"My Five Wives": Another Utah polygamous family on reality TV
TLC
First Big Love, then Sister Wives, then Joe Darger and family, and now Brady Williams and his five wives. Utah Mormon polygamists — or in this case ex-Mormons — have certainly become a Thing on TV.
My theory: These shows tap a growing fascination with multi-relationships while keeping them far enough from modern American life not to threaten viewers or scare advertisers.
Only one group-relationship series to date, Showtime's Polyamory: Married & Dating, dares to be about contemporary secular people who might live next door.
Brady Williams and his family were the subject of an hour-long TLC special, "My Five Wives," that aired on Sunday and Monday, September 15 and 16. TLC says the show "could turn into a full series depending on ratings."
Read the whole AP article (Sept. 16, 2013).
A press release from TLC.
Videos, stills, and bios on the show's official website.
HuffPost article: TLC's Newest Polygamous Family Favors Buddhism.
Much more news coverage from the last few days.
An entertainment writer's recap of the Sunday-Monday show.
[Permalink]
First Big Love, then Sister Wives, then Joe Darger and family, and now Brady Williams and his five wives. Utah Mormon polygamists — or in this case ex-Mormons — have certainly become a Thing on TV.
 |
| Brady Williams poses with his wives outside their home in a polygamous community near Salt Lake City. (AP photo/Rick Bowmer). |
My theory: These shows tap a growing fascination with multi-relationships while keeping them far enough from modern American life not to threaten viewers or scare advertisers.
Only one group-relationship series to date, Showtime's Polyamory: Married & Dating, dares to be about contemporary secular people who might live next door.
Brady Williams and his family were the subject of an hour-long TLC special, "My Five Wives," that aired on Sunday and Monday, September 15 and 16. TLC says the show "could turn into a full series depending on ratings."
A new Utah polygamous family on reality TV
By Brady McCombs (Associated Press)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Brady Williams has five wives, 24 children but no organized religion.
The newest polygamous family from Utah on reality TV considers itself progressive and independent. Williams and his wives slowly withdrew from the fundamentalist Mormon church in their rural community outside of Salt Lake City during the mid-2000s after re-evaluating their core beliefs.
The family no longer teaches the tenets of fundamental Mormonism to their children at home, opting instead to take from other teachings such as Buddhism to instill good, moral values in their two dozen children, who range in age from 2-20.
"Since we have left the religion, it's now about love and it's about commitment, and it's about happiness as a family," said Brady Williams, 43, a project manager in his brother's construction business. "It's not about the fear of hell or the promise of heaven."
...Rosemary Williams, the third wife, said the fear of prosecution is always in the back of their minds, though they feel there is more acceptance for polygamous today than when the Browns came out. Brady Williams said the increasing social and legal acceptance of gay marriage has helped society open up toward plural marriage. But he's still concerned, which is why the show isn't saying exactly where they live for the family's safety....
Read the whole AP article (Sept. 16, 2013).
A press release from TLC.
Videos, stills, and bios on the show's official website.
HuffPost article: TLC's Newest Polygamous Family Favors Buddhism.
Much more news coverage from the last few days.
An entertainment writer's recap of the Sunday-Monday show.
[Permalink]
Labels: polygamy
3 Comments:
I wonder if it's less threatening to viewers and advertisers when it's one-guy-in-charge, biblical-type polygamy, rather than network-of-equals polyamory. In which women are in charge of their own sexuality and life decisions.
I wouldn't know about that, read comments about Polygamists and the comments are vicious with the men being accused of being sick, vile, perverted, sexists brain washers. Every other commentator asks why women can't have other husbands also as 'what is good for the goose' Presumably these people would be thrilled to see that some people are doing just that?
Ok probably not, since any form of non monogamy is going to rile them up but the idea that the audience is less threatened by Biblical Polygamy? I am not so sure.
It doesn't hurt that all the Williams's look pretty good, I doubt we'll ever see ugly poly ppl on these types of shows, but we're glad to see adult responsible ppl, enjoying non-monogamy outside of a religious context.
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