‘Welcome to Myrtle Manor’ not filming fourth season - at least for now
Fans of the TLC show “Trailer Park: Welcome to Myrtle Manor” will have to wait a while longer – or possibly forever – for another season of the reality television show.
TLC officials said the network is not planning to film another season, but that doesn’t mean the show is canceled. The show’s third and most recent season aired its final episode in April, and cast and crew have been waiting for the word to pick back up and start rolling again.
“There are currently no plans to move forward with another season,” according to Patricia Kollappallil, spokeswoman with TLC.
Cecil Patrick, cast member and owner of Patrick’s Mobile Home Park off Highway 15 in Myrtle Beach where the show is filmed, said he’s optimistic the show may nab more seasons on another network or be picked up for a fourth season on TLC eventually.
“It doesn’t really bother me,” Patrick said. “It’s just business, and as a businessman, I understand it.”
The 10-episode third season averaged about 644,000 viewers per show, according to Nielsen, with the two-episode finale getting 528,000 viewers at 9 p.m. and 629,000 at 10 p.m. The show usually aired at 10 p.m. Thursdays. The show averaged 1.1 million viewers in the first two seasons, according to Nielsen, which measures the ratings of television shows.
Patrick said he doesn’t think the decreased ratings have any impact on the delayed filming.
“Even with the lower ratings, we were still in the top few shows,” he said. “I don’t think they paid much attention to those ratings – for some reason, our show just didn’t fit in their scheme of things.”
TLC is home to multiple reality shows including “Kate Plus 8,” “My 600-lb Life” and “Long Island Medium.” “Myrtle Manor” premiered in March 2013 to the dismay of many city residents and officials, but the overall effect has Myrtle Beach city leaders seeing green.
How many people have had their own TV show at their own home? And how many people have brought so much money into their own city? It’s just neat.
Cecil Patrick
cast member and owner of Patrick’s Mobile Home Park, aka ‘Myrtle Manor’“Myrtle Manor” brings in more than $101 million in merchandise sales and film crew spending, along with a tourism boost from viewers who visit the area, according to a Coastal Carolina University study released last year.
Karen Maguire, a Coastal accounting professor, researched the show’s impact on the local economy. Maguire looked at many factors: how much the reality show’s crew members spent in the area, the value of the publicity and even retail sales from the gift shop.
Her estimates, which she described as conservative, found production crew spending exceeded $2 million and merchandise sales reached nearly $800,000. If each hour of the show has the value of a 30-second commercial, she said the free promotion is worth about $3.3 million.
Patrick said the park still brings in business – even during the winter months – and he sees tourists in the park every day. A group from Australia spent their afternoon in “Myrtle Manor” on Wednesday, Patrick said, and he’s met people from all 50 states over the years because of the show’s popularity.
“The people who come to the park don’t have to come here,” he said. “They want to come here.”
Even if the show isn’t picked up for a fourth season on another network the trailer park will continue selling merchandise and offering tours for the next few years, Patrick said.
People still like us, people still watch us, people still hate us. We hope it comes back.
Cecil Patrick
cast member and owner of Patrick’s Mobile Home Park, aka ‘Myrtle Manor’Part of the show’s appeal stems from the relatable adventures of the park’s residents, Patrick said, especially because most of the residents are blue-collar southerners. Tourists see themselves in those characters, which leads to the increased tourism for the beach, he said.
“The people that live in this park are not rich people. They’re working class people, and the city of Myrtle Beach needs to realize that’s the kind of people that come to visit,” he said.
If it goes away and never comes back, god, it’s been a great ride.
Cecil Patrick
cast member and owner of Patrick’s Mobile Home Park, aka ‘Myrtle Manor’Whether “Myrtle Manor” scores a fourth season or is remembered for three seasons of misadventures, Patrick is glad he got the opportunity to share his life, family and business.
“If it goes away and never comes back, god, it’s been a great ride.”
Claire Byun: 843-626-0381, @Claire_TSN
This story was originally published January 23, 2016 at 8:55 AM with the headline "‘Welcome to Myrtle Manor’ not filming fourth season - at least for now."