The Big Picture

The Braxtons
return to TV on Aug 9, focusing on grief, and family dynamics post Traci’s passing.
Trina and Towanda share their bond, honor Traci, and aim to show viewers the importance of processing grief.
The sisters emphasize individual grieving processes and celebrate Traci’s life through storytelling on the show.

A lot has happened since The Braxton family completed their tenure on Braxton Family Values. But the family has returned to television in the new We TV reality series, The Braxtons. For Towanda Braxton and Trina Braxton, being on television feels amazing. Speaking to the sisters ahead of their brand-new series, the women had a lot to share on why this was the right moment to return and what stories they wanted to share.

The Braxtons follows sisters Toni Braxton, Tamar Braxton, Trina, and Towanda, as well as their mother Ms. E. as they navigate life following the passing of Traci Braxton. Through raw flashbacks and family gatherings, the women attempt to pick up the pieces and find the strength to grieve. Trina and Towanda joined Collider virtually as they spoke about the importance of this series as well as shared just what makes their dynamic so special.

The Braxtons (2024) The Braxtons is a new reality TV show set to premiere on August 9, 2024, on WE tv. It marks the return of Toni, Towanda, Trina, Tamar, and their mother Evelyn Braxton, three years after their previous series, Braxton Family Values, ended. The series will follow the family as they navigate new successes, heartbreaks, and ongoing family dynamics, especially dealing with the grief of losing their sister Traci in 2022.Release Date August 9, 2024 Cast Toni Braxton , Tamar Braxton , Towanda Braxton , Trina Braxton , Evelyn Braxton Main Genre Reality Seasons 1

‘The Braxtons’ are Back In Honor of Traci
After congratulating Trina and Towanda on their return, Towanda shared that it felt amazing. But as Trina put it, “You know what it feels like? It feels like you’ve been on a really long vacation. And now you’re finally home and you’re sleeping in your own bed.” On The Braxtons, the series starts off with the difficult realities of rallying back as a family following the loss of their beloved sister after her battle with cancer. But there had to be a reason to return to television at this moment for this show. And it was Traci. “When Traci was transitioning, she wanted to tell her own story. She wanted to tell her story. And then she told us that, ‘Hey guys, I want you to do the show because I want you guys to tell my story.’ We said, okay,’ shares Towanda. We TV invited them home, and the rest is history.

Related ‘The Braxtons’ Review: An Emotionally Raw New Chapter ‘The Braxtons’ doesn’t shy away from depicting this family’s grieving, for better and worse.

Of course, The Braxtons was not Trina and Towanda’s first time doing a docureality series. With a little experience under their belt, there was something different about this show. For Trina, she shared, “The difference, you know, quite obviously is that elemental loss of Traci. She’s definitely missed. That Traci spark is definitely missed.” She joked, “But also you still get to still see your other favorite Braxtons. Still up to our quirky little things that we used to do. but just slightly older.” New show, same antics!

‘The Braxtons’ Is a Celebration of Traci

At the heart of The Braxtons, it is a celebration of Traci Braxton. By sharing Traci’s story on television, the family has the opportunity to give the world a chance to remember Traci the best way possible. “I want the world to remember Traci as being Traci and that she was an amazing spirit. She was a fighter. She’s the strongest person I’ve ever met or known before in my life. She fought to the very end. And even in the end, she still wanted to fight,” Towanda said. “I want everybody to remember her as being an amazing, wonderful spirit. And an amazing mother, an amazing sister. She was just an incredible human being and I just think that we were so blessed that God placed her so gently into our lives.” While she may not be physically there, a part of Traci lives on on the show. Traci gifted her family a hummingbird necklace, something that the women cherish, wearing them during our interview.

Expressing grief and going through a period of mourning is central to the story on The Braxtons. For Trina, this was her opportunity to do this out loud. “After some reflection, it reminded me that this is why we’re doing this show in the first place. That’s why Braxton Family Values 12 years ago did it in the first place. We wanted the fans and our viewers to know, and understand and realize that we’re just like everybody else. This loss affects us just as much as it would anybody else.” It’s true. Everyone grieves. She continued, “And it’s okay to grieve. And it’s okay to not be okay. And it’s okay to move forward with your life without feeling regret. It’s okay to move forward with your life without feeling, Oh my gosh, well, I’m grieving, but how long does it take for me to grieve? There is no right or wrong answer for anyone. And you have to have grief at your own pace, in your own time, and in the way you grieve. Everybody’s not going to grieve the same.”

Towanda and Trina Have an Undeniable Dynamic

Beyond sharing Traci’s journey, The Braxtons has allowed viewers to come back and watch the sisters be sisters. “Trina and I are the closest in age. Trina and I are only 15 months apart and everybody else is like two years and two and a half years apart. The fact that me and Trina live in the same state, it helps a lot. And then Trina owned a restaurant and she, you know, she, she bartended and had a mobile bar that helped a lot too,” Towanda joked. “Trina’s just fun. She’s just not my sister, she’s my friend, you know? And even if we weren’t sisters, she would be my friend and that’s special…Everybody’s dynamics of a family, you have that person that you can be like, okay, if that person was not my family member, I would like that person, I would hang out with that person. And that for me is Trina.” Towanda did say it was Traci too as it was “me, Trina, and Traci.” Trina rifted off her sister and said, “And not to take away from, you know, our two remaining sisters, but like Tawanda said, we were the closest in proximity of age and distance from one home to another. And we actually hang out with each other. Like we don’t need the cameras to be on us. We are on the phone with each other at least six to eight times a day. Yeah. And it’s just, I love her. I choose her.”

To keep things fun and lighthearted, we played a little word association game called Tea Time. I gave them a name of a family member, and they shared a word or phrase to describe them. We started with Toni. Trina said sultry, to which Towanda agreed. With Tamar, Trina simply said “I’m sorry,” before saying she joking. Towanda found it so hilarious before saying she would have said brat, decided not to say it out loud. She said, “Giving people grace is what I’m trying to do these days in my life.” For their mother, Ms. E, Towanda and Trina agreed on talented. Of course, we had to end with one another. For Towanda, Towanda said amazing, as Trina said, “Secret squirrel.” And for Trina, Trina simply said “You’re welcome” as Towanda laughed and said “Wonderful.”

The world is getting another chance to hang out with the Braxtons. For some, this is their first time meeting. No matter what, Towanda and Trina are excited to return to the screen and share the story of Traci through one another, as well as her son Kevin, who will be featured on the series. At the end of the day, The Braxtons takes a hard look at grief and loss, reminding viewers of the importance of taking the time personally to do it on your terms.

The Braxtons airs new episodes every Friday on We TV. All episodes will be available to stream on ALLBLK.

Stream on ALLBLK