'MAFS' Season 8 May Be Ending, But Season 9 Could Be Here Soon

The couples of Married at First Sight Season 8 dealt with ups and downs as they adjusted to married life, but their grand experiment is almost over. Fans only have the finale and a reunion special to look forward to before they say goodbye to this specific group of participants. There may be a wait before the show continues, leaving viewers wondering: when does MAFS Season 9 premiere? Has the show even been renewed yet?

It doesn't look like Lifetime has made an official announcement about Season 9, but I wouldn't worry too much about the show's future. It's popular enough to spawn countless spinoffs, from MAFS: Happily Ever After? to every iteration across the continents. There's still an audience for this show, and a dedicated one at that. That doesn't mean a renewal is guaranteed, but it's a pretty good indication.

An even better indication? Lifetime appears to be casting the new season already. They placed a casting call up on their website for exhausted singles in the Washington, D.C. area who are looking to find the love of their life. Once they find a new group of people to pair off, new episodes of MAFS could be right around the corner.

Of course, casting, filming, and editing all take time, which means it may be several months (at minimum) before the series returns. But taking a look at previous premiere dates could offer a hint or two about when MAFS might be back. Though the show has been on the air since 2014, it's only been on Lifetime for a couple of seasons; before that, it was on FYI. Season 6 began on Lifetime on Jan. 2, while Season 7 started Jul. 10 and Season 8 aired its first episode on Jan. 1. While that might sound like it's all over the place, it does seem to form a pattern.

If there are two seasons of the show per year, then one airs in the winter and another in the summer. If the most recent season began in January, it stands to reason that the next one could debut in July. There's definitely enough time between now and July to have seven weeks of wedded bliss to a total stranger — especially if casting is already underway. If MAFS follows the same schedule it has in the past few years, then you might be able to enjoy Season 9 as soon as this summer.

That's just speculation, though. Without confirmation from the network, there's no way to know exactly when the show will be back. There is a lot of work that has to go into creating this experiment: after sifting through all of the applicants, the experts will have to match up three or four prospective couples before sending them down the aisle. Then there will be weeks worth of content to edit together into cohesive episodes. All of that could be accomplished before summer starts, but there's always a chance it could take a little bit longer, too.