For the first time in her illustrious career, Connie Britton is stepping into unscripted territory with Hallmark’s The Motherhood, premiering May 5. In this captivating six-episode series, Britton takes on the role of host, guiding us through the journey of building a robust support system for single mothers—one mom per week. Drawing from her own experiences as a single mom, she designed The Motherhood to connect with fellow mothers who are balancing the trifecta of work, parenting and self-care.
Throughout an eye-opening week, Britton teams up with a trio of experts—DIY and home design guru Angela Rose, positive parenting mentor Destini Ann, and style and self-love expert Taryn Hicks—to help each mom rediscover peace and harmony in her life. Together, alongside what the show affectionately calls “The Neighbor Ladies,” Britton dives into the unique challenges each mom faces, collaborating with her experts to craft tailored plans of support.
In the spirit of camaraderie, other moms also contribute to the support group, with the goal of fostering lasting friendships that extend well beyond the camera’s gaze. Filmed in the heart of Kansas City, The Motherhood beautifully illustrates the realities of single motherhood in Middle America.
DIRECTV chatted with the Neighbor Ladies about their upcoming series.
Connie, we know you best from your iconic acting roles; The Motherhood is unscripted, which is a bit of a departure. What compelled you to take on this particular project?
Connie Britton: Really, it was my own experience as a single mom. And actually, as you say that, it was my own experience as a single mom, but also my experience playing all those roles, specifically of mothers, and recognizing that the roles I played on TV or film had an impact on other women and on moms in the world. And I thought, gosh, I would love to be able to do that in an even broader way. I really had this dream about creating a community because I learned as a mom how essential having a community and a support system is. And so that was the idea around trying to create this show. Really, we are creating an expansive and expanding community where people can come together and support each other as we try to parent and just live our lives in the world.
For the single moms watching this at home and wishing they could benefit from the support you’re offering on the show – do you have any advice for them on how they can mirror the spirit of the show, and create that kind of community for themselves?
Taryn Hicks: Oh man, I think it starts with asking people for help, which is very vulnerable, right? Because even though I’m not a single mom, I think it is really hard as a mother in general (as a woman sometimes in general), to just ask for help if you need it. We feel like we have to do all the things – we have to stay strong for everyone and we’re pouring into everybody else. And so sometimes just taking the step to invite somebody to come in and to help you is what we need to do to build the community, to start laying the groundwork for our own ‘Motherhoods’ at home.
Connie: And just to recognize too, that doing that and asking for help, actually gives something to the person that you’re speaking to too. It allows them to be part of community. They are now in community with you, and that generosity of spirit is always reciprocal, so everybody benefits from it.
Taryn: And your kids seeing that too; that you are able to ask for help. Destiny, that’s something that you told me, and I’ve learned from you on the show, that asking for help is a powerful thing. So modeling that for them is so important.
Destiny Ann: Absolutely. I mean, I think what was so powerful about the show, for me in particular, was that, yeah, we’re coming in and helping the moms, but at the same time, we’re getting so much from them. And that’s coregulation. That’s what I do with my kids. At the end of the day, we could have gone in there and not necessarily changed their homes, or their outfits, or talked about discipline. Just the power of being in a space with other adults. God, I’m always with kids! Being with adults and being able to relax and be seen for who you are as an individual, you leave that space differently. You approach your home, your style, your parenting differently. And so I think I got to experience that from the moms, just being around them as well.
I imagine that on a personal level for each of you, this is incredibly impactful and fulfilling work. Looking back on this season, are there any stand-out moments, moms, or emotions?
Angela Rose: I feel like there’s nothing better than the reveals. I’m pretty sure everyone who’s watching is gonna cry during these reveals. To be able to see yourself in these moms, and in these moments and watch their journey? And the coolest thing is being able to see that it’s really us cheering and rooting for each other. You’re celebrating their wins and their victories, and you’re seeing these reveals, and you’re so proud of and excited for them. You can see all the emotion that we’re all having as well. Because it’s like Destiny was talking about, we all benefited. That vulnerability of us connecting and it tying us together is really what the show is all about – building that community.
Taryn: And it was real. We were in it, and it was beautiful and…I was the crier. I’m just gonna admit that. So I’m sorry, everybody.
Destiny: And the thing about it being real, is that the audience is gonna see things that have not been said by moms on TV. And that was really important for me, for us, to say the thing and tell the truth. There’s gonna be moments where it’s like, “I felt that and I didn’t think it was okay to say it, but she just said it on national TV. So it is okay and I still see her being beautiful and empowered.” I think that’s really important. They’re saying things that really do penetrate because we’ve all felt it, but somehow think we’re alone in feeling it.
Taryn: And I think the younger versions of us before we had kids would have loved to watch this show. To set the example for what we could be like as mothers, I think that’s also really beautiful. I know that before I was mom, I would have wanted to binge this show myself. So it’s for everybody. You don’t have to be a mom to take something from this.
Watch The Motherhood on DIRECTV to see “The Neighbor Ladies” in action.
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