Lifetime is back at it again with another dramatic TV movie, and it has everything: secret spouses, deceptive newlyweds, and even a dash of kidnapping and murder. Luckily, it doesn't appear that My Husband's Secret Wife is a true story — at least, I really hope it's not.
According to the synopsis of the film on Lifetime's website, My Husband's Secret Wife premieres on Aug. 19 at 8 p.m. ET and follows Avery (Helena Mattsson) as she uncovers some pretty troubling secrets her new husband, Alex (Josh Kelly) has been keeping from her. It's a doozy — he has another wife already. Avery tries to alert the other wife of Alex's infidelity in hopes that they have some kind of solidarity against him. But instead, in true Lifetime form, the other wife decides to kidnap Avery's child and get rid of her once and for all.
I have so many questions about this situation. How did the guy who's weird enough to marry two women manage to wind up with one who is weird enough to plot a kidnapping or murder? Maybe they deserve each other, and Avery should just peace out. And how did he pull this off? Are they just unobservant, or did he have some in-depth ruse to explain why he's away so much? And legally, how did he game the system enough to obtain two marriage licenses to different women? What is his tax situation like?!
Things could get super dicey for Avery, but hopefully she's up to the task of escaping this life built on lies that her husband has manipulated her into. Viewers will have to tune in for answers, and Lifetime fans live for this drama.
The cherry on top is that the stars of this film could also be familiar to people who aren't TV movie junkies. Kelly is perhaps best known in recent years for his role in Lifetime's UnREAL, the Emmy-nominated drama that just took its final bow last month — he plays camera man and Rachel Goldberg's loose cannon of an ex-boyfriend, Jeremy. Mattsson is also no stranger to the business — she's appeared in shows like American Horror Story and Desperate Housewives.
No matter how far-fetched the plots of Lifetime movies can sometimes seem, they've nestled themselves into a place in pop culture that not many can resist. Snuggling up on the couch throughout a rainy afternoon while watching wives uncover secrets about their husbands is kind of the ultimate viewing experience. Lifetime could keep churning these babies out for the foreseeable future, and they'd likely still have a faithful base of fans who are ready to settle in with a glass of wine and watch the mayhem unfold.
So, gather your snacks and your fellow Lifetime fans together for a sleepover on Sunday night, and click over to the trusty network that's made such a name for itself in terms of juicy TV drama. Titles like My Husband's Secret Wife will keep on coming, and that's something to celebrate.
