapt to the African culture. Similar to The Other Way, families will live, eat, work, play, and adjust to the new culture in an unfamiliar country.
‘Coming From America’ Focuses Less on Relationships and Scammers
Although both series have a similar plot, there’s one major difference between the two shows. The Other Way, like the other 90 Day Fiancé series, concentrates on dating and marriage. Since day one of the franchise, the primary goal has been to date and find someone to marry. While the spin-offs might deviate slightly from this premise, there’s still a strong focus on dating and the potential for scammers, since someone usually wants a visa. However, the goal is different in Coming From America. There is one star, Julia Jovone-Davis, who is searching for love. She’s a single mom of four and was hoping to establish her career and live forever in South Africa. Meanwhile, the rest of the families are already established and all the families have kids. The Kellys are a massive-blended family who appeared on America’s Got Talent Season 16. The parents, Gerald and Lilian Ryan, have kids from separate marriages and one child together. The series does highlight a few of their marital issues as they are facing some turmoil.
As a result, the couple hopes that a fresh change of pace will help them repair their relationship. For the most part, unlike 90 Day Fiancé, the focus has been on their adjustment to Africa as they get ready to take their comedy career abroad and reap the benefits of a cheaper cost of living. Then there is the Smiley family. The husband, Gabe Smiley was the only star to secure a job abroad. The family also ensured the kids were enrolled in school. However, only time will tell if wife Elaine and her mother-in-law can get along well enough to enjoy South Africa and convince her own mother to visit. Overall, while families and relationships are obviously part of the show’s storylines, Coming From America has more emphasis on living and navigating life in Africa. There’s also no mention of scammers, since almost everyone is moving as a unit with the families. Instead, fans are watching Lilian get her hair braided for approximately 20 USD, while her family receives goats as a gift, which are not aspects seen often in the 90 Day Fiancé franchise.
‘Coming From America’ Has More Unique Storylines
To make the series even better and differentiate itself more from similar shows, all the families have unique storylines to make the show even more entertaining. In The Other Way, and the other 90 Day Fiancé series, the goal is to find love. There might be other elements, like green card scammers and snarky in-laws included in the mix, but all the stars’ goals are to find their forever partner. However, that’s not the goal of Coming From America. Furthermore, each family’s storyline differs from the others. Although they all want to embrace the South African culture, each family has a different desire. Julia is searching for her African prince charming. She did go on one date but was instantly turned off by how “busy” and flashy the man seemed.
Julia finding the love of her life might be more difficult than she thought. Additionally, the Kelly Family wants to bring their comedy career to Africa. However, drag shows and physical comedy are more popular there, so Gerald and his sons must show more ingenuity in their efforts to capture the African attention. Then there’s the Smiley family, whose parents are an interracial couple. Gabe’s wife, Elaine, has high standards. He sticks out like a sore thumb since there aren’t many other “white people around.” Plus, his skeptical mom is joining them for their adventure, which is sure to add more issues to the pot, since Elaine struggles to get along with her mother-in-law. While the new series highlights the families’ relationships and how they navigate love occasionally, similar to 90 Day Fiancé, their experience will be showcased differently than seen before.
The series is only two episodes in, so there’s still a lot left to be uncovered. As yet, the families have just made it to America and are settling in their new homes. The families still need to transition their careers, find schooling for their kids, and embrace the “motherland.” However, despite only being a few episodes in, the series is certainly carving out its own path. The series is full of laughs and cringe-worthy moments while still highlighting the importance of African culture. While The Other Way might still be a splendid choice for viewers who enjoy relationships and a variety of cultures to soak in, Coming From America is a great show to get the reality fix in between seasons. Coming From America airs Thursdays on HBO Max in the U.S.
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