Unexpected Season 5 - What We Know So Far

Through its first four seasons, "Unexpected" has delivered the kind of drama that helps reality series stick around for a while. The show, which tells the story of teenage parents as they prepare for the arrival of their babies and then follows them after their children are born, also partnered with Power to Decide on its fourth season, hoping to spur conversations about unplanned pregnancy with its audience. 

The show has followed a variety of young girls and their boyfriends, along with the couples' parents, over its first four years. Although it's often entertaining, "Unexpected" has also been clear about the toll that these unplanned pregnancies have taken on the lives of the young girls who decide to have their children. The series doesn't cover up the difficulty of raising a child before reaching the age of 20. Now, many viewers are eagerly anticipating a fifth helping of the TLC series, and they're wondering who the show will choose to follow and when the new season will be released. Here's what you can expect for the future of "Unexpected."

TLC, the reality show factory that has given us gems such as "90 Day Fiance" and "Plathville," has yet to announce whether "Unexpected" will return for a fifth season, so it doesn't have an official release date yet. The fourth season premiered in December 2020, and although the show hasn't received a renewal order, TLC hasn't canceled it either. Given the necessary COVID protocols to film a reality series, shooting on a new season is likely more difficult than normal, so a fifth season may arrive later than usual. 

The show's ratings took a dive with the arrival of Season 4, but it remains a consistently watched show for TLC, and it's one that people can also rediscover via streaming after the episodes have aired on the network. What's more, the ratings on the series are largely in line with Teen Mom OG, which was the first series of this kind. 

Because there has been no official announcement of a fifth season, there's no way to know for sure who the show will choose to follow next season if it's renewed. The couples from last season are all likely to return, including Tyra Boisseau and Alex Wilson, who were first introduced in Season 3, and Lilly Bennett and James Kennedy, who we first met in Season 1 and returned to the show in Season 4 for the birth of their second child. 

Jenna Ronan and Aden Albright were also featured in the most recent episodes, as were Myrka Cantu and Ethan Ybarra, who were new to the show. Reanna Cline and Taron Ward debuted in the fourth season, and all five couples could return for a new round of "Unexpected". The show's producers might also go back to the well, inviting some of the couples from previous seasons if there's another surprise waiting on their latest pregnancy tests. 

There's no trailer for the fifth season of "Unexpected" yet, but given the fact that the fourth season just recently wrapped up, that's not exactly a surprise. If the show is renewed, the show's trailer is likely to drop several weeks ahead of the new season's debut, thanks to TLC's history of not keeping audiences waiting long. 

Before the trailer appears, though, TLC is likely to release more details on which couples the show is going to follow. Then, the trailer will debut and give fans a sense of what's still to come in the new season, ramping up the same level of excitement you could expect for the return of one of its staple shows. Although Season 5 of "Unexpected" is not a done deal, there are plenty of fans eager to see more of the show, including all the drama and turmoil that comes with a surprise bun in the oven.