''Alaskan Bush People'' is an American

docudrama Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television and film, which features dramatized re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of documentary and drama and "a fact-based representation of real event". Docudramas typic ...

-style

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

series that follows the Brown family in an attempt to survive in the wilderness, detached from modern society. The series premiered on the

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...

on May 6, 2014. Filmed on location in

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

near Copper Center,

Hoonah Hoonah ( tli, Xunaa or ''Gaaw Yat’aḵ Aan'') is a largely Tlingit community on Chichagof Island, located in Alaska's panhandle in the southeast region of the state. It is west of Juneau, across the Alaskan Inside Passage. Hoonah is the only f ...

, and

Chichagof Island Chichagof Island (russian: Остров Чичагова), or Shee Kaax, is an island in the Alexander Archipelago of the Alaska Panhandle. At long and wide, it has a land area of , making it the fifth largest island in the United States and ...

, with later seasons filmed on location in

Okanogan County, Washington Okanogan County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington along the Canada–U.S. border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 42,104. The county seat is Okanogan, while the largest city is Omak. Its area is the largest in ...

, it follows the extended Brown family's life. Although purportedly a genuine reality TV show, it has been criticized for being scripted and/or fake. In April 2019,

Radar Online Radar Online is an American entertainment and gossip website that was first published as a print and online publication in September 2003 before becoming exclusively online. As of 2008, the magazine has been owned by the publisher American Media ...

learned that the show was renewed for a 10th season. On November 13, the show was renewed for season 11, which premiered on December 4, 2019. Season 12 premiered on August 23, 2020. In August 2020, cast member Bear Brown posted on Instagram saying that the family's home had been destroyed in the

2020 Washington wildfires The 2020 Washington wildfire season officially began in March 2020. The season was a part of the 2020 Western United States wildfires. By September, wildfires had burned over 713,000 acres, 181 homes had been lost, and one death occurred as a ...

. Patriarch Billy Brown died at age 68 on February 7, 2021, after suffering a seizure.

Background

The series follows the Brown family of

Hoonah, Alaska Hoonah ( tli, Xunaa or ''Gaaw Yat’aḵ Aan'') is a largely Tlingit community on Chichagof Island, located in Alaska's panhandle in the southeast region of the state. It is west of Juneau, across the Alaskan Inside Passage. Hoonah is the only f ...

, as they build lives together off the grid in Alaska.

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2014)

Season 2 (2015)

Season 3 (2015)

Season 4 (2015–16)

Season 5 (2016)

Season 6 (2017)

Season 7 (2017)

Season 8 (2018)

Season 9 (2019)

Season 10 (2019)

Season 11 (2019–20)

Season 12 (2020)

Season 13 (2021)

Season 14 (2022)

Specials

Family members

Billy has a criminal history of horse theft in 1980. Ami has a criminal history of welfare fraud. Billy was previously married to Brenda Britt; their daughter, Twila Byars, appeared in the episode "Growing the Wolfpack" (S05E04). It has been suggested that the couple had a second child, Brandy.

Residency issues

On October 3, 2014, following an investigation by the Alaska Department of Revenue, a Juneau grand jury indicted the Browns with 60 counts of first-degree unsworn falsification regarding

Permanent Fund Dividend The Alaska Permanent Fund (APF) is a constitutionally established permanent fund managed by a state-owned corporation, the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation (APFC). It was established in Alaska in 1976 by Article 9, Section 15 of the Alaska State ...

forms for their residency and first- and second-degree theft that took place between 2009 and 2012. Billy was charged with 24 of those counts, which occurred from 2010 to 2013 as well as for the theft of more than $21,000 in dividend money for himself and others. The charges meant that the state believed the family spent more than 180 days a year living outside of Alaska and lied about it on their applications. On November 18, 2015, Billy and Joshua struck a plea deal for the whole family except Matt and Rain (Matt wasn't living there and didn't file and Rain was too young). They pled guilty for the rest of the family for lying on PFD forms. Billy and Joshua's punishment for stealing over $21,000 dollars was restitution, fines and 30 days of house arrest at a Juneau hotel.

References

External links

{{Alaska reality television 2010s American reality television series 2014 American television series debuts Discovery Channel original programming Television shows set in Alaska