We all know that TLC, home of the Gosselins and the Duggars, is fond of multiples. But multiple wives? Much to the surprise of cable-watchers everywhere, TLC has announced that its biggest new fall show will chronicle the lives of a family with three wives and thirteen children as they prepare to add a fourth wife to the mix. Think we're joking? Behold the preview of Sister Wives!
They're really not kidding when they say "rethink family reality." Sister Wives seems designed to challenge most of our ideas about what makes a family, and a marriage, functional. The polygamist at the center of the family, Kody Brown, appears to be pretty charming, explaining that he "just fell in love, and then I fell in love again, and then I fell in love again." The wives work "together as a team" and claim to be unaffected by jealousy. The children are blonde, smiley and adorable. Is the world ready for a TV show that makes "plural marriage" seem okay -- even desirable?
The closest parallel seems to be the HBO drama Big Love, which chronicles the challenges of a devout Mormon family with one husband and three wives. One of those challenges is keeping the arrangement a secret, since polygamy is frowned upon by society and not officially condoned by the church (as well as being sort of illegal). You'd think that would be a concern for the Sister Wives cast, who are also Mormons, but by going on reality TV, they're making a bold move in the direction of trying to normalize polygamy. Or at least, making it slightly less weird. Big Love is a hit, but it's fiction.
Will audiences be willing to go there? We'll find out when the show premieres on Sept. 26. at 10 p.m. on TLC.
Do you think TLC doing a reality show about polygamy glamorizes it? Chime in below!
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