After the well-known polygamist family the Dargers appeared on Sister Wives last season, it seemed like TLC was introducing them to the audience as prep for a show of their own. However, according to family patriarch Joe Darger says that it isn’t happening. According to Joe, TLC rejected their show My Three Wives, saying that it was too similar to Sister Wives. That’s pretty weird, considering the network had already filmed and aired commercials for the show before making the decision. He’s also backtracking a little now, saying the network was interested but that the family decided to remain off TV to protect their privacy:
While the network undoubtedly has an interest in a series we have been cautious to commit to such. The money hardly makes up for the time, the loss of privacy, and the possible harm to our family that such shows can bring. We have been on a mission to bring about change in criminalizing our family and on inspiring families to work and people to be more tolerant and loving. The reach of television as a medium to accomplish such goals is undeniable. For now we have felt a special was the best way to share our message and we have determined not to make any decisions upon further media projects until we have had time to digest these factors. We rather like our life the way it was before TV. Thank you for sharing and for your support and we will use this blog to continue to update and inform people of future projects.
In the past, TLC has had no problem airing similar shows. Their breakout hit 19 Kids and Counting led to a spinoff series, United Bates of America, for the equally-huge-and-religious family who frequently appeared on 19 Kids. However, the show was a flop ratings-wise and was quickly cancelled, which may be why the network is skittish. They did air a My Three Wives one-off special last December in order to use the footage they had of the Dargers, which is a nice consolation prize.
I can’t decide if I would rather watch a show about the Browns or one about the Dargers. The Browns seem more disorganized and less like a cohesive family unit, especially since after the move to Vegas they no longer live under a single roof. But the Darger wives seem a little more Stepford-y and don’t have strong personalities like the Brown wives do. Either way, I’m sure the world will manage just fine with one less reality show about polygamists.