Plot Synopsis

WAHLBURGERS is a reality series that follows Mark and Donnie Wahlberg's family, as their older brother, Chef Paul, and their mother, Alma, run the family restaurant business. Even with his brothers' full support, this proves no easy task for Chef Paul, as he gets caught up in a whirlwind of bustling kitchens, an impending expansion, a new assistant, and everything in between. Named after the family matriarch and her nine children, their first restaurant business venture, Alma Nove, launched at the Hingham Shipyard on Boston's south shore. Just over a year later, the family opened its second restaurant, Wahlburgers, a retro-themed burger joint that celebrated the boys' careers. Now, the Wahlberg clan has big plans for the hometown burger joint that touts the family name, but they can't seem to agree on their next move. When Chef Paul and Donnie find the perfect second location in Boston, it's up to Paul to convince Mark that they should keep Wahlburgers local rather than expand internationally. But will Mark get his wish when he gets Paul to check out a new place in Toronto? In an attempt to make things easier for Chef Paul, his mother convinces him to finally hire an assistant, Kari Burke, who becomes his Operations Manager after a series of connections led her to Alma. Then, when Donnie brings home girlfriend Jenny McCarthy, Alma and Paul engage in a sauce-off, while Paul also works on a special burger of the month for Jenny. In addition to being home base for the Wahlbergs, Wahlburgers is also a gathering spot for the gang from the old neighborhood, including Mark and Donnie's original entourage, Johnny 'Drama' Alves and Henry 'Nacho' Laun, and Mark's childhood friend and former partner-in-crime, Billy Leonard.

WAHLBURGERS returned for its second season on Wednesday, August 13, 2014 at 10pm ET/PT on A&E. In the new season, Mark and Donnie juggle their roles at the restaurant while working abroad. Mark heads to China to promote a film and convinces 'Drama' and 'Nacho' to tag along. Donnie is on tour in London with New Kids on the Block when fiancee Jenny McCarthy arranges for a surprise visitor to stave off his homesickness. Back in Boston, Paul gets in over his head when he joins a fantasy football league, so he seeks help from family friend Rob Gronkowski. Brandon finds himself caught in a prank war with Kari, while Alma has a new love in her life -- her new smartphone.

On Wednesday, January 7, 2015 at 10pm ET/PT, A&E premiered the third season of WAHLBURGERS. In Season 3, brothers Mark, Donnie and Paul Wahlberg continue to expand the family burger franchise while balancing a series of personal events -- including Paul's trip to Mark's new house, Donnie's wedding and visits from the Red Sox's David Ortiz and Boston Bruin ice hockey legend Bobby Orr. Donnie's band New Kids On The Block is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Mark gets Johnny 'Drama' a part in his film TED 2. In the season opener, Donnie's Chicago-based wedding proves to be a challenge for Alma who doesn't fly but certainly can't miss her son's wedding. Donnie finds the perfect solution -- a tour bus. He enlists his nephew Brandon to accompany Alma on the journey to Chicago to make sure she arrives in time for the wedding.

A&E premiered the fourth season of WAHLBURGERS on Wednesday, July 15, 2015 at 9:30pm ET/PT. In the season opener, "License to Grill," Paul takes a trip with his kids to visit Mark, Rhea and the kids in Los Angeles. A simple family BBQ turns into a battle of Wahlberg clans during a game of touch football. Mark utilizes his home field advantage to torment Paul. Meanwhile, back in Hingham, Kari discovers that Alma once lived with Mark in Los Angeles. Kari finally gets Alma to tell her about her life in Hollywood. During the rest of Season 4, Mark promotes two feature films, TED 2 and ENTOURAGE, while balancing life at home with his wife Rhea. Paul and Mark head to Paris for the TED 2 press junket and leave some time for sightseeing. Mark also makes his directorial debut as he teams up with Diddy for the new Wahlburgers jingle video featuring Johnny Drama. The brothers push Paul to expand the franchise as New York City gets its first location with additional restaurants opening in Boston and Los Angeles. Donnie and Alma take on the Big Apple and later visit the new Coney Island location and of course get into some mother-son shenanigans. Meanwhile, Donnie is on a multi-city tour with New Kids on the Block, but still makes time to connect with his family and the growing business. Paul and Alma hold down the fort at the family's two Hingham restaurants, Alma Nove and Wahlburgers. Brother Bob tries to get involved in the growing burger business and nephew Brandon moves in with Alma in order to save some cash.

Season 5 of WAHLBURGERS premiered on Wednesday, March 9, 2016 from 9-10pm ET/PT on A&E, as brothers Mark, Donnie and Paul Wahlberg continue to expand their burger restaurant business with special guest appearances by music mogul P. Diddy, NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and even Pope Francis I himself. In the one-hour season opener, "Directing Drama," Johnny Drama looks to take his music career to the next level, so Mark suggests Drama make a music video that Mark himself will direct. The music video will be Drama's Wahlburgers Rap Jingle and shot down in New Orleans where Mark is filming his latest movie. Mark enlists music mogul Sean "P Diddy" Combs and movie director Peter Berg to help mentor Drama. But filming hits a rough patch when Drama is not comfortable with the alter ego "Drama Boy" that Mark creates for him. The new season also chronicles Marks as he, unexpectedly, gets the opportunity of a lifetime to host the Festival of Families honoring Pope Francis I in Philadelphia. Meanwhile, Donnie and New Kids on the Block put on a very special concert for Alma and even surprise his BLUE BLOODS costar Marissa Ramirez. NASCAR drivers, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Greg Biffle and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. also make appearances this season.

On Wednesday, July 6, 2016 at 10pm ET/PT, A&E premiered the sixth season of WAHLBURGERS. This season Mark and Paul travel to Orlando to celebrate the opening of the latest Wahlburgers location and Paul heads to the Kentucky Derby to be a celebrity chef at Taste of Derby. Donnie helps Alma overcome her fear of flying and the two even take salsa lessons together. And fans may finally get the answer to the question everyone has been asking-- which son really is Alma's favorite? Additional recognizable faces this season include Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, Patriots' owner Robert Kraft and pro golfers Bubba Watson, Jason Day and D.H. Lee. In the season opener, "Paul-itics," Donnie puts a ballot box in Wahlburgers so customers can vote on who they think Alma's favorite son is. Alma tries to put a stop to it when Donnie and Bob's campaigning gets out of control. At Pebble Beach, California, Mark and Bubba Watson team up to compete in the AT&T Pro Am and in an effort to psych out the competition, Mark recruits his friends to help get in the heads of Justin Timberlake, Jason Day, Jim Harbaugh and other golfers.

Season 7 of WAHLBURGERS premiered on Wednesday, November 16, 2016 from 10-11pm ET/PT, as A&E debuted back-to-back new episodes. In the season opener (10pm), "VR the World," hoping to gives fans that don't live near any of the restaurants a taste of the atmosphere, Donnie hires a team to create a virtual reality experience of the Hingham Wahlburgers. Donnie works to convince Paul and Alma to be in it with him. Meanwhile, in an effort to resurrect Drama-Boy, Mark introduces Drama to an up and coming Boston rapper named Token. Then, in the night's second new episode (10:30pm), "Go Midwest Young Man," Mark works hand in hand with the franchisee of the new Detroit Wahlburgers to make sure the location opens up in record time. Donnie invites Paul to come and join him scout for potential downtown Chicago locations. While in Chi-Town, Donnie tricks Paul into teaching a cooking class for a menu item Donnie had made up minutes earlier. Mark pulls Paul out of Chicago to finish manager training after pushing the Detroit grand opening date.

The eighth season of WAHLBURGERS premiered on Wednesday, August 9, 2017 from 9-10pm ET/PT, as A&E debuted back-to-back new episodes. In the season opener (9pm), "Houston, We Have a Paul-Blem," Mark, Donnie and Paul all converge in Houston in hopes of another New England Patriots championship. While Mark and his kids take on NFL Pro Bowler Travis Kelce, Donnie convinces Paul to join him on Jenny's radio show. Then, in the night's second new episode (9:30pm), "Fry Me to the Moon," Donnie invites food critic and internet sensation Day'm Drops to Wahlburgers to help convince Paul to change up the fries. Alma enlists the help of Johnny Drama to teach her golf so she can spend more time with Mark. In the rest of the new season, with Wahlburgers becoming one of the fastest growing restaurant chains in the world, Mark, Donnie and Paul kick things off with a whopping new deal to open 300 locations across the globe. Additional highlights include a visit from former N*Sync member Joey Fatone who seeks out Donnie for restaurant advice; Mark teams up with Hasbro to create a one-of-a-kind "Paul Wahl" action figure; Donnie taps tour mates Boyz II Men to taste test Jenny McCarthy's new vodka line while Mark and his kids face off against NFL pro-bowler Travis Kelce in touch football. Penn & Teller make Mark's Las Vegas Wahlburgers VIP party magical and Mark, Paul and Donnie team up to throw Alma a can't-miss surprise birthday party she will never forget.

Season 9 of WAHLBURGERS premiered on Wednesday, June 13, 2018 at 10pm ET/PT on A&E. Season 9 adapts a new hour-long format as the series takes an even deeper dive into the high stakes business world of Mark, Donnie and Paul Wahlberg's restaurant chain. With plans to double in size in just one year, the brothers take on a huge risk by setting their sights on entering into an entirely new fast casual market by creating an "Express Model" version of Wahlburgers. With heart, determination and some humor, this season follows the brothers as they work to partner with monster retail brands and propel themselves into hundreds of locations and untapped markets. Mark and Donnie's dream of creating a legacy to outlive them is in their reach, but Paul is resistant as he wants to make sure they maintain the quality and experience he's always promised to deliver. With the help of Alma who always reminds the brothers to stay true to their humble beginnings, the brothers try to work it all out. In the season opener, "Meat in the Middle," Mark, Donnie and Paul have big plans for Wahlburgers' ever-expanding burger empire. Chef Paul is working on getting the right equipment and their burger times down in order to step in the fast food market with their "Express Model," and Donnie risks a personal mission to open a Wahlburgers in his home town of St. Charles. Meanwhile, the brothers disagree on the packaging of their own brand of retail beef, a financial risk that puts real world business pressure on the family like never before.

The tenth and final season of WAHLBURGERS premiered on Wednesday, May 16, 2019 at 9pm ET/PT on A&E. The final season continues to chronicle the lives of Mark, Donnie and Paul Wahlberg as they balance family and their rapidly growing business, which has become one of the fastest growing and most popular restaurants in the country. Starting with one original location in Hingham, Massachusetts, Wahlburgers, the booming restaurant chain owned by Mark, Donnie and Paul Wahlberg, now has over 30 locations across the country. This season celebrates the success the Wahlberg brothers have worked so hard for, as they embark on a new frontier across the pond. Mark and Paul make their way to Germany, where they continue to work with the military to open restaurants in U.S. bases around the world. Matriarch Alma gets her own moment to shine when she is interviewed by a national morning show about her life as a mother of famous sons. Meanwhile, Donnie is under massive pressure to deliver on his promise to open his own Wahlburgers location in his hometown of St. Charles, Illinois. The series culminates with the brothers' biggest challenge yet as they work to fulfill Alma's dream of finally opening their namesake restaurant in their childhood hometown of Dorchester, Massachusetts. After years of hard work and personal sacrifice, the Wahlberg family finally returns home to where it all began.
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On Wednesday, July 31, 2019 from 8-11pm ET/PT, A&E premiered the two-episode series finale (9-11pm) of WAHLBURGERS, immediately following a new one-hour special (8pm):

"Wahlburgers Award Show Clips Show" (8pm): In this special episode of WAHLBURGERS, the cast takes over their own show. Hosted by Donnie and Paul, this show devolves into a self-proclaimed award ceremony, where Donnie and Paul hand out Wahlburgers awards to their favorite clips. With special appearances by Alma, Bob and Brandon, plus a special "Behind The Menu" segment starring Johnny Drama.

"Sweating the Big Stuff" (9pm): Mark uses his new business venture to help Paul get his health and fitness on track. Alma prepares for a big interview on the TODAY show. Bob continues to get more involved in the business and pitches a big idea to Wahlburgers corporate.

"Wahlburgers Comes Home" (10pm): Life comes full-circle as the Wahlbergs prepare to finally open the long-awaited location in their hometown of Dorchester. Donnie gives Paul a professional makeover for the event, using some of his friends from Blue Bloods. Alma gets a special treat from Mark's personal chef, and the whole family comes together for one more special grand opening in the place where it all started.