Big Love




The Truth is Stranger than Fiction "Big Love", "Sister Wives", "Sista Wives" and "Dark Sisters the Opera"

HBO	On March 12, 2006 HBO (Home Box Office) aired the first episode of a new TV show called "Big Love" about a polygamous family living in Salt Lake City, Utah. Needless to say, this nontraditional subject for a TV series created quite an uproar. As the show progressed each season, it mimicked the FLDS polygamous group more and more as the show's writers introduced "child brides" and "lost boys" into the storyline. On September 26, 2010 TLC (The Learning Channel) aired the first episode of a new Reality TV show called "Sister Wives" about a real-life polygamous family from the AUB (Apostolic United Brethern) polygamous group living in Salt Lake City, Utah. When the show premiered, Kody Brown had 3 wives - Meri, Janelle and Christine. He soon was seen courting wife number four, Robyn. Was this brazen move of Kody Brown and his plural wives going on national television going to be too much "in your face" for the state of Utah and their law enforcement to bear? Also in September 2010, Dunn Deal Studios released a new comedy web series called "Sista Wives" about a Black polygamist named Jacob Jones who lives in Utah. Jacob currently has three Black wives (Sarah, Abigail and Rachel) but he feels that it is time to add another wife to the family. Finally, a new American opera, "Dark Sisters", composed by Nico Muhly with libretto by Stephen Karam, conducted by Neal Goren, and directed by Rebecca Taichman had its World Premiere in November 2011 at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater in New York City. Below are news articles about what effect these TV shows and the opera have had on the nation. These articles are in chronological order.


Three's Company
By JAMES PONIEWOZIK TIME Magazine Originally published November 9, 2005
The makers of HBO's Big Love, about a Utah man with three wives, say their drama is about the strains and compromises of family -- times three. And sure, you want to know about that. But mainly you want to know: How does he ... you know ... ? The answer: Viagra. Lots of it. But stamina is only one problem that Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton) has. He keeps his wives Barb, Margene and Nicki (Jeanne Tripplehorn, Ginnifer Goodwin and Chloë Sevigny) in adjacent houses, where they run the extended household jointly but harbor simmering jealousies. ("Officially," he tells Margene when she asks if he missed her, "I miss you guys all the same.") He has to keep the arrangement semisecret because polygamy is illegal in Utah and banned by the mainstream Mormon Church, or Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Oh, and one of his fathers-in-law (Harry Dean Stanton), the patriarch of a fundamentalist polygamist compound, is shaking him down for a cut of his hardware business. The Osmond family these Utahans ain't. Read more


Notice Anything Funny About the Folks Next Door?
By Timothy Egan The New York Times Originally published February 19, 2006
SO here comes Bill Henrickson, thoughtful dad and über-husband, steering the S.U.V. into his pocket of Utah exurbia after a long day overseeing home-improvement stores in one of the fastest-growing areas in America. The Beach Boys have already cued us to the rosy domestic themes to come, singing "God only knows what I'd be without you" through the credits. The likable lug loosens his tie, gives his best Rob Petrie "Honey, I'm home" look, and then makes his way toward one of the three women he has sex with, whose neighboring houses connect through the back doors. The next morning he leaves his bedmate, a willowy blonde with money problems, a $100 bill on the nightstand. Bill (Bill Paxton, doing exhaustive regular-guy duty) is a busy boy. He has three wives, seven kids and a psycho father-in-law from a renegade Mormon compound who is after him for a percentage of his business, per God's will. Read more


Here comes the brides
Polygamy, and Mormon ire about it, fuel HBO's latest edgy series
By Joanne Ostrow Denver Post Originally published February 23, 2006
Bill Henrickson is a hardworking husband and father, a likable guy who can afford a swimming pool in his suburban backyard. He earns more than Dan Conner on "Roseanne," metes out parental discipline like Ward Cleaver, and surely would find Homer Simpson's family objectionable and profane. Unlike those TV dads, Bill keeps a secret from the neighbors: He has three wives, living in three adjacent houses. As the center of a drama about polygamy, Bill, played by Bill Paxton, is a new kind of primetime patriarch. HBO's next big series, "Big Love," premieres March 12 (8 p.m.) following the return of "The Sopranos," another show featuring a dad with sundry family issues. Funny, titillating and beautifully cast, "Big Love" is the sort of edgy fare viewers have come to expect from HBO, minus the raw language. In the God-fearing Henrickson house, when a wife is really steamed she exclaims "heck" or "fudge." For those who complain that television too often overlooks religious life in favor of outrageous, sexually permissive characterizations, "Big Love" will be a conundrum. Lurking behind the expressions of piety, sanctity and obedience is the insistent issue of sex - polygamous sex. Read more


Mormons Not Laughing About Polygamy Comedy 'Big Love'
Former 'Sister-Wife' Worries New HBO Series Will Minimize Problems
By Jonann Brady ABC News Originally published February 23, 2006
HBO is taking a big gamble with its new comedy series "Big Love" about the trials and tribulations of a Viagra-popping polygamist and his three wives in suburban America. The buzzed-about series, produced by Tom Hanks, is set to debut on March 12 after the megahit series "The Sopranos." But the risque show is already riling many Mormons, who say that it dredges up old stereotypes about the religion, which banned polygamy more than 100 years ago. And some former polygamists worry that the comedy will minimize the real problems that polygamous families -- especially women and children -- can face. In "Big Love," Bill Paxton plays Bill Hendrickson, a wealthy businessman from Salt Lake City who practices polygamy. With three families and three homes that he tries to hide from virtually everyone, Hendrickson has a ridiculously complicated -- and HBO hopes, watchable -- personal life. Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloë Sevigny and Ginnifer Goodwin play his wives. Read more


Big Eeeewww!
HBO's created a hot-soccer-mom fantasy in which Jeanne Tripplehorn plays the elder wife in a polygamous marriage
By Robrt L. Pela Phoenix New Times Originally published February 23, 2006
The Bird likes nothing better than watching what Hollywood does with real-life catastrophes and miscreants. Whether it's softly lighted and eyelinered queer cowboys (Brokeback Mountain, my feathered ass!) or desert island plane crashes peopled by a bevy of sexy supermodel survivors (this taloned scribbler isn't too proud to admit that it perches before ABC's Lost every Wednesday night), Tinseltown producers like to pretty things up. No matter how dire the subject matter. There are exceptions, of course, like the guys who made the movie Monster starring Charlize Theron. And HBO. It was HBO that made us love mean, ugly mobsters in The Sopranos and deeply flawed morticians in Six Feet Under. And, come on, if the Western drama Deadwood got any more realistic, this foul fowl would puke up its Sunday night popcorn. (Did you happen to catch the one where the doctor's digging around in character Al Swearengen's private part to remove a kidney stone?) But now comes the heralded pay-cable network's latest attempt at turning gnarly real-life situations into TV drama -- Big Love (which debuts March 12). The Bird couldn't wait to see what co-creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer would do with this subject matter! That is, how they would wring entertainment out of a practice that most everybody in Arizona knows a whole lot about and isn't proud of. What this feathered fiend is talking about is polygamy. Yeah, the show's about the religious practice where a man's not only got to bring home the bacon for a passel of wives and a herd of kids, but who often has committed pedophilia in the process with his underage "spiritual" brides. Read more


Three's a crowd, four's a marriage
HBO's "Big Love" probes the polygamists next door. It's family values of the provocative kind.
By Lynn Smith The Los Angeles Times Originally published February 26, 2006
Maybe you know a family like the Henricksons. But probably not. The father, Bill, is a genial home improvement chain store owner in Salt Lake City. He lives with three wives and seven children, in three adjacent homes in the suburbs. Needless to say, it's complicated. Some of their problems are the usual ones — work, money, sex, children — scaled up by a factor of three. The others are extraordinary. As extralegal, consenting polygamists trying to blend into respectable society, they must hide their arrangement from the neighbors, the police and the mainstream Mormon community. And then there are the fundamentalist relatives — eccentric, corrupt and possibly homicidal — who live off the grid in a rural compound but can't stay out of Bill, Barb, Nicki and Margene's life. What glues them all together is "Big Love," the title of HBO's new version of the twisted family drama that attracted so many devotees to "The Sopranos" and "Six Feet Under." Though the modern-day polygamy might shock some and repulse, tickle or titillate others, the network and the family's creators, Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer, expect people will relate to the Henricksons because they epitomize, in their own way, the essence of Middle American family values. Read more


LDS Church rejects polygamy accusations
By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Tuesday, February 28, 2006
An anti-polygamy group blasted HBO and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Monday, concerned about the cable channel's much-hyped upcoming drama on plural marriage. "Big Love" debuts March 12 after HBO's mega-hit mafia drama "The Sopranos." It stars Bill Paxton as a polygamist who juggles his three wives — played by Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny and Ginnifer Goodwin — and their seven children, who live in adjoining homes in Sandy. HBO has taken pains to separate the polygamist family from Latter-day Saints, including issuing a disclaimer at the beginning of the show. "According to a joint report issued by the Utah and Arizona attorney generals' offices, July 2005, 'Approximately 20,000 to 40,000 or more people currently practice polygamy in the United States,' " Tapestry Against Polygamy said the disclaimer reads. "The Mormon Church officially banned the practice of polygamy in 1890." Tapestry Against Polygamy director Vicky Prunty takes issue with the disclaimer. "The disclaimer is misleading," Prunty said Monday. "The LDS Church may not practice polygamy now, but they still believe in it and their apathy towards polygamy suggests they look forward to a time when polygamy will no longer be against the law." Prunty criticized the LDS Church, saying she thinks it turns a blind eye to abuses within polygamy. Read more


Drama about polygamy causes stir in Utah
By Debbie Hummel The Associated Press USA Today Originally published March 9, 2006
SALT LAKE CITY - The upcoming premiere of HBO's "Big Love" is causing a big buzz in the Beehive State. Everyone from practicing polygamists to the Mormon church - which shunned the practice more than a century ago - are anxiously anticipating the fallout from the show about a Utah polygamist and his three sometimes desperate housewives. Some worry that the series will perpetuate stereotypes from which the state and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have long sought to distance themselves. Others fear it will diminish the crimes, such as child abuse, reported in some of the state's secretive polygamous sects. And polygamists say they're sure the series won't accurately portray the "boring" reality of their lives. The program debuts 10 p.m. EST Sunday after the season premiere of "The Sopranos," which spawned bus tours of the show's locations in New Jersey and backlash from some Italian-American groups. Public perceptions are a concern of the LDS church, which claims 12 million members worldwide. In 1843, church founder Joseph Smith said he had a revelation from God allowing the practice of plural marriage. Read more


God's law
HBO's lighthearted look at polygamy
By Joyce Millman The Phoenix Originally published March 10, 2006
Besides its other contributions to pop culture, The Sopranos spawned a prime-time genre that might be called the "suburban-rebel soap." Tony Soprano and his family maintain a façade of suburban conformity. But inside their New Jersey McMansion, the Sopranos are not like everybody else. And isn’t that what we would all like to believe about ourselves? The Sopranos encouraged us to identify with a mobster who yearned to break free of the daily grind. HBO continued the suburban-rebel formula in the American Gothic soap Six Feet Under. Showtime’s Weeds (pot-dealing suburban mom) appropriated the formula; ABC’s Desperate Housewives tarted it up. But HBO’s latest suburban-rebel soap, Big Love (premiering this Sunday, March 12, at 10 pm), is the most devilishly subversive, addictive contribution to the genre since the adventures of Tony and company. The rebel hero of Big Love, fortysomething, clean-cut Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton), is a polygamist living a Mormon version of the American Dream in sparkling suburban Salt Lake City. The Latter Day Saints outlawed polygamy in 1890; it’s now punishable by excommunication. But according to estimates by law-enforcement agencies in Utah and Arizona, 40,000 people still practice it in the United States. Read more


Hollywood version of polygamy not so entertaining
Cult News from Rick Ross cultnews.com Originally published March 11, 2006
HBO will launch its new series about polygamy called "Big Love" this Sunday. But before the airing of the show’s first episode critics have already weighed in. "To make polygamy...the subject of television entertainment is not only a bad idea, but it’s going to add to the pain of those victims," said a Mormon Church spokesperson told Associated Press. However, it should be pointed out that the pain of polygamy actually began in 1843 when Joseph Smith the fanciful creator of Mormonism claimed he received a "revelation from God" that essentially allowed him to have as many women as he wanted. This supposed and rather self-serving message from the Almighty set into place a practice that would continue amongst Mormons for decades. And notably included not only Smith, but also the church’s second most revered "prophet" Brigham Young, who had scores of wives. Later a very pragmatic Mormon prophet named Wilford Woodruff would come up with his own convenient "revelation" during 1890, just in time for Utah’s Mormons to meet a precondition for statehood. However, many Mormons continued to believe in Joseph Smith’s earlier epiphany and kept observing the practice of polygamy, despite what would eventually be known as "The Woodruff Manifesto." Read more


Series on polygamy elicits worry in Utah
By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Sunday, March 12, 2006
When the HBO series "Big Love" premieres tonight, "John Brown" (not his real name) will be watching — with his five wives. In fact, many polygamist families who spoke to the Deseret Morning News said they were ordering the premium pay cable channel just so they could see how their lifestyle is portrayed. The HBO series stars Bill Paxton as a polygamist who juggles time spent with his three wives — played by Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny and Ginnifer Goodwin — and their seven children in Sandy, Utah. The Tom Hanks-produced show has already generated a lot of talk and headlines for its controversial subject matter and its portrayal of a subject Utah just can't seem to distance itself from. "I haven't even watched any other HBO (show)," Brown said. "What I am sure that it will do is bring polygamy into the national attention." Read more


Utahns Weigh in on HBO's "Big Love"
John Hollenhorst Reporting KSL-TV Channel 5 Originally broadcast March 13, 2006
Tongues are wagging in Utah and across the country about the latest twist in the polygamy saga. Last night, a show called "Big Love" premiered on H.B.O., the first television series in which the main characters are Utah polygamists. What will it mean to the image of polygamy and Utah? It's not exactly 'I Love Lucy'. It's 'Bill loves Barbara, Margie and Nicki'. 'Big Love,' the trials, troubles and joys of triple husbandry. Scenes from HBO's "Big Love": "Nicki slept with Bill in my bed yesterday." It's Utah, HBO-style. But is it accurate? We asked long-time plural-wife Anne Wilde. Anne Wilde, Plural Wife for 33 Years: "I like the idea this family had consenting adults, that there were no underage marriages, that the women freely chose to live that way." Andra Moore-Emmett: "This is a made-for-male fantasy." Anti-polygamy crusader Andrea Moore-Emmett, who wrote 'God's Brothel', says H.B.O. wanted entertainment so they left out most of polygamy's bad parts. Read more


HBO creates polygamist Land of Oz
Cult News from Rick Ross rickross.com Originally published March 13, 2006
If the first installment of "Big Love" is an example of what HBO has planned for its new series, it has very little to do with the modern practice of polygamy in America and is instead something silly spun in Hollywood. Unlike other HBO series such as Deadwood, Six Feet Under or The Sopranos, which at times take audiences on a trip to an otherwise unknown world, the world of "Big Love" is simply unknown and does not exist. HBO’s contrived creation is inhabited by polygamists living in suburbia driving around in a shiny expensive SUV. This fictional family lives in three modern tract homes and has a pool. Their personal struggles include excessive shopping and viagra. Viewers get an almost totally fictional world of polygamy that could only exist in the active imagination of a Hollywood writer. What viewers got last night was not the often desperate existence of American polygamists living in Arizona, Utah and Montana, but something more like Desperate Housewives. Real polygamists are frequently impoverished and subsist on welfare programs, largely subsidized by federal and state poverty programs. Read more


'Big Love' is big fiction
Opinion The Spectrum Originally published March 19, 2006
Capturing local and national attention is the new HBO series called, "Big Love." The show's setting is here in Utah and is about Bill Henrickson (played by actor, Bill Paxton); a polygamist with three wives, seven children and on the verge of opening his second home-improvement store in the "Wasatch Valley." Balancing family commitments with business ownership, which includes dealing with an investor who just so happens to be the prophet of the outlaw polygamist sect the Henricksons fled from, is a plot formulated to thicken and entice the curious-minded. But references to family home evening, church youth programs and serving a mission brought up in dialogues in the premiere that aired last Sunday, which specifically added a disclaimer at its conclusion clarifying that the Mormon Church banned polygamy in 1890, convolutes credence with culture and is a far stretch from what is reality for Utah families and polygamists. Read more


TRIPLE THREAT
Polygamy goes mainstream in HBO’s "Big Love."
By Nancy Franklin The Critics: On Television The New Yorker Originally published March 20, 2006 (Issue of March 27, 2006)
If you pity a show that débuts on HBO after an episode of "The Sopranos," because of the inevitable comparisons (though things have worked out all right for "Deadwood" in that regard), you’ve got to weep for a show that débuts after the first episode of a new season of "The Sopranos," especially when viewers have been waiting for that new season for almost two years and know that it marks the beginning of the end of the series. That’s the situation in which "Big Love," a series about a polygamous marriage in present-day Utah, found itself a couple of Sundays ago; HBO thought either that "Big Love" was so strong that it wouldn’t suffer when juxtaposed with What May Be the Greatest Television Show Ever — or that it was so anemic that it would need "The Sopranos" to carry it. Whatever the case, it’s hard to imagine that anyone who watched the season première of "The Sopranos," with its devastating, mind-blowing ending, was in any shape to watch anything afterward. Read more


'Reel' doesn't match 'real'
Opinions The Arizona Republic Originally published March 20, 2006
Everybody's talking and tittering about Big Love, the new HBO drama on TV. Yeah, that one. The one being both hailed and vilified. It's either a stalking horse for alternative lifestyle, the inevitable consequence of the effort to ratify gay marriage, or just an entertaining way to spend an hour on Sunday without necessarily endorsing the particulars. Like The Sopranos, which precedes it on HBO. It has all the elements of good TV: family drama, comedic moments, fast pacing, timing, contrasting characters, tension and a genial, regular-guy in the lead - Bill Paxton, as endearing as Jim Rockford, as harried as Tony Soprano. But we in Arizona understand that polygamy is not a laughing matter and the characters not at all sympathetic. Polygamy is no harmless, fanciful drama confined to comfortable suburbia. Polygamy here has a name: Infamy, shame, abuse and slavery. Polygamy here has a godfather, a fugitive named Warren Jeffs and his cohorts, who hide their crime, their fraud, their cruelty and dishonor. On TV, the kids are handsome, spoiled and craving attention. In Colorado City, in Arizona, they are pasty-faced, behind in school, sexually abused with little future. Big Love has nothing to do with polygamy as practiced in Arizona. Hollywood's version is a picnic. Arizona's is a vile pathology.


New HBO drama proves unititiated should not judge polygamy by popular conceptions
By Nick Mokey Daily Orange - Syracuse, NY Originally published March 22, 2006
The star of HBO's new drama "Big Love" truly lives the American Dream. He owns a chain of hardware stores, drives a brand new SUV, lives in an upper class suburb and when he gets home, he has a beautiful wife there waiting for him. And another wife. And another wife. In anticipation of the show, all sorts of objections were raised to HBO's risqué venture outside the bounds of monogamy. Critics of polygamy worried it would glorify the lifestyle. Advocates worried it would misrepresent them. Mormons wanted to distance themselves from it entirely, having officially given up the practice in 1890. To those without a deep understanding of the practice of polygamy, it may not be clear why such strong opinions exist on both sides of the debate. After all, the first episode of "Big Love" ended up painting a picture of polygamy that is so painfully normal, it was almost tedious to watch. The question raised is whether polygamous relationships are inherently abusive, or if the tradition's bad reputation stems from its association with other frowned-upon religious practices. A Gallup poll from May 2005 showed that 92 percent of Americans believe that polygamy is morally wrong. Undoubtedly, this predisposition toward condemning polygamy comes from some very real abuses of the practice in the past. "Polygamy is about power and control," said Vicky Prunty, the director of Tapestry Against Polygamy, a group of ex-polygamist wives that oppose the practice. "It's a breeding ground for abuse." Read more


Polygamist response to 'Big' mixed
By Lee Benson Deseret Morning News Originally published Wednesday, March 22, 2006
HILDALE, Washington County, AND COLORADO CITY, Ariz. — Amid the sagebrush isolation and the warehouse-sized houses that spawned the inspiration for the new polygamy series on HBO, "Big Love," the buzz is decidedly mixed. I spent a couple of hours Monday morning in this plural-marriage enclave asking people if they had watched the latest episode of "Big Love" the night before. In the older, more established parts of Hildale and Colorado City, where the conservative Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) is firmly entrenched and the additions to the houses are bigger than the original houses, I found zero interest in the television series that premiered earlier this month and is the first ever to portray a polygamous relationship. For that matter, I found zero interest in television, period. At the Hildale city offices, city clerk Ruth Barlow said not many residents own TVs. "I'd say less than 10 percent," she estimated. And even if they did, they probably wouldn't tune into a cable TV network attempting to depict life as they know it. Read more


Trivializing polygamy is not 'entertainment'
Opinions The Arizona Republic Originally published March 23, 2006
I am writing in response to the trivialization of the atrocities committed in the polygamist lifestyle by the HBO Big Love series, which, in my opinions has taken television to a new low. The rapes and abuses of children and women should not be portrayed in a humorous light. As one of the elected members of the Mohave County Board of Supervisors, I have spent a great deal of time and effort investigating and shedding light on the crimes against young people that have taken place in Colorado City. I would also add that the crimes include the millions of dollars of taxpayers' money that have been siphoned off by these polygamous cults. An inestimable number of criminal acts have taken place. Read more


'Big Love': Real Polygamists Look at HBO Polygamists and Find Sex
By Felicia R. Lee The New York Times Originally published March 28, 2006
SALT LAKE CITY — Yuck, she said. A sex scene. And right at the beginning of the show, her friend chimed in. "Big Love," HBO's new take on a fictional polygamous family in the suburbs of this city, was on the television. The Viagra-popping Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton) was thrashing in bed with Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin), the youngest of his three wives. The five women watching the show — covering their eyes during the sex scenes, chiding the competitive wives, urging Bill to take control — were critics with special credentials: a current or past polygamous marriage. And despite the show's flaws, these women called "Big Love" a cultural benchmark, one with the potential to cast a warmer light on their lives. "It's a more realistic view of a polygamous family that lives out in society than people have known," said Anne Wilde, a widow who was part of a multiple family for 33 years. "It can be seen as a viable alternative lifestyle between consenting adults." "Big Love," which had its premiere on March 12, has certainly made a noisy splash. Some television critics find it an intriguing twist on suburban family angst. The Mormon Church contends that the show glamorizes a practice it renounced in 1890. Vicky Prunty, the head of the leading anti-polygamy group here and herself a former polygamist, dismisses it as a Hollywood fantasy for men. Read more


Love Elevated
By John Saltas Salt Lake City Weekly Originally published March 30, 2006
They’ve been pretty silent, but I can’t imagine that the LDS Church is all too pleased with HBO’s new show Big Love. While the first episode displayed an official LDS Church statement disclaiming polygamy as a lifestyle, throughout Big Love are numerous references—both visual and spoken—to modern LDS culture, if not teachings. With every romp in the sack and with every crack about missionaries or Joseph Smith, the goodwill of Utah and the LDS Church is diminished. On the other hand, The Sopranos didn’t exactly kill the tourist trade in New Jersey, so keep your slimy mitts off of my newest financial enterprise: tours of celebrity polygamist homes. I could start the tour at the pioneer homesteads of my own polygamist great-great-grandfather Matthew Caldwell, in American Fork, Spanish Fork and Dry Fork. I guess he had a thing for forks. If not for polygamy, I wouldn’t be here writing this gibberish — I’m descended from his fifth and final wife. Frankly, I’m happy he listened to his friend Brigham Young and added to his "quiver" despite his own aversions to polygamy. He did so because the Black Hawk Indian War left lots of widows and orphans. That’s the claim, at least. I’m also happy that as far as I know, polygamy is not a trait he passed on to his sons and daughters. Read more


'Big Love' or big disaster?
Interesting topic + engaging characters = big P.R. problems for Utah
By Clayton Norlen The Daily Utah Chronicle Originally published March 31, 2006
Bill Henrickson has what every man has ever wanted: three wives and a prescription for Viagra. What else could a guy need? HBO's new series, "Big Love," portrays the average Utah family with three moms, seven children and one dad. The Henricksons live in adjacent homes in the suburb of Sandy and struggle with debt and an overbearing prophet. At least that is what anyone born outside of Utah can gather about the typical Utah family now - finally, people will see how we really live. I thought the stereotype of all Utahns being either Mormon or Mormon polygamists was bad before "Big Love." God help us now. Any Utahn who has traveled knows what stereotype I'm talking about. "You're from Utah? So how many wives does your dad have?" or "Utah? So you're Mormon?" I can't wait to find out what questions are brewing outside our borders now. The sad thing is that the producers have made sure viewers know the Henricksons live in Utah - we can't just claim it takes place in Arizona or Wyoming. From Bill's office window, you can see the Angel Moroni atop the Salt Lake Temple; when the family is watching the news, the weather map is of Utah; and the streets are filled with terrible drivers. It could only be Utah at that point. Read more


Church moves away from polygamy after series
By Lawn Griffiths East Valley Tribune Originally published April 1, 2006
It can be a veritable pastime watching how various religions confront controversy and defend themselves. These days the Roman Catholic Church, Islam and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are among the most constantly dogged by a miscellany of events, scandals or controversies, some from trying to maintain rigid orthodoxy in an evolving society or from self-inflicted harm. Much of it, of course, is just defending itself from raw hostility. On Sunday nights, the premium cable channel HBO has brought forth "Big Love," a modern-day polygamy story set in a suburb of Salt Lake City. It features Bill Paxton as a man with three wives and some children living side by side in three handsome houses. HBO tries to have it both ways, feigning that the show’s characters are not to be confused with good monogamous Mormons, yet putting it in Salt Lake City and setting a scene that can only remind viewers that the 12 million-member church has polygamy in its past. The show’s patriarch, Roman, played by Harry Dean Stanton, opines about his family’s roots in a golden age of Mormonism when polygamy was part of it. Read more


Worry About Polygamy, Not TV
By Tracy Medley New West Network - Missoula, MT Originally published April 10, 2006
While much of Utah is busy getting its panties in a wad over HBO’s new polygamy-drama, Big Love and how it’s supposedly giving Utah a bad name, the real problem of polygamy remains. Why are so many Utahns harping about a fictional television show depicting a polygamous marriage between consenting adults while their real-life tax dollars are being used to support polygamous compounds known for rampant physical, emotional and sexual abuse? While the idea of sharing my husband with any woman (let alone Chloë Sevigny) makes my flesh crawl, it just makes sense to me that consenting adults should be allowed to enter into any marital arrangement they wish, be it a man to another man; a woman to another woman or having multiple partners. That said, when sex and plural marriage are forced upon underage girls by creepy, old men claiming Godly authority, I’ve got to put my foot down. Before the first episode of Big Love even aired several of Utah’s Mormons began a letter writing campaign asking HBO to cancel the series because they felt that it misrepresented both their religion and their state. Members of the LDS church are usually quick to point out that polygamy was officially outlawed by the church in 1890 and is no longer an acceptable practice of members of their faith. But why are they so adamant about making this distinction? Read more


Big Love to return for second season
By Andrew Wallenstein The Associated Press Reuters Originally published April 21, 2006
Big Love just got bigger. HBO has ordered a second season of the dramatic series from gay creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer about a polygamist family, the network said Wednesday, just halfway into its rookie year. "We all felt the show was really solid and only getting better," HBO president of entertainment Carolyn Strauss said. "It's gathering momentum with subscribers and critics." Big Love will go back into production in August in anticipation of returning to the air sometime next year. The number of episodes has yet to be determined; the opening order was 12. The second-season order was not exactly guaranteed, given that Big Love has not been a big ratings draw for HBO. Airing opposite stiff competition like ABC's Grey's Anatomy, Love has averaged fewer than 4 million total viewers for its Sunday 10 p.m. premieres, hanging on to less than half of the audience from its lead-in, The Sopranos. Still, a closer examination of Love's ratings indicates it is far from a lost cause. An additional 3 million viewers catch Big Love in multiple repeat broadcasts throughout the week. Read more


'Big Love' stirs a debate
HBO show delves into issues of polygamy and the teachings of Joseph Smith
By Gary Soulsman The News Journal - Delaware, Maryland Originally published May 6, 2006
Most of us will never have three wives at one time. And judging by the way this situation is dramatized at 10 p.m. every Sunday, we're lucky souls. It's a good bet that most of the 3.5 million HBO subscribers who watch "Big Love" go to bed relieved that they are not the fictional Bill Hendrickson, living in a Salt Lake City suburb reminiscent of "Desperate Housewives." Hendrickson, played by Bill Paxton, is something of a desperate husband. With Hendrickson, you watch and wonder: Who could please three wives, run three households while worrying about breaking the laws against polygamy and frantically trying to keep his parents and in-laws from driving him insane? "Hearing about a man with three wives, you might think of him as a czar or the keeper of a harem," said Arthur Shostak, sociologist emeritus with Drexel University. "Witnessing the inner dynamics is another matter." The weekly show is a soap opera doing one of the things television does best -- giving viewers a look at a world they will never know. But it's a world Vicky Prunty, 42, of Salt Lake City, knows well -- she has lived with two similar families that practiced polygamy. "You really do feel sorry for a lot of polygamist men running around with so many expectations piled on their shoulders," Prunty says. Read more


A good man is hard to find
By Marcianne Waters Philadelphia Daily News Originally published May 8, 2006
I CAN'T LOOK away. I want to. In fact, I want to walk away. But, I can't. A train wreck? Open-brain surgery on the Discovery Channel? Another "Who's Your Daddy?" brawl on Jerry Springer? No, that's not it. Although "it" does involve a TV and some brawling, of a sort. It is HBO's new series "Big Love." I guess the "big" in "Big Love" refers to the polygamous union of Bill and Barb and Nicolette and Margene. Or maybe it describes the "love" among and between the three wives. Or maybe, just maybe, it refers to husband Bill, who, Viagra always at the ready, seems to be in hot demand by each wife on her designated morning, noon and night. I find the idea of polygamy distasteful, even repellant. It's degrading, it's demeaning, it's disgusting. Even if the roles were reversed and we women could have multiple husbands, I'd still reject it. (I must admit that my fruitless search for the perfect mate would benefit greatly from being able to choose one from Category 1, brainy breadwinner, one from Category 2, clever carpenter and, ooh la la, one from category 3, steamy stud.) But, I digress. And fantasize. The whole premise of "Big Love" makes me want to take a long, hot shower, with a Brillo pad, even as it seduces and enthralls me. Especially the characters: Read more


BIG LOVE ... OR BIG MESS?
But it's not like gay marriage
By Deborah Leavy Philadelphia Daily News Originally published Monday, May 8, 2006
CONSERVATIVES like syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer are shaking the bars of their cages, ranting that a TV show featuring a polygamous family proves that they were right all along - that if gay marriage gained acceptance, polygamy would be next. "With the sweetly titled HBO series 'Big Love,' polygamy comes out of the closet," fulminates Krauthammer. Though having one man married to three women does add a twist to this comic soap opera, the show is hardly an advertisement for this particular alternative lifestyle. "First wife" Barb seems to be the show's most sensible character, until you consider she was crazy enough to let her husband marry two other women. When Barb and her husband want to see each other more than the third of the time they're allowed, they have to "cheat" on the others and worry about being caught! I wouldn't want to share my husband with anyone, but certainly not with second wife nasty Nicolette, who has secretly run up $60,000 in credit-card debt. We have enough trouble managing a joint account with just two people. And then there's Margene, wife No. 3, who used to be the baby sitter - a common fantasy for some men. Now that she's married, poor Margene is stuck with the children of all three wives! Hubby Bill works his tail off to maintain three homes, one for each wife, and pops Viagra daily to keep up with their sexual demands. No, "Big Love" isn't likely to lead anyone into polygamy. But what about gay marriage? Read more


Hit show gets to dark heart of polygamy
By Jessica Heslam Boston Herald Originally published Sunday, May 14, 2006
The HBO drama "Big Love" has shed light on the dark side of polygamy by exposing the abuse and marriage of underaged girls, former polygamists and experts said. "The attention focused on this show is riling up a lot of people who otherwise wouldn’t care about the subject of polygamy," said Arizona polygamist Don Milton, who runs www.christianmarriage.com and says his hate mail has shot up since the show’s debut. "Big Love’s" main character is Bill Henrickson, a Viagra-popping polygamist who lives in suburban Utah with his three wives and seven children. While one expert called that story line "fantasy," another involves Roman Grant, the weasly patriach of a polygamist commune who has numerous wives, including a 14-year-old bride-to-be. Cult expert Rick Ross said Grant and his child bride are "getting to the core of the real polygamist." Ross said the power Grant exercises over his fictional community "is very much like the reallife communities and the so-called prophets that control them." "Big Love," which has been renewed for a second season, exposes the "negative aspects of the more insular community," Ross said. Read more


Untangling polygamy
Letters Philadelphia Daily News Originally published Monday, May 15, 2006
RE "BIG LOVE - or Big Mess?" (op-ed, May 8): What Deborah Leavy didn't mention in her piece on polygamy is the awkward fact that Mother Nature has made the sexes almost equal in number. There aren't even two women for every man. If men are given permission to "marry" more women, it will leave three, four or more poorer heterosexual men without partners. Sexually frustrated men, robbed of the opportunity to have a wife and family, could be very dangerous men. China recognizes this. Owing to female infanticide, there are now 119 Chinese men for every 100 Chinese women. The government says this is a destabilizing situation, and they are attempting to raise the status of girls in order to combat the infanticide. There is a lesson to be learned here. And Ms. Leavy referred to "Christian polygamists." Jesus said a man should have but one wife and so did St. Paul and and Titus. So, when people call themselves "Christian polygamists," they are guilty of blasphemy. Obviously, polygamists don't read the New Testament. Polygamy means men collecting women as concubines and placing them in harems. Are concubines and harems compatible with a first-world country like America that prides itself on the equality of its citizens? I don't think so. The ancient tribal practice of polygamy should have been kicked into the garbage can of history long ago. Jancis M. Andrews British Columbia, Canada


"Big Love" Polygamy Series Disturbs LDS Members
KIFI ABC Local News 8 - Idaho Falls Originally broadcast May 15, 2006
Polygamy has existed since ancient times. But it's only now that polygamy is the subject of a hit TV show. 'Big Love' on HBO is watched by about 4 million people every week. And it gains more viewers every episode. Some members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints fear the show will reflect poorly on the LDS. Even though the LDS don't practice polygamy now, they did at one time. We asked several couples to watch one episode of 'Big Love' and give us their reaction. The show 'Big Love' is about a man, three wives, and 7 children. They live side by side in three suburban houses, all sharing one big back yard. The husband, Bill, is on a disciplined schedule to spend equal time in each home with each wife. Some nights he uses the aid of Viagra. Some pro-polygamists that have watched the show say it's a more realistic view of a polygamous lifestyle than anything portrayed before. The LDS church is on the record as concerned about the show. Leaders fear the public will confuse the shows family with a regular Mormon family. We asked our couples for their reaction. "It's very offensive to me. Taking little things that only an LDS members would know and making them part of this show. Makes me wonder who helped get them the information. I just ... it's very hard to watch," says Vicki Johnson. Read more


Top-court ruling turns up heat on polygamists
'Law-abiding' man with 5 wives worries about the impact
By Geoffrey Fattah Deseret Morning News Originally published Sunday, May 21, 2006
With Fundamentalist LDS Church leader Warren Jeffs on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list, criminal investigations under way by authorities in Utah and Arizona, a national media feeding frenzy over all things polygamy and a TV show such as HBO's "Big Love," plural marriage is sitting under a very hot spotlight. A recent Utah Supreme Court ruling that clears the way for prosecutors to go after polygamists under the state's bigamy statute has only served to turn up the heat. "I have started to be a little concerned about that," said one polygamist man, who asked the Deseret Morning News not to identify him out of fear of criminal prosecution. He lives in the Salt Lake Valley with his five wives. The Utah Supreme Court ruling couldn't come at a worse time for those who practice plural marriage. The state's high court already booted from the bench Hildale municipal court judge Walter Steed for having multiple wives. Before that, the Utah Supreme Court had upheld polygamist Tom Green's conviction of bigamy, criminal non-support and child rape, for taking a 13-year-old girl as one of his wives. As a Hildale police officer, Rodney Holm had taken an oath to uphold the laws and the Utah Constitution, which unlike other state constitutions, contains a specific ban on polygamy. So when Holm was charged with bigamy and unlawful sex with a 16-year-old, it sent shockwaves. Read more


'Big Love' is a big mess
HBO series ignores ugliness of polygamy and reaffirms East's ignorance of West
By Jon Talton The Arizona Republic Originally published May 28, 2006
I realized we've taken the express elevator further south from the point in the 1980s when Daniel Patrick Moynihan coined the phrase "defining deviancy down." Still, I expected quite a backlash to HBO's series Big Love. As you know, the show is about polygamy and came to television after several years of shocking revelations about the true nature of the practice. Yet Big Love, which has been renewed for a second season, is not about that reality. "Think having three wives is a dream come true?" HBO's promotional blurb teases. No, Bill Paxton's main character "struggles to balance the financial and emotional needs of Barb, Nicki and Margene." The wives are all of legal age, live in separate suburban houses, drive, wear contemporary store-bought clothes, and help manage the family finances. They're all lovely, smart and frisky. HBO gives product placement for Viagra and sells Big Love coffee mugs and "baby doll T-shirts." What's not to like? Apparently not much, and the backlash I expected never much materialized. What happened instead is more revealing than our willingness to lap up any titillation that the television masters throw into our cultural trough. The New Yorker praised the series for a Twin Peaks-like achievement: showing "the way deep weirdness can hide in plain sight, right on our own street." Read more


Family Biz
HBO’s Big Love and The Sopranos close for the season; Utah and New Jersey can relax.
By Bill Frost Salt Lake City Weekly Originally published June 1, 2006
Utah has weathered the greatest threat to Our Way of Life this side of flood, famine and fluoride—Super Big Gulps for everyone! Just send the bill to Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. He’s the one who dismissed *Big Love* (HBO; season finale Sunday, June 4) as "pointless" after viewing a single episode, reassuring citizens that the Utah-set series about a suburban polygamist and his three wives would have no negative impact on the state’s image. Then again, this was at the same press conference wherein he praised Utah’s new state slogan, "Life Elevated," as "awesome," so who knows what’s going on inside that perfectly square Rock ’Em Sock ’Em Robot head of his. Huntsman does at least deserve some credit for actually watching an episode of the show, unlike the Morally Outraged Pinheads who launched a Cancel That Smut! e-mail campaign in April without ever having seen so much as a glimpse of Bill Paxton’s ubiquitous bare ass ... that white, magnificent beacon of purity and light ... But I digress: The MOPs who were so worried that Big Love would perpetuate the myth that the LDS Church still preaches polygamy, even though Paxton’s Henrickson tri-family are clearly portrayed as secretive outsiders living in fear of being exposed to authorities and their church-goin’ Sandy neighbors, failed as expected. Much as they don’t really listen to those who don’t subscribe to their beliefs, HBO doesn’t really listen to those who don’t subscribe to, well, HBO. Season 2 comin’ at ya in 2007, MOPs — get those form e-mails ready! Read more


‘Big Love’: Area Mormons no fans of hit show
By Stephanie Vosk The Patriot Ledger - Quincy, Massachusetts Originally published June 3, 2006
With HBO’s hit drama about a modern-day polygamist family set to end its first season Sunday night, local Mormons are weighing in on the show’s impact. "Big Love" began its 12-episode run in March and followed the daily life of Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton), his three wives and seven children, and their extended family. Lorie Burningham, public affairs director for the Hingham Stake (dioceses) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said she was disappointed with the show, from the few episodes she saw. "It just didn't put Mormons in the best light, it kind of lumped them into a Utah Mormon stereotypical mold, and I believe most of the members of my faith are not like that," she said. Burningham does not believe in plural marriage, something the LDS church outlawed in 1890. But, she joked, "if I could find somebody who would do dishes and toilets it might be tempting." However, she added, "my husband says he couldn't handle more than one of me anyway." And her husband, Greg, also said he was not a fan. "It was all about this guy having to take Viagra so he could satisfy all these women," Greg Burningham said. "It wasn't a male fantasy, for me it was just disgusting." He did say he appreciated the fact that the show’s writers made it clear that the Henricksons are not members of the LDS church, but, he said they went "out of their way to portray this polygamist family as being the normal ones surrounded by all these wacky Mormons." Read more


Week In Review: Really hot, unrestricted polygamy
WHOLE LOTTA LOVE
By Alex Eichler and Kate Herts The College Hill Independent - Brown University Originally published Thursday, June 29, 2006
A polygamist from Utah and his three wives: primetime material? HBO's Big Love premiered Sunday, raising concerns among members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who stopped practicing polygamy in 1890 so that Utah could become a state. The LDS church is concerned that the show will be harmful to the public perception of their faith, and make light of the crimes (mainly the abuse of women and children) that occur in polygamous communities. Polygamists, on the other hand, doubt that the series will portray the reality of their situation, which they claim is a lot like any other contemporary family. The premiere of Big Love, produced by Tom Hanks, ended with an epilogue that HBO says will clear up confusion: "According to a joint report issued by the Utah and Arizona attorney general’s offices, July 2005, 'approximately 20,000 to 40,000 or more people currently practice polygamy in the United States.' The Mormon church officially banned the practice of polygamy in 1890." Co-creator Mark V. Olson told the AP that they make it clear that the characters would not find a home in the Mormon Church, and that they are responsive to the concern of whitewashing the abuse issue. Read more


Controversy? Not for HBO
By Scott D. Pierce Deseret Morning News Originally published Saturday, July 15, 2006
PASADENA, Calif. — If you were inside the state of Utah, you might have thought that there was a big controversy over the HBO series "Big Love." Not only was the local media coverage heavy — some might say excessive — but lots of people, up to and including Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., weighed in on the show about a family of polygamists living in suburban Salt lake City. Meanwhile, back at HBO offices in New York and Los Angeles, the controversy was, well, pretty much non-existent. "I don't know that we've had a lot of controversy about a lot of our shows," said HBO president Chris Albrecht. "I'm not sure when you say controversy. . . ." True, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a statement reiterating its opposition to polygamy. But Albrecht and the folks at HBO were unfazed. Read more


The love flows for 'Big Love' at Sunstone session
By Scott D. Pierce Deseret Morning News Originally published Saturday, August 12, 2006
There was a "Big Love"-fest at the 2006 Sunstone Symposium on Friday. Members of a panel discussing the impact of the HBO series about a family of polygamist heaped love upon it. "All I can say is — I love it," said panelist Richard Dutcher, the LDS filmmaker whose credits include "God's Army," "Brigham City" and "States of Grace." "I want to direct it. I wish they'd give me a call." "Big Love" centers on a Utah businessman and his three wives as they muddle through life's everyday struggles — marriage, family, children, work. All complicated by polygamy, their need to keep it quiet and Bill's conflict with one of his fathers-in-law, who's the head of an FLDS-like sect. The co-authors of "Voices in Harmony: Contemporary Women Celebrate Plural Marriage" admitted discomfort with the sexual content of the series but in general were more than happy with its portrayal of their lifestyle. "They do have problems, just like any other monogamous family," said Anne Wilde, who is also the managing editor of the pro-polygamy Mormon Focus magazine. "This is the message we like to get out — we are so normal in so many ways. Read more


The positive image of polygamy in media
Polygamy loves company – especially in the American media.
By Brielle Schaeffer The Daily Evergreen - Pullman, WA Originally published November 16, 2006
Polygamy loves company – especially in the American media. With the recent news of fundamentalist Mormon and infamous polygamist Warren Jeffs’ arrest and two television programs, the fictional "Big Love" and the reality show "The Girls Next Door," the media does not dispute this. Pro-polygamy propaganda is juxtaposed with legal consequences. In "Big Love," an HBO television series, the protagonist has three wives and seven children who live in three separate houses that share the same yard in a suburb of Salt Lake City. The show’s tag line, "Think having three wives is a dream come true? Think again," is trying to deglamorize this macho obsession with multiple, monogamous sexual partners. But it still shows how American culture is fascinated with female subservience. The other part of the media’s positive polygamy images is "The Girl’s Next Door," a reality television show on E!. This show is about Hugh Hefner’s three girlfriends who live in a house next to the Playboy Mansion. Hefner, the porn king himself, has three bunnies at his disposal and he spends the night with his favorite one. Even though they are not married, how are their relationships any different than polygamous ones. Read more


MY SIDE OF THE SCREEN
Big Love - polygamy loves company
By Amazingly Entertainment Opinion iAfrica.com - Cape Town, South Africa Originally published January 25, 2007
I find it quite disturbing that I have been following 'Big Love' for the last few weeks. Morbid curiosity, that's what it is. I hate casting stones, judging others and all that but I really just can't comprehend the concept of polygamy. Or why women would agree to it. Firstly I should tell those that don't know already, I am a Muslim woman. And this is important because it is a known fact that some Muslim men practice polygamy. It is a very controversial topic but my views are clear – I am totally against it. That being said, I know a few women who are in polygamous marriages and I have seen first-hand the consequences thereof. Is this why I am so drawn to watch this? The creators of 'Big Love' have created a fictional religion for the polygamists, but it seems to be similar to those of Mormons, Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It centers around Bill Henrickson, his three wives and their children, who all live happily (or not) together as one extended family. The wives regard each other as sisters (or not) and regard each others children as their own – or so they say. They share chores, meals, kids and off course, a husband; each getting their fair share as per schedule. I mean come on! Read more


Big Love on SBS
enews eBroadcast Australia - Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Originally published March 2, 2007
Fans of The Sopranos and Six Feet Under rest easy. SBS has guaranteed an 8.30 timeslot for the HBO hit drama, Big Love. Big Love provides an intriguing insight into the long outlawed practice and hidden world of polygamy. Featuring a stellar movie star cast including Bill Paxton, Chloe Sevigny and Jeanne Tripplehorn, the 12 part series centres on Mormon patriarch Bill Henrickson (played by Paxton) with his three wives and their seven children. Bill struggles to balance the financial and emotional needs of Barb, Nicki and Margene, who live in separate, adjacent houses and take turns sharing their husband each night. While managing the household finances together and routinely sharing "family home nights," they try to keep simmering jealousies in check and their arrangement a secret — polygamy is illegal in Utah and banned by the mainstream Mormon Church. Produced by Warner Bros, Big Love made up part of Nine’s output deal but they decided to on sell when approached by SBS late last year. Director of Television and Online Content Matt Campbell said "Frankly were delighted but also a bit surprised Nine passed on this little gem. I think they deemed it too edgy for their audience but when it comes to drama edge is what people have come to expect from SBS." Read more


No big love for the curious here
By Jayne Clark Travel » Destinations USA TODAY Originally published April 5, 2007
HILDALE, Utah — It isn't lovely, cultural or particularly welcoming. Nor will you find mention of this colorless town in mainstream travel guides. But a growing number of motorists making the trek down Route 59 south of Zion National Park's red-rock bounty are pausing for a look-see, thanks to media exposure surrounding a polygamous sect headquartered here. Hildale and its sister town of Colorado City, just over the Arizona border, are headquarters of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and home since the 1930s to a large polygamous enclave. The sect bears more than a passing resemblance to the one portrayed in Big Love, the HBO series that chronicles a polygamous Utah family. Add to that the legal woes of the church's leader and former FBI 10 Most Wanted poster boy Warren Jeffs, and it's enough to make an already reclusive community want to lock the door and turn out the lights. Charged with being an accomplice to rape for performing the spiritual marriage of a 14-year-old girl to her 19-year-old cousin, Jeffs is now awaiting trial, a proceeding sure to brighten the spotlight on these communities. So is the start of the second season on June 17 of the critically acclaimed Big Love. Read more


Warren Jeffs acquires pop culture following
By Brian Passey The Spectrum Originally published April 10, 2007
ST. GEORGE - He's been a principal, a prophet, a fugitive and an inmate. Now Warren Jeffs is poised to become a rock star. Jeffs, the leader of the polygamous sect, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is on trial here, facing charges of rape as an accomplice. But thanks to a Chicago-based experimental music group, one of his sermons is reaching beyond the ears of his followers. The group, KinkZoid, sampled a sermon in which Jeffs warns students at a private academy in Salt Lake City about the evils of listening to rock 'n' roll because "you are enjoying the spirit of the Negro race." During the 1990s, Jeffs worked as principal of the FLDS-operated Alta Academy, the sect he would later lead as its prophet. During the course of this lecture to students there, he tells the story of Little Richard teaching elements of his music to The Beatles. Jeffs condemns the musician for being a homosexual and drug user, calling him the "worst kind of person." He then warns his young audience to stay away from this music because it will "rot the soul," lead them to immorality and corruption and cause them to forget God. Read more


'Big Love' Salvo: Once Is Not Enough
By Kamau High Adweek Originally published May 24, 2007
NEW YORK A new campaign for HBO's Big Love from Seattle agency Creature humorously highlights the upside of polygamy. In two spots and four print ads, the agency shows different faux products for the polygamist market. In "Eau de Polygamie," a chiseled young man strolls down a row of his wives who stand demurely next to a clothesline. Each one he passes registers disappointment at his rejection by casting their eyes downwards. Just as he about to pass another, he pauses. What is that delightful scent, he seems to say. They bound off into the fields together. The other spot focuses on a Viagra-like drug for polygamists called "Polygarol." Spots will run on HBO until the end of June, and also appear on paid placement areas of Web sites such as YouTube. The print ads, which are scheduled to run in next Sunday's New York Times, showcase real-estate and fake travel offers, all with a polygamist twist. Read more


Summer Heat
Standoffs, sendoffs, surf and Saints.
By Bill Frost True TV - Editorial Salt Lake City Weekly Originally published June 7, 2007
Big Love Monday, June 11 (HBO) Season Premiere: Didn’t think there was enough Mormonism in Season 1 of Big Love? Season 2 is chock fulla doctrine! When last we left Bill Henrickson and his domestic trifecta, Wife No. 1 Barb had been exposed as a polygamist at the governor’s mansion, "prophet" Roman Grant and the forces of Juniper Creek were preparing to bring the pain to Bill’s Sandy ’hood, Bill was counterthreatening with government action and Roman’s son Alby had been antifreeze poisoned — who says Mormons (sorry, fundamentalist Mormons) are dull? Season 2 picks up weeks later, with Barb so shaken by the outing that she won’t leave the house but is considering leaving the family — filling Wife No. 2 Nikki with dreams of moving up the spousal ladder. Meanwhile, Bill finds that being tagged as a polygamist apparently isn’t big damn news in Salt Lake City — even with (as it will be revealed in a later episode) "The Deseret News ... one of the best morning newspapers in the country!" on the case. See? Settle down, outraged Latter-day Saints — Big Love is obviously pure fiction.


Polygamists give "Big Love" mixed reviews
By Jason Szep Reuters Originally published June 8, 2007
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - As "Big Love" enters a second season on Monday, the HBO series about a fictional polygamous family is inspiring emotions from pride to fury among real polygamists where the show is set in a Salt Lake City suburb. "There's a certain truth to it," said Anne Wilde, a 71-year-old widow who was part of a family of plural wives for 33 years. "Here's a family of three wives that lives in the community and they just blend into the neighborhood, although they don't say too much about it. But Wilde said she blocks her eyes when scenes get intimate and bridles at the show's trademark sexual tension, saying it's too racy for many of the estimated 37,000 fundamentalist Mormons who practice polygamy in Utah and Arizona. "Big Love" centers on the struggles of Viagra-popping polygamist Bill Hendrickson to balance rival affections and demands of his three spouses -- first wife and leader of the pack Barbara (Jeanne Tripplehorn); wife No. 2 and compulsive shopper Nicki (Chloe Sevigny); and wife No. 3 Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin), the youngest, most pliant and most sexual. The Salt Lake City, Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormon church, has said the family in "Big Love" are not part of the Mormon church, which introduced polygamy before the Civil War but banned it in 1890. Excommunicated by mainstream Mormons, polygamists see themselves as purists of the faith as it was practiced by founder Joseph Smith, whom historians say took more than two dozen wives. Polygamy is a felony in Utah, but polygamists are seldom prosecuted unless they commit additional crimes. Read more


'Big Love's' wedded blitz
It takes polygamy to marry this many concepts.
By Mary McNamara Los Angeles Times Originally published June 9, 2007
At first it seemed so fringe as to be lunatic. An hourlong drama about a Mormonish polygamous family living in Utah. Yeah, that has a big built-in demographic. One season later, devoted fans can barely wait for the return of HBO's "Big Love" on Monday night. Far from fringe, "Big Love" has become an ur drama, with dark comedy lapping at the edges. In following the byzantine machinations of the Henrickson clan as it straddles suburban America and the religious-cult compound of Juniper Creek, "Big Love" manages to blend virtually every TV genre available — marriage dramedy, female-bonding comedy, mobster drama — into something completely new. Season 2 promises to be even better; the folks at HBO needn't worry about the death of "The Sopranos." The Henricksons have got their backs. Season 1 opened predictably — perhaps cynically? — with the sex hook. Meet Bill Henrickson, a normal, home-store-chain-owning guy who happens to have three beautiful wives, all of whom want sex every night. (Or every third night, as they have a democratic system of husband-sharing.) Enter Viagra and all subsequent smirky scenarios. With his ability to emote benign intensity, Bill Paxton takes the character far above the leering cartoon it might have been. Bill (Henrickson) has an unfortunate tendency toward self-satisfaction and sanctimony (especially given the patriarchal setup of the family), but Paxton makes it clear that, at bottom, this is a man struggling to do right by his family and his faith. Read more


The truth about 'Love'
By Don Lattin San Francisco Chronicle Originally published Sunday, June 10, 2007
Colorado City, Ariz. -- Loyal members of Warren Jeffs' polygamist sect aren't supposed to watch any television -- let alone the racy programming beamed down from that HBO satellite orbiting somewhere up there in the celestial kingdom. Nevertheless, some of the brethren in this embattled flock have hidden satellite dishes in obscure corners of their enclave on the Utah/Arizona border, or smuggled in DVDs of the one HBO show that really hits home in this part of the country. "Big Love," the HBO series, is a big hit among some dissident members of Jeffs' sect, the largest of several polygamist factions that refuse to accept the mainstream Mormon Church's long-standing decision to renounce the practice of plural marriage. They, like many nonpolygamous fans of the popular show, have come to know Salt Lake City native Bill Henrickson, the "Big Love" patriarch, and his three wives -- Barb, Nicki and Margene. Henrickson, the lead character played by Bill Paxton, is an independent businessman who defected from the cultish Juniper Creek compound in rural Utah when he was a teenager but continues to secretly live "the principle" as an independent polygamist in his upscale suburban neighborhood. Like HBO's outgoing hit series "The Sopranos," which puts a friendly face on a mob family from New Jersey, "Big Love" paints a sympathetic portrait of one polygamist clan that seems about as dangerous as Ozzie and Harriet. So what do real-life polygamists think of "Big Love"? Charlotte Chatwin, one of two surviving wives in a three-wife polygamist family in Colorado City, didn't like the beginning of the first season. Read more


Gay monogamous couple are brains behind polygamy show
By Don Lattin San Francisco Chronicle Originally published Sunday, June 10, 2007
Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer, the screenwriting team that created "Big Love," don't have a personal interest in Mormonism or polygamy, but they do know something about family lifestyles outside the American mainstream. That's because, offscreen, they're a gay couple celebrating the 16th year of their own monogamous relationship. In an interview in May, they talked about the ideas behind "Big Love" and some of the changes they've made in the second season. Q: Who came up with the idea for "Big Love"? Mark V. Olsen: I did. We were driving back to New York from family vacation in Nebraska. Mormon polygamy has always been on my radar. I grew up in Oregon and have good friends at the University of Utah. Q: What was your partner's reaction? Will Scheffer: My initial reaction was "Yuck! That's not an idea that's going to create a mass audience for television!" We actually had a big fight about it in the car ride back to New York City. Mark said, "I'm going to prove to you that this is a good idea!" Olsen: There was always this idea of a suburban take on polygamy. After a bit of research, we found out that there are multiple ways of living polygamy. We came to know more about this than a lot of mainstream Mormons know. We took a certain degree of flak in the beginning for creating a kind of family that does not exist, but they do exist. Read more


Love may heal a Tony-less HBO
By Diane Werts Newsday Originally published June 10, 2007
What would Abraham Lincoln do? This and other contemporary questions are asked -- and if not answered, probingly explored -- in HBO's "Big Love," the suddenly Tony-less network's nearest thing to a "Sopranos" successor. Starting Monday, the second season of this juicy "plural marriage" saga seems to be stepping up to the plate as HBO's next signature series. "Big Love" does more this year than you might expect, and more richly, more provocatively, more dramatically and amusingly, too. Last season's cliffhanger "outing" of suburban businessman Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton) and his three wives -- none of them ex -- detonates tensions inside their immediate family, in the extended clan back at the earthy Utah compound they've fled, and around the Salt Lake City community that isn't certain what those Henricksons are doing in their three adjoining subdivision houses but suspects it's not something in which Lincoln would have engaged. Abe is actually Bill's role model as this unusual "American dream"-seeker wrestles with tonight's big crisis -- one of his wives leaving him. That throws not only him into a tizzy but her "sister wives," too, whose places in the pecking order start to shuffle. Read more


Polygamy hooked viewers, but won't go the distance
By Tim Goodman Review San Francisco Chronicle Originally published Monday, June 11, 2007
Big Love: Drama. 9 p.m. Mondays, HBO. "Big Love," HBO's sprawling polygamist drama that received raves but generally failed to spark much discussion at the proverbial watercooler, is an exceptionally well-crafted drama that seems destined to fall short of greatness and, worse, fail to be embraced as a go-to show in the HBO stable. It's a shame, really, because the writing, pacing and acting in "Big Love" are stellar. There's something fulfilling in a TV drama that retains a high-quality continuum, but it's also completely understandable if "Big Love" fails to capture the imagination of the available audience. Part of the reason is that the central idea of the series -- one man, three wives, seven kids, three houses (side by side) in suburban Utah -- initially enthralled with its uniqueness. There was nothing else like it on television. Even by the midway point of last season, the idea of polygamy as the main conceit still intrigued. How does Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton in a performance that anchors the series) juggle three wives in an illegal plural marriage while also being a successful businessman (he owns a string of Home Depot-like stores) and yet living just under the radar of a watchful society? Read more


'Big Love' is back
By Scott D. Pierce Deseret Morning News Originally published Monday, June 11, 2007
You're reading "one of the best morning papers in the country." It must be true. I heard it on an upcoming episode of HBO's "Big Love," which returns tonight at 10 on the pay-cable channel. Yes, the series about a family of Utah polygamists is back ... but with less local media frenzy, one would hope. During and after the 12-episode first season of "Big Love," the sky didn't fall. Tourists didn't stop coming to Utah. Mitt Romney still gets to run for president. The Jazz actually got better. Most of the 4 million (at most) people who saw each episode last season seem to have been able to determine that "Big Love" is fiction. Fact-based fiction, but fiction nonetheless. The second season picks up right where the first left off, in terms of both plot and quality. "Big Love" remains a compelling show about compelling characters. Tonight, the Henricksons are in turmoil about being "outed" as polygamists. First-wife Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn) withdraws from everyone after she was disqualified from a Utah mother-of-the-year contest just before the ceremony began at the governor's mansion; Bill (Bill Paxton) is determined to find out who did the outing; second wife Nicki (Chloe Sevigny) and third wife Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) are struggling to hold the family together. Bill fears for the future of his business, and he's still got his cult-leader father-in-law, Roman (Harry Dean Stanton) to deal with. That and the fact that he helped cover up his brother's wife's attempt to murder his wife's brother. It gets a little complicated. Read more


Compound Interest
On "Big Love," Nicki and Bill visit Juniper Creek with different agendas; back at home, Barb and Margene get into it over Ben
By Shirley Halperin TV Watch Entertainment Weekly Originally published June 26, 2007
From the get-go, this was the episode of unlikely pairings: Ben and Margene, Bill and Roman, Barb and Rhonda, Alby and... who knows. But man, was it action-packed! And filled with plenty of great zingers (mostly courtesy of Adeleen) and even some answers. Where do we start? Let's kick off this TV Watch with the most potentially disastrous development: Rhonda running away from the compound. The sneaky little devil hid in the back of Bill's SUV, and God only knows what she overheard on the ride home. What's up with Rhonda, anyway? One minute she's telling Roman she's ready to be his wife (gotta love that snide "he's marrying down" remark from Nicki's sister); the next she needs to be nudged to go sit near him. And then this little disappearing act? Well, at least we learned what the alternative to marrying the prophet would be: "selling pine nuts by the side of the road in Mexico." And why Mexico? Today there remains a faction of FLDS families living south of the border, and construction is well under way for a temple and refuge in Eldorado, Texas, some 150 miles away from the state line. There, as in some other fundamentalist communities, girls become marriage material at a frighteningly young age, which makes Rhonda's situation indeed based in reality. Read more


TV show upsets Aussie Mormons
The Daily Telegraph - Surry Hills, New South Wales Originally published July 6, 2007
THE Australian branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has distanced itself from the television series Big Love and the practice of polygamy. Big Love, which screens on SBS, is about a modern-day polygamist who lives in suburban Salt Lake City in the United States with his three wives and seven children. The church has released an open letter stating that the family in the series should not be referred to as Mormons. "Unfortunately placing the series in Salt Lake City, the international headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is enough to blur the line between the modern Church and the program's subject matter and reinforce old, outdated stereotypes," church spokesman Steve R Coy said. "This distinction is often lost on members of the public and even on some senior journalists." Read more


No love lost
By Matthew Benson, Amanda J. Crawford and Mary Jo Pitzl The Arizona Republic Originally published July 22, 2007
For more than a year, Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard has resisted the temptation to watch the HBO sitcom Big Love, the polygamy spoof in which a man and his three wives try to make their unusual relationship work in suburbia. It's not been easy. While Goddard doesn't have HBO at home, a staff member has dutifully taped every episode and placed it on his desk. Still, Goddard has resisted on principle: "Anything that is trying to make what I consider to be a tragic situation for most of the families I've had to interact with in Colorado City and turn it into a sitcom, I find offensive," he says. But while channel surfing at a hotel in Flagstaff recently, Goddard's clicker lingered a moment on HBO before he realized what he was watching. He caught about 10 minutes of the show, including the previews for the next episode. Did the snippet win him over? Not a chance. Read more


Readers Show 'Big Love' For Utah Polygamy Beat
By Joe Strupp Editor & Publisher - New York City Originally published August 16, 2007
NEW YORK Brooke Adams' beat at the Salt Lake Tribune is not exactly like covering city hall, unless the mayor has three or four wives and more than a dozen children. That's because Adams, an eight-year veteran reporter at the Utah daily, covers polygamy -- and appears to be the only full-time reporter covering that subject at a U.S. newspaper. "It is really intriguing," says Adams, 49, who had covered the lifestyle with other "family" issues until early 2006 when she went full time on the unusual assignment. The biggest surprise about her beat, she says, "is how committed people are to their beliefs and how complex it is. There is abuse that goes on, but there are also very happy families." Web traffic data places the Tribune's "Polygamy" page near the top of the site's most popular offerings. "It is greater than the politics or education sections, the most popular page outside of sports and news," says Online Editor Manny Mellor. From July 2006 to June 2007, the page received nearly one million views. Read more


The Experts Corner: How real is 'Big Love' season 2?
By Pop Watch Television, The Experts Corner Entertainment Weekly Originally published August 20, 2007
With the second season of Big Love (pictured, with Jeanne Tripplehorn, left; and Chloe Sevigny) coming to an end, we thought it was a good time to check in with one of the country's foremost polygamy experts: Salt Lake Tribune reporter Brooke Adams. The plural life is Adams' beat: She's the one covering the trial of Warren Jeffs, interviewing Big Love-like families all over Utah and the border states and constantly updating the paper's polygamy blog. Not surprisingly, she sees a lot of correlations between the plots on Big Love and real-life news stories, so we chatted about some of those last week via IM. — Shirley Halperin ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Are there any perks, for lack of a better word, to being first wife? It seems like a lot of this season has been focused on Barb's inner struggle with the life she's chosen while at the same time trying to assert herself and her position in this three-wife system. From the women you've interviewed, have you noticed this sort of first-wife issue? BROOKE ADAMS: First of all, the plural wives I've spoken with say there is no such thing as a "first wife." They say that for any wife to hold more power than the others makes the whole thing unworkable. The best explanation I've heard is that the wives have to view themselves as equals who are interested in the good of the group and want the same thing for the other wives that they want for themselves. That, at least, is the ideal. Read more


Romney gets a little 'Big Love'
By Christina Bellantoni The Washington Times Originally published August 27, 2007
Political junkies and HBO fans have been wondering if "Big Love" would ever include a Mitt Romney story line. Finally that question was answered last night, and the Mormon presidential hopeful got a mention during the season finale of the popular HBO drama about a Mormon family engaged in polygamy. You had to listen really close to catch the Romney line, it was that subtle. At the beginning of a scene halfway through the episode, the show's polygamist patriarch Roman Grant, aka "The Prophet," is watching television. The TV screen isn't in the shot, but you can hear a female's voice weighing in on a recent Romney scandal. "He saved the Olympics. Who cares if he lets his dog ride on the roof of his car," the woman says, referring to a Boston Globe profile detailing a family trip where the Romney dog, Seamus, traveled 12 hours in a pet carrier on the roof of the station wagon. "People are just out to get him for any little thing," the pundit continues. She starts a new sentence with "Critics ..." but her voice is drowned out when the show's main character Bill Henrickson enters the room. The pundit does not mention Romney by name, but it is obvious she is referring to the Republican, who managed the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City . Read more


Mitt takes hit on 'Big Love'
By By Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa Boston Herald Originally published Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Ex-Gov. Mitt Romney, whose Mormon religion has become an issue in his quest for the White House, got a cameo mention in the season finale of HBO’s polygamy drama "Big Love." The set-in-Utah series, which follows the adventures of a Mormon fundamentalist and his three wives, wrapped up this week with a cliffhanger focused on the arrest of polygamy cult leader Roman Grant, aka Harry Dean Stanton. Before Grant is taken away in handcuffs, there’s a scene where Stanton is in bed watching TV. Although the picture cannot be seen, a woman is heard saying: "He saved the Olympics. Who cares if he lets his dog ride on the roof of his car? People are just out to get him for any little thing." As you well know, Romney is credited with saving the scandal-plagued 2002 Olympics in - where else? - Salt Lake City. And he was recently slammed by animal-rights types for strapping his Irish setter, Seamus, to the roof of a station wagon for a family trip to Canada oh so many years ago. "I suppose it could have been worse," said Romney’s spokesguy Eric Fehrnstrom. "He could have gotten a mention on ‘John from Cincinnati.’" Read more


HBO explains: Romney "part of that world"
By Christina Bellantoni The Washington Times Originally published August 29, 2007
The creators of HBO's 'Big Love' have answered my questions about why Mormon presidential candidate Mitt Romney was included in the show's season finale Sunday. HBO spokeswoman Tonya Owens said she spoke to Will Scheffer and Mark V. Olsen about the brief Romney line of dialog in the show about a polygamist family. Owens said the background clip - a TV news pundit mentioning Romney's critics and noting: "People are just out to get him for any little thing ..." - was manufactured specially for 'Big Love' and not taken from a real news segment. "Mitt Romney is not part of our storyline yet," Owens said on behalf of the creators. "This season is over. If he does succeed, we will be looking for a way to sketch something in. We mentioned him because it is so part of that world and everyone in that world is talking about him." Romney, the Republican former governor of Massachusetts, is leading early polls in Iowa and New Hampshire but trails his rivals nationally. Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times


HBO’s 'Big Love' Parallels Polygamist's Plight
Broadcast Newsroom Originally published September 30, 2007
(Broadcasting & Cable) - You can bet Mark V. Olsen and Will Sheffer were paying attention last week when polygamist leader Warren Jeffs http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=3656629&page=1 was convicted as an accomplice to rape for performing a marriage between a 19-year-old man and a 14-year-old girl. Olsen and Sheffer, the creators of HBO's polygamist drama, Big Love http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6462605.html , have monitored the Jeffs story all along, given how eerily it has played out alongside the series' first two seasons. When Jeffs became an FBI fugitive in spring 2006, just as Big Love was closing out its first season, Olsen and Sheffer decided to write in an off-camera story line for season two involving the FBI pursuit, arrest and trial of Orlean Abbot -- an even creepier fundamentalist leader than the show's Roman Grant (played by Harry Dean Stanton). "We were worried that the [Jeffs] situation might have led to a Waco-kind of shootout, and so we wanted to somehow protect ourselves in case that came to pass," Olsen told B&C. "If we're all like cotton-candy-and-caramel-corn in the suburbs and then this horrific incident happens, even if it's a totally different scale, it's kind of like the problems that Sex and the City faced after 9/11." Although Jeffs has been convicted, his story will continue to reverberate in the show's third season, which begins production in November. "We're going to start out our season with Orlean Abbot having been convicted pretty much of the Warren Jeffs crimes," Olsen said. Read more


Golden day for Canada as awards season heats up
By Gayle MacDonad The Associated Press Globe and Mail Update - Toronto, Ontario Originally published December 14, 2007
Canadian-made films, TV shows, actors and filmmakers scored an impressive number of nominations yesterday when the names were unveiled for the 65th-annual Golden Globe Awards to take place in Hollywood in the new year. Topping the Canadian pack was Toronto director David Cronenberg, whose Russian-mafia thriller, Eastern Promises garnered three Golden Globe nods, including best picture (drama), best actor (Viggo Mortensen) and best score (by Toronto-born composer Howard Shore). It's up against stiff competition including American Gangster, Atonement, The Great Debaters, Michael Clayton, No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood. British actress Julie Christie - who stars in Toronto-based Sarah Polley's feature-film directorial debut, the Alzheimer drama Away from Her - received a nomination for best dramatic actress. Canadians Ellen Page and Ryan Gosling also racked up Golden Globe acting nods for their performances in Jason Reitman's (born in Montreal but a long-time resident of L.A.) comedy Juno and Craig Gillespie's Lars and the Real Girl. Halifax-born Page, 20, was nominated for best actress in a comedy or musical for her work in the critical favourite, Juno, about a pregnant teen (the picture also received a nomination as did writer Diablo Cody). Recently the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures gave Page its award for the year's best breakthrough performance. She has also been nominated for best actress at the Film Independent Spirit Awards. Read more


Mormon facts
Letters The Calgary Herald - Calgary, Alberta Originally published Thursday, June 19, 2008
Re: "Ponderings from Temple Square," Kevin Brooker, Opinion, June 16. I find it interesting that Kevin Brooker is intent on informing people about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, commonly known as the Mormons, but he neglects to research his facts. The LDS church does not endorse, nor practise polygamy. Mormons that do so, not only break the laws of the land, but the laws of God as well. Any church member who pursues plural marriage would be in violation of the law and would be excommunicated. The Fundamentalists who practice plural marriage are not of the same religion, not a branch of the Mormon church, nor do they follow the same moral program. Brooker would better serve readers by getting his facts from the official site of the LDS church -- LDS.org -- rather than from the fictionalized television show Big Love. Karen Work, Calgary


Big Love Uses Big Raid
Fresh Intelligence Radar Online - New York, NY Originally published December 23, 2008
HBO's show about America's favorite polygamous family, Big Love, is pulling inspiration from real-life drama. Storylines next season are directly based off the Texas raid on a polygamist neighborhood last April, where 416 children were removed from the compound. A fake version of the incident is re-created as the children head in a lead character's car to a refuge camp where all of the kids who have escaped the compound meet up. Nice case of art imitating wife. Season 3 of Big Love premiers Jan. 18.


HBO Is Hiding Little About 'Big Love'
By STEPHANIE CLIFFORD Advertising The New York Times Originally published January 6, 2009
FANS of shows like "24," "Lost" and "Big Love" are finally being rewarded for their patience with new episodes. But given the long hiatuses between seasons and further delays because of the writers' strike, some might have trouble remembering what they liked about these shows in the first place. HBO's "Big Love," which last showed a new episode in August 2007, is beginning an aggressive ad campaign to remind its audience just what was happening to the polygamous Henrickson family. "The big challenge, quite frankly, is the fact that it's been off the air for so long," said Courteney Monroe, HBO's executive vice president for consumer marketing. The theme of the "Big Love" campaign is secrets. HBO, which likes to include splashy elements and stunts in its campaigns, is installing street-level billboards this week that include dozens of audio jacks. People passing by can plug their headphones into each jack to hear a recording of a different secret about people pictured on the billboard. The people revealing the secrets are not characters on the program: they seem to be a cross-section of modern-day city residents. This part of the campaign, created by the ad agency BBDO New York, is meant to illustrate the campaign's tagline, "Everyone Has Something to Hide." Read more


'Big Love' Q&A: Compounding the drama
Posted by Kathy Lyford Season Pass - Variety Editors Blog About What They're Watching Variety - Los Angeles, CA Originally posted Wed, January 7, 2009
"Big Love" star Bill Paxton is the next guest in our Q&A series. He'll be answering reader questions here on Season Pass. HBO's drama about a polygamist and his three wives bows its third season Jan. 18. While many of HBO's shows have long hiatuses, "Big Love's" was extra long due to the WGA strike and hasn't aired since August 2007. In the interim, the lifestyle portrayed on the show received a worldwide stage in April of 2008 when authorities raided Warren Jeffs' polygamist compound in Texas and took more than 400 children into protective custody. According to TV Guide's print edition, the show will address that real-life event in its premiere episode. Read more


Polygamy gets ugly
In its third season, "Big Love" abandons its sugarcoated take on plural marriage for a far darker picture.
By Heather Havrilesky Salon Arts & Entertainment Salon - San Francisco, CA Originally published Wednesday, Jan 14, 2009
The woman you're dating loves your third wife, but she isn't crazy about your second. You're trying to pitch a casino to the representative of an Indian tribe, but he's suspicious of you and your religious beliefs. Your father-in-law is in jail and awaiting trial, and he's threatening to drag you and your family into it. One of your wives seems to be having trouble conceiving, but your beliefs and your happiness hinge on making your family as big as possible. As tough as it is to understand, relate to or sympathize with Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton), the Mormon polygamist at the center of HBO's "Big Love," through some delicate balance of wit, heart and high stakes, the show manages to transport viewers to an alternate universe where marriage is something shared not by two people, but by one man and three headstrong women. In other words, HBO's "Big Love" offers up subcultural rubbernecking at its very best. Read more


Bill Paxton on the New Season of 'Big Love' and Its Most Famous Fan
By Nick Haramis BlackBook Magazine - New York, NY Originally published January 15, 2009
"Hello? Thanks for the — hang on — watch out for the mountain lions, sweetie!" Given the upward lilt at the end of his paternal warning, one gets the impression that actor Bill Paxton is joking. He's not. Tucked away in rural America, the three-time Golden Globe nominee sounds worlds apart from the New York ad blitzkrieg promoting the third season of his hit drama Big Love, which returns to HBO this Sunday. Back in Manhattan, street-level billboards come equipped with audio jacks into which passersby are invited to stop and listen to the confessions of random strangers. Meanwhile, human advertisements pepper heavily trafficked intersections with thought bubbles atop their heads, meant to expose true feelings they would never dare utter. The show's tagline this season, after all, is "Everyone has something to hide." And Paxton, for his third year as Bill Henrickson, assures us that the show's polygamy-centered plotlines are about to accelerate. Here, although immune to blog speculation and aggressive marketing ploys, the star of Twister and Apollo 13 readies himself for a return to Salt Lake City. Your fans are really excited about Sunday's premiere. They won't be disappointed. This year, I really think the fans are going to have bragging rights for having caught on early. The stakes have gone way up. It was one of those seasons where I just barely manage to crawl out from the wreckage after the last episode — it was emotionally and physically draining. Read more


New Season Of 'Big Love' Starts Sunday
By ROGER CATLIN The Hartford Courant - Hartford, Connecticut Originally published January 16, 2009
Bill Henrickson and his three wives return for a third season of "Big Love" Sunday on HBO. In the past 17 months of new episodes, the series' focus on a polygamist family in suburban Utah has been underscored by a real-life event: the raid of a compound in Texas last April that put such a lifestyle on front pages. "There was a lot of hay to be made out of what was happening down in Texas with the raids at Eldorado," co-creator Mark V. Olsen told reporters at the TV critics press tour this month. "But we've always felt that it's a mixed blessing that, to a certain extent, when people regard the show as just 'the polygamy show,' there's still that ceiling that we're trying to break through." The show might have benefited from being shown at the time of the raid, in which 400 women and children were removed from a place not so different from the fictional Juniper Creek. But it was delayed by the writers' strike. The first two seasons of "Big Love" were on so long ago that its premiere coincided with the sixth-season start of "The Sopranos" in March 2006; its second season began the night after the mob drama's season finale in June 2007. And with Tony and company now long gone, "Big Love" becomes the premium cable channel's signature Sunday-night drama. Having time off during that Texas siege, though, was probably a good thing, Olsen said: "We were much more pleased to be able to digest it and find what it means dramatically to our world." "It's always good to have more time ... to digest the story and to reconsider choices made," said co-creator and executive producer Will Scheffer. "It makes the show stronger, deeper, better, you know, to have a couple of goes at initial assumptions." Read more


Tom Hanks Says Mormon Supporters of Proposition 8 'Un-American'
By Hollie McKay FOX News Originally published Friday, January 16, 2009
Tom Hanks, an Executive Producer for HBO's controversial polygamist series "Big Love," made his feelings toward the Mormon Church's involvement in California's Prop 8 (which prohibits gay marriage) very clear at the show's premiere party on Wednesday night. "The truth is this takes place in Utah, the truth is these people are some bizarre offshoot of the Mormon Church, and the truth is a lot of Mormons gave a lot of money to the church to make Prop-8 happen," he told Tarts. "There are a lot of people who feel that is un-American, and I am one of them. I do not like to see any discrimination codified on any piece of paper, any of the 50 states in America, but here's what happens now. A little bit of light can be shed, and people can see who's responsible, and that can motivate the next go around of our self correcting Constitution, and hopefully we can move forward instead of backwards. So let's have faith in not only the American, but Californian, constitutional process." When informed of the "Forrest Gump" star's comments, Kim Farah, a spokesperson for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, told Tarts, "Expressing an opinion in a free and democratic society is as American as it gets." Read more


The Braiding Bunch
New twist on old-fashioned look inspired by an unlikely source
By David Graham Fashion Editor The Toronto Star Originally published January 16, 2009
Toss out your flatirons and blow dryers. A growing trend in women's hairstyles has been sparked by a controversial religious movement and the television show that plays on its beliefs and homespun look. Big Love, the weekly, hour-long, comedy-drama about a suburban family of polygamists, launches its third season, Sunday. It's based on the life of one man and his three wives - one of them played by fashion icon Chloë Sevigny. The show may not have elevated the modest prairie dress to the status of fashion trend, but the elaborately braided hair seems to be catching on. The FLDS braid (short for Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) captured public attention in the spring when hundreds of women and children were removed by authorities from a cult in Texas, accused of forcing underage girls into marriage and subjecting them to abuse. The church has 10,000 followers and a now-jailed leader, Warren Jeffs. Closer to home, the church was in the news this month when two leaders of the Mormon community in Bountiful, B.C., Winston Blackmore and James Oler, were arrested by the RCMP, each charged with one count of polygamy. Far from the world of justice, the aesthetic is on trial in the court of public opinion. And the church is mindful of the interest, maintaining a website and an online store, fldscrafts.com. Read more


HBO Drama Inspired by Real Polygamist Raid
Season Three of Fictional 'Big Love' Premieres Tonight, With Dash of Reality
By EMILY FRIEDMAN Entertainment ABC News Originally published January 18, 2009
After the raid of a Texas polygamist sect last April, the creators of HBO's hit series "Big Love," which chronicles the lives of a fictional polygamist family, went straight to work adapting and rewriting to make the show's third season as realistic as possible for viewers who have been captivated by a subculture previously shrouded in mystery. "We began to write the season in advance of the raid in Texas," said Mark Olsen, the co-creator of the series. Olsen said that the raid occurred during last year's writers' strike, and so when the staff returned they got right to work. "We had to make the series relevant," said Olsen. "We couldn't have this season fail to acknowledge the events that had transpired in these characters' lives." "It would be like 'Sex and the City' not acknowledging that the Twin Towers were not there anymore," he said. The Yearning for Zion Ranch, a compound run by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, was raided in April 2008 after state authorities received calls reportedly from juveniles claiming sexual abuse. Texas Child Protective services then removed hundreds of children from the care of their parents while they investigated claims that the sect forced underage girls to marry older men and bred young men to become sexual abusers. Read more


Television Review: Big Love Season Three
By David Derus LA TV and Movie Review Examiner Examiner.com Originally published January 20, 2009
Last Sunday HBO's famous polygamist family premiered their third season. Big Love premiered in March of 2006. But because of last years writers strike and the decision to move the show from a summer release to a winter one it has been over a year and a half since the last season. Big Love follows the story of the Hendrickson family. Bill, played by Bill Paxton, is the patrarch with three wives and at least eight kids (It's hard to keep track of all the little ones). At the age of thirteen Bill was kicked off of the polygamous compound where he grew up. Since then he had mad a good life for himself. He went on the straight and narrow. He only took one wife, Barb played by Jeanne Tripplehorn, and they were model Utah citizens. when Barb got cancer Bill gets pulled back into the lifestyle due because of factors outside his control. Since then he has really embraced "The Practice." Now the family has to deal with the fall out of being in bed with Roman Grant, keeping their lifestyle a secret in a judgmental world, and maintain peace at home between the three wives and host of children, the oldest of which grew up outside of polygamy and take serious issue to their parents choices. Read more


'Big Love' is about the family
By Scott D. Pierce Deseret News Originally published Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. — Last year, when polygamists were all over the news because of the raids in Texas, HBO's show about a family of polygamists was off the air because of the Hollywood writers' strike. But the creators/executive producers of "Big Love" aren't exactly mourning that they lost what might have seemed like a golden opportunity to promote the show. (The third season premiere repeats tonight at 2:20 a.m.; Episode 2 airs Sunday at 10 p.m. on HBO. "No, we weren't (upset)," said creator/executive producer Mark V. Olsen. "HBO publicity was, but we weren't. There was a lot of hay to be made out of what was happening down in Texas ... but we've always felt that it's a mixed blessing that, to a certain extent, when people regard the show as just 'the polygamy show,' there's still that ceiling that we're trying to break through. So we were pretty happy not to be coming on the air immediately within the shadow of that." The weird thing is that, as "Big Love" enters its third season, you can almost forget that this is a show about polygamists. Even the show's lead actors are surprised that "Big Love" is, in a bizarre way, about "classical family values," as star Bill Paxton put it. Jeanne Tripplehorn, who plays first wife Barb, said, "When I was originally approached about this show about a polygamist family called 'Big Love,' I thought it was a comedy. And then, as I read it, I couldn't believe the depth. ... And now having finished (filming) Season 3, it's nuances are richer. "I still have questions concerning Barbara and why she stays or why she doesn't. ... But it's not about polygamy anymore.' Read more


Tom Hanks Apologizes for Calling Mormon Support of Prop 8 'Un-American'
People Magazine Originally published Friday January 23, 2009
Tom Hanks is rethinking his comments about Mormons who supported Proposition 8. Last week, the star, who is an executive producer for HBO's controversial series Big Love about a group of polygamist Mormons, spoke out about the religious group's involvement in passing the California law, which bans same-sex marriage. "The truth is a lot of Mormons gave a lot of money to the church to make Prop-8 happen," Hanks told Foxnews.com at the show's premiere in Los Angeles last Wednesday. "There are a lot of people who feel that is un-American, and I am one of them." A spokesperson for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Kim Farah, took offense at Hanks's comments, telling FOX News, "Expressing an opinion in a free and democratic society is as American as it gets." Now, in a exclusive statement to PEOPLE through his representative Leslee Dart, Hanks is softening his stance. Last week, I labeled members of the Mormon church who supported California's Proposition 8 as "un-American." I believe Proposition 8 is counter to the promise of our Constitution; it is codified discrimination. But everyone has a right to vote their conscience - nothing could be more American. To say members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who contributed to Proposition 8 are "un-American" creates more division when the time calls for respectful disagreement. No one should use "un- American" lightly or in haste. I did. I should not have. Sincerely, Tom Hanks.


Hanks to Mormons: Sorry for Prop 8 Remark
By Marc Malkin E! Online Originally published Fri., Jan. 23, 2009
Tom Hanks isn't getting big love from some sectors of the Mormon community. The Oscar winner is softening his critique of Mormons after coming under attack by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for calling supporters of California's anti-gay marriage ballot initiative "un-American." "The truth is a lot of Mormons gave a lot of money to the church to make Prop 8 happen," Hanks said at last week's L.A. premiere of Big Love, the HBO series he executive-produces about polygamist Mormons. "There are a lot of people who feel that is un-American, and I am one of them." Uh-oh! A rep for the church fired back to Fox News (where else?), "Expressing an opinion in a free democratic society is as American as it gets." Hanks issued a statement earlier today expressing regret over his choice of words. "I believe Proposition 8 is counter to the promise of our Constitution; it is codified discrimination," the statement reads in part. "But everyone has a right to vote their conscience. Nothing could be more America." Hanks also said in the statement that using the term "un-American" creates even more unncessary division: "No one," he said "should use 'un-American' lightly or in haste." A rep for Hanks could not be immediately reached, nor could a representative for the church. See photo


'Big Love' Returns with More Polygamy Storylines
Entertainment Tonight News Originally broadcast January 23, 2009
Does all the headline news as a result of the raid on the polygamist compound in Texas in 2008 make the third season of "Big Love" more relevant? Its stars think it does. "Before, there was the ick factor. Before, polygamy was a little too much to digest for some people," Jeanne Tripplehorn, who plays Barb -- wife No. 1 -- on the hit HBO series, tells ET. "Now with the incident in Texas, it has become a part of the culture, I think. This year, [our storylines are] not so fantastical. People like this really do live and breathe." And Bill Paxton, who plays Bill, a man with three wives, agrees, saying, "It seems that there certainly is a curiosity factor that has been peaked by these news stories. I think we are going to see some numbers jump." This season on "Big Love," airing Sunday nights at 9 p.m. on HBO, there may even be the addition of a fourth wife. "We flirt with the idea and we flirt with the fourth wife," admits Chloë Sevigny, who plays Bill's second wife. But can Bill afford a fourth wife with the state of the economy? "We don't want to give too much away," he demurs. "We live in a time where there are spoilers everywhere." See photo


Is This What A FLDS "Joy Book" Really Looks Like?
By Tracie Big Love Jezebel - Celebrity, Sex, Fashion for Women Originally published Mon Feb 2 2009
As surreal as it seems, Big Love relies heavily on research of polygamist sects and borrows from real-life events. Were the "Joy Books" in last night's episode an accurate depiction of FLDS' underage girls catalog? "Joy Books," as they're called, have been mentioned a lot in news stories regarding Warren Jeffs. They list the names of girls who are eligible for marriage, most of whom are underage (usually around 14 years old). The "Joy Books" have been talked about by members of the church who have fled their respective compounds, but the assumption was that the books merely listed the names of the girls who were to be married off without warning or consent. In the books on Big Love, we see pictures of young girls' faces, feet, hands, backs of heads, and backs of knees, as though they are slaves or cattle. In this clip, Nicki looks through some of the books, which she'd never seen before, and, after finding her own entry, maybe comes to terms with how gross the practice of shopping out girls is.


HBO Feels the Love for Another Season
By Adam Bryant TV Guide Originally published February 5, 2009
Though this season of Big Love earned little love in early ratings, HBO has ordered a fourth season of polygamist family drama. The critical darling, which suffered a long hiatus due to the writers' strike, has rebounded from its slow ratings start, earning 1.5 million viewers on Sunday despite competition with Super Bowl XLIII. The show averages five million viewers, including DVR plays and on-demand or encore episode tune-in. "The stellar reviews and solid viewership this season confirm that this is a signature series for HBO," said Michael Lombardo, president of programming at HBO. "The series keeps getting better and better." The show centers on Bill Paxton's Utah businessman and his three wives, played by Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny and Ginnifer Goodwin. The new season introduced Branka Katic, who plays an Eastern European waitress who could become the fourth wife. Production will begin later this year, with Season 4 episodes debuting in 2010. See photo


HBO renews 'Big Love'; polygamy fetishists everywhere rejoice
By Nicholas Fonseca PopWatch Entertainment Weekly Originally published February 5, 2009
I'm always a little jealous of people who rally around low-rated, low-wattage TV shows that ultimately manage to claw their way back for one more round. For instance, I absolutely loathe Scrubs, but damn if you fans out there aren't some lucky ducks with your eighth season and all. Be proud of yourselves! Every time I latch on to an overlooked series -- Once and Again, Swingtown, The Comeback -- I get my heart broken. Which is why today's news that HBO's Big Love has been renewed for a fourth season made me so giddy. Big Love is an oddity in HBO's primetime lineup. It's not a flashy, headline-grabbing cultural phenom like Sex and the City or The Sopranos, but it's also not a cerebral, limited-appeal oddity like Tell Me You Love Me or (urp!) John from Cincinnati. Emmy voters always ignore it, and its viewership is steady if unimpressive. But who cares? It is, in my opinion, the best one-hour drama on TV. Read more


More Wives, More Problems
By Sarah Seltzer RH Reality Check Information and Analysis for Reproductive Health Washington, D.C. Originally published February 20, 2009
It's only natural that on HBO a drama about fundamentalist Mormon polygamy brims with a commentary on our culture at large. In fact, sometimes the religious framework of "Big Love" has seemed like a thin excuse to portray an unconventional family situation and play with ideas about gender, the American family, and power dynamics. This season, though, the focus of the show has zoomed in closely on the religious aspects of the Henricksons' lives - a raid on the polygamist compound! A potential fourth wife to help the family attain celestial immortality! And even so, its relevance to American life, and American issues of gender and sexuality, seems ever more urgent. Only five episodes in, "Big Love" has already tackled many of the sexual politics we see on the news and in our lives. The initial Mormon-prophet-on-trial arc is a clear echo of this summer's raid on the Texas FLDS compound and the Warren Jeffs case. The show posits communal coercion of arranged marriage of young women as tantamount to rape, but plays with the tricky ethics of the government interfering with citizens' private lives. "Big Love's" recently-introduced teen pregnancy plot is reminiscent of Bristol Palin, while its exploration of repressed homosexuality in religious settings inevitably links to the saga of Ted Haggard. And then there are further subplots: the family's "courting" of a fourth wife who's not ready to commit brings up the sexual double-standard, and Nikki, the most religious wife, secretly takes birth control pills while urging her sister-wives to procreate. It's the "reproductive choice for me, but not for thee" phenomenon. Read more


HBO's 'Big Love' aims for religious accuracy
By Katharine Heriges The Daily Beacon - University of Tennessee, Knoxville Originally published Monday, March 9, 2009 issue
For those of you who don’t know, the best drama on television is not "Lost," "Brothers and Sisters" or the many incarnations of "CSI." Rather, that honor goes to HBO’s "Big Love," an underappreciated series that has one of the most original premises ever. "Big Love" is about Utah businessman Bill Hendrickson (Bill Paxton), a fundamentalist Mormon with three wives. Sure, you’re probably not watching it, but you should be. And not only is "Big Love" chock full of compelling stories and interesting characters, but it offers something rare for television, or media in general. "Big Love" goes through exhausting amounts of research to make sure that the religious aspect of the show is as close to reality as possible. "Big Love" has to depict a wide variety of Mormon beliefs both respectfully and accurately (two things that don’t always go hand-in-hand, especially with fundamentalist groups) — first there are the regular LDS Mormons that Bill frequently finds himself at odds with, then there are the compound-dwelling fundamentalists (similar to the Warren Jeffs-led clans seen so often on the news) that Bill is at odds with even more, and finally there are the fundamentalist Mormons like Bill’s family, ones that live average lives among us but all under the umbrella of "The Principle." Read more


LDS Church comments on 'Big Love' episode
By Lynn Arave Deseret News Originally published Monday, March 9, 2009
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is speaking out about concerns over an upcoming episode of HBO's "Big Love," which apparently depicts sacred temple ceremonies. This "Publicity Dilemma" is discussed at length on the "Newsroom" section of www.lds.org. "Before the first season of the HBO series 'Big Love' aired more than two years ago, the show's creators and HBO executives assured the Church that the series wouldn't be about Mormons," the statement on www.lds.org says. "However, Internet references to 'Big Love' indicate that more and more Mormon themes are now being woven into the show and that the characters are often unsympathetic figures who come across as narrow and self-righteous. And according to TV Guide, it now seems the show's writers are to depict what they understand to be sacred temple ceremonies. "Certainly Church members are offended when their most sacred practices are misrepresented or presented without context or understanding." The statement on lds.org says that the HBO series "once again blurs the distinctions between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the show's fictional non-Mormon characters and their practices. Such things say much more about the insensitivities of writers, producers and TV executives than they say about Latter-day Saints." Read more


'Big Love's' promise to show LDS temple rituals has many crying foul
Story compiled with contributions from Carole Mikita and Paul McHardy. KSL 5 TV Originally published March 9, 2009
SALT LAKE CITY -- A new controversy is brewing over the HBO program "Big Love." In an upcoming episode, the show's promotion says it will reveal sacred Latter-day Saint temple ceremonies. Church leaders have issued a lengthy response, while Church members are filing complaints. When the series premiered three years ago, HBO executives assured Latter-day Saint Church leaders the storylines would be about polygamists, not Mormons. But the next episode will blur that distinction and promises to take viewers inside a temple, revealing sacred Latter-day Saint clothing and ceremonies. The show's executive producer says: "That's never been shown on television before." An ex-Mormon consultant helped him with all the details. "The rituals and the teachings that take place in those we consider to be sacred and not appropriate for public view," says BYU Associate Dean of Religion Kent Jackson. Temples are restricted to church members in good standing, and the ceremonies and teachings inside are not intended to be discussed outside of the building. Jackson says other religions have similar sacred rituals. "Mecca, the center place of the Islamic faith, is restricted entirely to Muslims. Non-Muslims are not allowed to go into the city at all," he says. In a lengthy statement called "Publicity Dilemma," LDS Church leaders recognize with the faith's prominence, such film and TV attention is inevitable. The statement reads, in part: "Certainly, Church members are offended when their most sacred practices are misrepresented or presented without context or understanding." [Click here to read the entire statement] Leaders of other faiths say all religions hope sacred rituals are treated with respect. "The whole idea of having holy, sacred garments is that they act as a reminder to the person or persons wearing them. That what's going on, what is happening while those garments are being worn is a sacred moment," said Rabbi Benny Zippel, of the Chabad Lubavitch of Utah. Read more


Not so glamorous
Culture Briefs The Washington Times - Washington, DC Originally published Tuesday, March 10, 2009
"When it first appeared, 'Big Love' took some [flak] from some quarters (I don't recall exactly who), citing it as a sign of the attempt to normalize polygamy at the very least, and at the very most normalize any kind of alternative living arrangement. Well, score one for TV art because 'Big Love' does nothing of the sort. "In fact, if you're determined to find social commentary or 'messages' in 'Big Love' it would be hard to avoid the sense that polygamy, whether it's lived out on the compound in full Prairie regalia under the Prophet or in the 'burbs under the smiling visage of the home improvement magnate, is extremely messed up. Exploits women. Imprisons them. Keeps the men busy with their big old time capsules, determined to make their mark here and in eternity through prodigious amounts of progeny." - Amy Welborn, writing on "Big Love" on March 6 at her Beliefnet blog Via Media


HBO defends 'Big Love' plan to depict LDS temple ceremony
KSL 5 TV Originally published March 10, 2009
Statement from HBO: "We know that the writers/producers of the series have gone to great lengths to be respectful and accurate in portraying the endowment ceremony. That ceremony is very much an important part of this year's storyline. "Obviously, it was not our intention to do anything disrespectful to the church. But to those who may be offended, we offer our sincere apology. "It should also be noted that throughout the series' three-year run, the writer/producers have made abundantly clear the distinction between the LDS church and those extreme fringe groups who practice polygamy."


HBO 'Big Love' response shows ethical lapses, arrogance
By Joel Campbell Mormon Times Originally published Tuesday, Mar. 10, 2009
For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Time Warner's Home Box Office network will cross a very bright ethical line when it airs an episode of "Big Love" Sunday that producers ironically said Tuesday depicts LDS temple ceremonies with "dignity and reverence." HBO apologized if the episode offends but is not likely to pull from its lineup. Here's the first ethical problem -- honesty. Under the guise of portraying a polygamist family drama, series producers employed an ex-Mormon to help them construct sets and costumes to re-create temple rites. The disingenuous statements continue. "Big Love" producers had promised that they would draw clear lines between the practices of polygamist groups and the LDS Church. Here's the statement HBO released Tuesday: "We know that the writers/producers of the series have gone to great lengths to be respectful and accurate in portraying the endowment ceremony. That ceremony is very much an important part of this year's storyline. Obviously, it was not our intention to do anything disrespectful to the church but to those who may be offended, we offer our sincere apology. It should also be noted that throughout the series' three-year run, the writer/producers have made abundantly clear the distinction between the LDS church and those extreme fringe groups who practice polygamy. " Read more


HBO apologizes to LDS; will still air offending episode
By Jennifer Dobner The Associated Press Deseret News Originally published Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Cable television network HBO on Tuesday defended its plans to depict a sacred Mormon temple ceremony in an upcoming episode of "Big Love." The drama about a Utah polygamous family will depict an endowment ceremony Sunday. HBO said it did not intend to be disrespectful of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and apologized. "Obviously, it was not our intention to do anything disrespectful to the church, but to those who may be offended, we offer our sincere apology," HBO said in a statement issued Tuesday. But the ceremony is an important part of the "Big Love" story line, the network said. In the scene, actress Jeanne Tripplehorn's character, Barb, goes through the endowment ceremony as she faces losing her membership in the Mormon church, which does not sanction polygamy. On Monday, Mormon church leaders criticized HBO for its decision to include the ceremony and said airing the material shows the insensitivity of the network's writers, producers and executives in a statement posted at www.lds.org "Certainly church members are offended when their most sacred practices are misrepresented or presented without context or understanding," the church statement said. Only church members in good standing can enter temples to perform or witness sacred ceremonies. The ceremonies are centered around religious teachings and reenactments of Bible stories to help Mormons prepare an eternal place for themselves — and others by proxy — in heaven. The church declined an interview request by The Associated Press. Read more


'Big Love' apologizes to Mormons, but the show will go on
By Jill Serjeant Reuters National Post - Don Mills, Ontario Canada Originally published Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The makers of television polygamy drama "Big Love" apologized on Tuesday for any offense to Mormons in a depiction of a sacred ritual but made clear it would air the controversial episode as planned. The HBO network's program about a non-Mormon polygamous family has stirred up a hornet's nest of complaints over an episode to be broadcast on Sunday showing its version of an endowment ceremony within a Mormon temple. It is thought to be the first time the ritual, in which participants move to a higher level of understanding of their religion, will be shown on TV. News of the episode prompted calls and emails for cancellation or an HBO boycott by angry members of the Mormon Church, officially known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). The Church itself has not officially called for a boycott. "Big Love," which first aired in 2006, stars Bill Paxton as a member of a fictional breakaway Mormon sect who has three wives and eight children. The endowment ceremony is depicted in a flashback event for one of the women. HBO said on Tuesday the writers had gone to great lengths "to be respectful and accurate" in the ceremony's portrayal. "Obviously, it was not our intention to do anything disrespectful to the church but to those who may be offended, we offer our sincere apology," the channel said in a statement that was echoed separately in a similar statement by the series' creators. Read more


Mormons Are Fed Up with HBO's "Big Love"
The Cleveland Leader - Cleveland, Ohio Originally published March 11, 2009
HBO's hit cable television drama, Big Love, has put the issue of polygamy out in the open and into the homes of many Americans. But the Mormon church has had just about enough with the series, especially after a recent episode portrayed one of the church's most secret ceremonies. The show's creators - Mark Olsen and Will Scheffer - said on Wednesday that they had handled the controversial scene with the utmost sensitivity. The scene in question depicts what is known as an "endowment ceremony." The endowment ceremony is a two-hour long ritual during which the church's history is recreated. Participants must be able to answer questions, and the ceremony typically takes place before marriage or a missionary assignment. In a joint statement, Olsen and Scheffer said: "In approaching the dramatization of the endowment ceremony, we knew we had a responsibility to be completely accurate and to show the ceremony in the proper context and with respect. This approach is . . . certainly reflected in [series star] Jeanne Tripplehorn's beautiful and moving performance as she faces losing the church she loved so much." Mormon officials are upset, and in a statement they said that the show's producers promised that the series would not be about mainstream Mormons who belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Read more


Big Love Re-Offends Mormons. Do They Have a Point?
By James Poniewozik TIME Magazine Originally published Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Big Love, which spurred a lot of pre-emptive worry in the Mormon church before it premiered, is now being criticized for a scene in Sunday's episode that depicts a certain sacred church ritual, apparently for the first time on TV. HBO, in response, has issued one of those I'm-sorry-if-you-feel-that-way apologies but will air the episode as is. The subject of the flap is the re-creation of an endowment ceremony, a ritual affirmation of faith which is allowed only to be witnessed by church members in good standing. Why this differs from numerous other pop culture depictions of sacred ceremonies — say, the famous baptism scene in The Godfather — appears to depend on the church tradition of keeping the ceremony closed to outsiders. (The producers say they relied on extensive research, including the accounts of an ex-Mormon, to re-create the ceremony.) But as the Salt Lake Tribune notes, some church members disagree among themselves on how secret the ceremony should be. All this circles back to the eternal question: how obligated are outsiders to follow the traditions of a religion they don't belong to? Read more


LDS Church posts temple video on Web sites
By Lynn Arave Deseret News Originally published Thursday, March 12, 2009
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has added a video, "Why Mormons Build Temples," to its section on LDS.org about the depiction on HBO's "Big Love" of a temple ceremony. The video, which runs three minutes and 14 seconds, also is posted on YouTube and includes comments from LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson, President Boyd K. Packer and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve, and several non-LDS scholars and religious leaders. "In the holy temple, the precious plan of God is taught," said President Monson during the short video. "It is here that eternal covenants are made. The temple lifts us. It exalts us. It stands as a beacon for all to see and points us to celestial glory. It is the house of God. All that occurs within the walls of the temple is uplifting and ennobling. The temple is a place of tranquility. It is a place of kindness, and love and light." President Packer said that temples are part of the full restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. "If you understand why we build temples, you must understand first that we believe in revelation and in the restoration of the gospel," he said. Read more


HBO vs. LDS: The Mormons strike back
Variety - Los Angeles, CA Originally published March 12, 2009
Dear Daily Variety and Daily Variety Readers: As a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("Mormon") I am certainly not surprised that HBO is moving forward with its plans to air a segment of "Big Love" that purports to show scenes from what is arguably one of the most sacred portions of the LDS religion -- the temple endowment ceremony. Then again, I am disappointed in HBO as I would have hoped that HBO and its parent company, Time-Warner, would have been more respectful of the faith and a people who have experienced significant persecution during its 175-year history. Obviously, those were false hopes. More importantly, it appears that in spite of communications to the LDS Church to the contrary, HBO and the producers and writers of "Big Love" seem intent on blurring the line between the LDS/Mormon Church and the failed and illegal practices of a few polygamists. As a practicing polygamist, Jeanne Tripplehorn's character, Barb, would not be allowed into a dedicated Mormon temple where sacred rites are performed and religious instructions are given. She would not pass muster in the two worthiness interviews required with two local leaders of her local & regional congregations before she could receive a "letter of recommendation" to provide her with access inside a temple. Read more


History shows TV boycotts only backfire
By Chris Hicks Deseret News Originally published Thursday, March 12, 2009
Here's a little quiz for you: What do these TV series have in common? "Cheers," "Gilmore Girls," "Friends," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "The Simpsons." Answer: They all joked about Mormons. And in the case of "Gilmore Girls," "Friends" and "The Simpsons," each show featured Mormon jokes in at least three episodes. And how about these? "Picket Fences," "Walker, Texas Ranger," "Frasier," "South Park," "Cold Case." Answer: Each had an episode featuring Mormon characters, or characters who claimed to be Mormons. Some of them are funny, others are harmless and some are offensive or inaccurate. And there are many, many more — too many to list here. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been referenced on shows ever since the early 1950s, when a TV became as common to the average household as a refrigerator. And before that, they were fodder for books, plays and movies. But in the past decade or two, TV has been more in your face and unafraid of crossing lines, or "pushing the envelope," as insiders like to put it. And when the LDS Church is referenced, members are on tenterhooks, wondering "What's next?" And here comes the HBO polygamy drama "Big Love" to answer that question, with an episode Sunday that apparently goes inside an LDS temple, or, rather, a fictional replica. Read more


Get HBO's attention
Opinion Deseret News Originally published Friday, March 13, 2009
Hearing that HBO would show a program depicting polygamists going through LDS Temple rites outraged my wife and me. The only way a polygamist can go through the temple is to deceive authorities of the church. Polygamists are not accepted as Mormon members in good standing. I called my cable provider and canceled my HBO subscription. The provider asked for a reason. After being told, the provider said 77 subscribers had done the same thing that same day. Great! This is a way to get HBO's attention: Change to a competing provider. R. Scott Ormond American Fork


Religious leaders say HBO overstepped bounds
By Lynn Arave Deseret News Originally published Sunday, March 15, 2009
Some local religious leaders and experts believe Hollywood overstepped some tacit bounds in depicting sacred rites and beliefs in Sunday night's episode of "Big Love" on HBO. The show included a portrayal of a temple ceremony considered sacred by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That portrayal is discussed at length in a piece titled "Publicity Dilemma" in the "Newsroom" section of www.lds.org. "Certainly church members are offended when their most sacred practices are misrepresented or presented without context or understanding," the church's statement says. Rabbi Benny Zippel of Chabad Lubavitch of Utah and Brigham Young University religion professor Kent P. Jackson said Hollywood would do well to have some standards in how it depicts sacred rites of any faith. "Of course it would offend me" if a TV show or movie focused on sacred Jewish rites or beliefs, Zippel said. He feels sacred beliefs should be protected as much as possible. "Every religious group has the right to have certain areas that are set apart as special and sacred," BYU's Jackson said. Jackson and Richard Wolf, an elder with the Jehovah's Witnesses in Davis County, said Hollywood likes to be sensational. "Everything is game to Hollywood," Jackson said. "Hollywood is in the business of making money." With regard to sacred religious rites, Wolf said, "They shouldn't do that." Wolf said his faith has very simple and very public meetings, so Hollywood wouldn't find much to sensationalize. Jackson said the main thrust of some of his religion courses at BYU is teaching students to respect what is sacred in other religions. The HBO showing of the LDS temple ceremony clearly crosses that boundary of respect, he said. Last week, HBO issued an apology. Read more


'Big Love' in big trouble with Mormons
By Manya Brachear The Seeker blog Chicago Tribune Originally published March 15, 2009
Did the creators of HBO's "Big Love" cross a line in Sunday's episode by portraying a ritual that normally happens behind the sealed doors of a Mormon temple? Some members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints say there are corners of the religious landscape where Hollywood is just not welcome. I checked in with polygamist fans of the show who I've written about in the past — fundamentalist Mormons who practice the kind of plural marriage portrayed in "Big Love." Anne Wilde, a plural wife for 33 years until the death of her husband, also voiced her objections to Sunday's episode. "It seems that many religions have sacred elements that are not for public view -- and certainly the LDS temple ceremony is one of them," said Wilde, co-founder of Principle Voices, a plural marriage advocacy group. She predicted before the show that it would offend mainstream LDS members as well as Fundamentalist Mormons, most of whom have no access to the temple because they practice plural marriage, "but nevertheless support the sacred and private nature of its ceremonies. Indeed, when I touched base with Wilde after the show, she expressed bewilderment that the show pushed the envelope as far as it did. "Of all the parts of the temple ceremony that 'Big Love' could have depicted, they selected absolutely the most sacred and confidential," she said. "I was shocked (as were the two active LDS members with whom I watched the show) that the wording, Priesthood handshake, and going through the temple veil were all shown. I don't see how that part of the ceremony was essential to the plot, as the writers had previously claimed ... I feel they really overstepped ethical boundaries." Read more


Big Trouble for 'Big Love'?
Beliefnet.com - New York, NY Originally published Tuesday March 17, 2009
Thus far, "Big Love" has gone to great lengths to distance their storyline-- a polygamous marriage in Utah-- from the Mormon faith. The central characters, the Henricksons, don't refer to themselves as Mormons, and even the throwback sect at Juniper Creek doesn't say the word Mormon. But last night's episode has some members of the Church of Latter-Day Saints riled up, not for an unrealistic or unflattering depiction of Mormons, but because the HBO show depicted a secret temple ritual that usually is not open to outsiders. According to the Chicago Tribune, some mainstream Mormons are considering a boycott and "canceling subscriptions to companies owned by HBO's parent company Time Warner," because of the show's treatment of a rite called "the endowment ceremony." But the Church itself is not taking a boycott position. "Certainly Church members are offended when their most sacred practices are misrepresented or presented without context or understanding," the church said in a statement. "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as an institution does not call for boycotts. Such a step would simply generate the kind of controversy that the media loves and in the end would increase audiences for the series." Read more


Get facts on 'Big Love'
Opinion Deseret News Originally published Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Reading the letter from R. Scott Ormond (Readers' Forum, March 13), I thought, here we go again, passing judgment without the facts. First, I am not a huge fan of "Big Love" but have watched it a few times in my hotel room while traveling and found it to point out the power struggles within the polygamist fundamentalist church and within their families. Second, the issue Mr. Ormond brings up deals with a backyard sealing ceremony using bits of the LDS temple sealing blessing. I was a bit taken back, being LDS myself. Third, while I don't particularly care for HBO as it has little to offer, I did find the series to take great effort to distinguish the Big Love family from the mainstream LDS. Children within their confines show their struggles in not wanting the same lifestyle. Fourth, please get all the facts before you pass judgment and shoot from the hip. Fifth, hurray for the freedom of speech. It applies to us all. Kim Hanson South Jordan


Did Big Love go too far or was it no big deal?
By Allison Waldman TV Squad Originally published March 17, 2009
Last week's episode of Big Love received more hype than any other show this season for one simple reason. The Church of Latter-Day-Saints (LDS) was protesting – in advance – the HBO drama depicting a secret church ritual. The church felt that the producers had gone too far by showing a sacred ceremony that was not meant to be revealed to those who are not members of the faith. While I respect their desire to protect their traditions, I think they should have waited till the show aired, because now that I've seen it, my attitude is simply this, "No big deal." Not to be flip, but the traditions of many religions may look alien or unusual to the uninitiated, but that's not a reason to keep them behind a veil of secrecy. The scene was crucial to Big Love because it illustrated how Barb was still deeply entwined with the church she had been brought up in. Her falling away from church activities coincided with her marriage to Bill and Nikki and Margene. Her polygamy has kept her from church and she was feeling a spiritual void. Going to the church and having the "endowment" ceremony only reminded her of the choice she had to make – to be loyal to her parent's and their church or stick with Bill and her sister wives? Read more


Caricatures in 'Big Love'
Opinion Deseret News Originally published Wednesday, March 18, 2009
I am dumbfounded that Bill Paxton, star of HBO's "Big Love," would defend the confusing weaving of two-dimensional Mormon caricatures and sacred ceremonies in the convoluted story line when it appears that the writers bent over backward to malign the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, its bishops, stake presidents and President Packer with characters I could not even recognize as close to reality. Isn't it interesting that Hollywood thinks it can tell the rest of the world — especially us bumpkins in Utah — what is proper, honest and upright, like a schoolmarm of old scolding her students? Carolyn B. Ugolini Sandy


At least 'Love' accurate
Opinion Deseret News Originally published Thursday, March 19, 2009
I was not offended by the "Big Love" episode — because I didn't watch it. Upset friends who did see it tell me it was shockingly detailed and accurate. LDS people should be grateful that it was accurate and not something like naked women dancing rings around naked men, which is probably what most of the non-Mormon viewers were expecting. The people responsible will answer for it some day, but it could have been worse. Donald B. Gunderson Salt Lake City


The 'shocked and appalled' syndrome
By McKay Coppins Mormon Times Originally published Friday, Mar. 20, 2009
So, HBO is at it again, trying to attract attention -- and, consequently, subscribers -- by outraging the Mormons. Can we really blame them? Offending Latter-day Saints by mocking or misrepresenting our faith has proven to be a very lucrative business, after all. Take, for example, Jon Krakauer's inflammatory bestseller, "Under the Banner of Heaven." The book, which was released in July 2003, tells the story of two Mormon fundamentalists who brutally murdered Brenda Lafferty and her infant daughter, claiming they acted on divine revelation. Krakauer attempts to prove that such behavior has roots in the history of Mormonism, and compares faithful Mormons to extreme Muslim terrorists. Understandably upset by the soon-to-be-published manuscript, the Church pre-emptively released a statement condemning Krakauer's assertions. The LDS community immediately responded with defensiveness, anger and boycotts. Apologetics harshly denounced the book, questioning Krakauer's credibility and intentions. And what was the result? The controversy fanned the flame, and the book went on to be a bestseller. When we, as LDS, go out of our way to express outrage and indignation (however righteous it may be), we pique others' curiosity. People begin wondering what all the fuss is about and, in the Krakauer case, they pick up a title that never would have caught their attention otherwise. Some of those were likely persuaded by the author's unfounded accusations; others were not. In any case, we should have learned a lesson from this ordeal. And yet, when HBO revealed a couple weeks ago that they would be recreating the endowment ceremony for their polygamy-themed drama "Big Love," the Mormon community was up in arms all over again. Read more


Group studying new religions gathers in Salt Lake
By Carole Mikita KSL TV Channel 5 Originally broadcast June 12, 2009
SALT LAKE CITY -- A small international conference is taking place in Salt Lake City. For 22 years, scholars who are fascinated with new religions have gathered to study them. They have met in the U.S. only five times, twice in Salt Lake. Even though The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints isn't new, it generates a lot of interest. The Center for Study on New Religions (CESNUR) was created in 1988 to look at faiths in southern Europe, mostly Christian, outside Catholicism. The small group represents many countries. The members rejected terms like "cult" or "sect." The center's founder, Massimo Introvigne, said, "We also wanted to study the largest religions which were comparatively new in Europe, including Mormonism." In Salt Lake City, group members will be discussing what they call Mormon topics, including politician Mitt Romney, the book "Twilight," and the TV series "Big Love." Romney's campaign for president fascinated Europeans because of his LDS faith. Italians are huge fans of "Twilight" and are all abuzz about author Stephenie Meyer, a Latter-day Saint. Deseret Book did not sell the book and news stories in Italy reported censorship. With recent news about polygamy, the FLDS church and Texas, the HBO series "Big Love" became very popular. Read more


Use of logo in 'Big Love' angers Univeristy of Utah officials
By Michael R. McFall Deseret News Originally published Tuesday, July 7, 2009
"Big Love" is in big trouble with the University of Utah. It was brought to the U. administration's attention that the HBO miniseries, "Big Love," aired an episode last March in which the school's name and block U logo were displayed on an allegedly official U. letterhead. In response, the U.'s agent, Collegiate Images, sent a cease-and-desist letter to the program's producers Tuesday demanding that shots including the logo be deleted from the episode and that they never use them in the future. "This may have led some viewers to believe that the school is affiliated with 'Big Love,'" when it is not, said U. spokeswoman Coralie Alder. The U.'s name and logo were used without the university's knowledge or permission, she said. "We will not tolerate a misuse of our trademarks, especially if it could lead the public to erroneously believe that the university is associated with a production over which the university has no control," said U. President Michael Young in a statement. The letter to HBO confirms the University of Utah's position that the unauthorized use of its name and logo is trademark infringement, a violation of federal law. HBO has until July 20 to respond to the letter, Alder said. She could not comment as to whether the U. would file a lawsuit if the request isn't honored. HBO spokeswoman Tonya Owens did not immediately respond for comment.


U of U threatens legal action over 'Big Love' episode
Story compiled with contributions from Ben Winslow and Sam Penrod. KSL 5 TV Originally published Tuesday, July 7, 2009
SALT LAKE CITY -- The popular HBO series "Big Love" is under fire again. The University of Utah has threatened legal action against the drama for improperly using the school's logo and letterhead without permission. A cease-and-desist letter was sent to HBO on Tuesday after the U learned that its letterhead and block U logo had been used in an episode of the cable TV show back on March 22. "We take great pride in the University of Utah logos and marks. We use them when we are endorsing programs and events or supporting programs and events," university spokeswoman Coralie Alder told KSL NewsRadio. "In this particular case we have not endorsed the use of our logos with the 'Big Love' program, and we want to make it clear they are not to use them without our permission," she said. Collegiate Images, the university's agent in such affairs, fired off the letter to Big Love's production company, Alder said. Beyond complaining about the use of its logo, the U seeks to have its image scrubbed from future repeats of the episode. "We have not endorsed the program or any content in any of the programs that have aired," Alder said. "We want to make sure the public is not confused that we have done that, because we have not." Read more


U of U threatens legal action over 'Big Love' episode
KSL 5 TV Originally published Tuesday, July 7, 2009
University of Utah Media Statement The University of Utah has learned that the HBO mini-series, Big Love, aired an episode in which the University of Utah's name and block U were displayed on an allegedly-official University document. This may have led some viewers to believe that the University is affiliated with Big Love. The University's name and logo were used without the University's knowledge or permission. In response, the University's agent, Collegiate Images, sent a cease and desist letter to producers of the mini-series, demanding that the University's logo be removed from the episode and that no future use of the logo be made. According to University of Utah President Michael K. Young, "The University of Utah is very proud and protective of its name and all trademarks associated with it. We will not tolerate a misuse of our trademarks, especially if it could lead to the public to erroneously believe that the University is associated with a production over which the University has no control." The letter to HBO confirms the University's position that the unauthorized use of its trademark without authorization constitutes trademark infringement in violation of federal law. (Courtesy University of Utah)


University Cries Foul Over 'Big Love' Episode
BuddyTV - Seattle, Washington Originally published Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Some officials of the University of the Utah, fondly called the U, are clearly not fans of Big Love. Representatives of the university recently sent a cease and desist order to the producers of the HBO series after the university's copyrighted logo appeared in its most recent episode. The U spokeswoman Coralie Alder says the school's logo and name was seen on an official-looking document on the show's third season finale "Sacrament" which may lead Big Love viewers to think that the school is in some ways associated with the polygamist drama. "We want to make sure there isn't any confusion in the public's mind that the university authorized this use or is affiliated with the program," Alder tells The Salt Lake Tribune. "It's a reminder that in order to use our trademarks, they need to be authorized uses, and they need to contact the university." University of Utah president Michael Young adds that the U is "very proud and protective of its name and all trademarks associated with it" and will not "tolerate a misuse of our trademarks, especially if it could lead to the public to erroneously believe that the university is associated with a production over which the university has no control." Officials of the U are looking to block the inclusion of the contentious scene when the season is released on DVD just before it returns for a fourth season in January. On the scene, Bill (Bill Paxtno) holds a document that is supposed to be a report produced by a University of Utah authentication lab and has the block U logo in the masthead. The shot lasted all but three seconds, but there was no mistaking the crimson U in the logo. See logo


HBO defends use of U. logo in 'Big Love'
By Michael R. McFall Deseret News Originally published Friday, July 10, 2009
HBO claims it had the right to use the University of Utah's name and logo in its polygamy-themed series "Big Love." The cable channel released a statement Wednesday saying it did not violate federal law by using the U.'s red block logo and name in the March 22 episode of "Big Love." "We are confident that nothing in the program violates anyone's rights, and HBO will be responding in due course," said HBO spokeswoman Tonya Owens. In the episode, a U. letterhead sporting the logo and the university's name is shown on screen for about three seconds on a research lab report. Bill Henrickson, the polygamist main character, finds a fictional letter from former Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints President Wilford Woodruff that legitimizes polygamy. The U. report authenticates the letter. U. spokeswoman Coralie Alder on Tuesday said HBO never asked permission to use the logo, an act she says is in violation of federal trademark law. The university's media agent, Collegiate Images, issued a cease-and-desist letter to HBO on Tuesday. It requested that HBO delete shots containing the name and logo from the episode and any of its reruns. The cable channel's responding statement did not say whether it would remove the trademark in question. HBO attorneys will be contacting the U. about their legal options, Owens said. University of Utah President Michael Young condemned HBO on Tuesday for using the U. logo and name without asking permission. It could lead the public to erroneously conclude that the university is associated with "Big Love" when it isn't, Young said. e-mail: mmcfall@desnews.com


"Big Love" returns to TV with provocative gay story
Jill Serjeant LOS ANGELES Entertainment \| Television \| Media Reuters Originally published Wed Dec 16, 2009
The creators of the HBO cable show, about a non-Mormon polygamous family living in Utah, plan to explore a same-sex relationship between two male characters involved in a fictional breakaway sect at the center of the series. The theme will be developed over early episodes of "Big Love" when it returns to HBO on Jan 10, the network confirmed on Wednesday. It follows an uproar in the U.S. gay community last year over the Mormon church's prominent support of the campaign to overthrow same-sex marriage laws in California. "There's a provocative nature to what we're doing," co-creator Mark Olsen told Entertainment Weekly magazine. "It's more than just the Mormon culture. We're highlighting certain aspects of the church's relationship with its gay members that I think, as the story unfolds, is going to cause no (small) amount of controversy." The 13.5 million member Mormon church, officially known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, officially banned polygamy in 1890 and has distanced itself from "Big Love". But critics of the program say that despite its focus on a fundamentalist sect, the TV show sometimes blurs the distinction between it and the church. "It is important to remember that 'Big Love' is a work of fiction," Latter-day Saints spokeswoman Kim Farah said on Wednesday. Read more


Mormons in media: Gee, thanks 'Tonight Show' and 'Big Love'
By Joel Campbell Mormon Times Originally published Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009
In response to Sen. Orrin Hatch's musical gift to Jews, a Hanukkah song, Conan O'Brien's "The Tonight Show" decided to return the "favor." According to Tablet (kind of the Jewish equivalent of Mormon Times): "Host Conan O'Brien proceeded to announce that his show's resident Jew, drummer and bandleader Max Weinberg, who also sets the rhythm in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, wanted to return the favor to Utah's senior senator and his co-religionists of the Mormon faith. Bottom line: you can watch the cast's holiday song -- 'Mormons, Mormons, Mormons / We haven't got a clue / Of what you folks believe in / Or think or drink or do'" Don't know whether to laugh or get angry -- especially when Conan says viewers can learn more by watching "Big Love," "Witness" and "Children of the Corn." I think O'Brien should give more credit to Hatch for understanding Jews, and us Mormons more respect than the banal stereotypes portrayed. Maybe Latter-day Saints should suggest O'Brien have David Archuleta, Steve Young and Hatch on one night as penance. Here's the song, including an appearance by the The Mormon Tapper-nacle Choir." Read more


Mythology
Big Love
By Martin Felipe Box Office Prophets - Knoxville, TN Originally published January 5, 2010
I've long thought that a show about life in a cult would make for some fascinating entertainment. HBO must have agreed with me. In 2006, Big Love debuted right after their flagship series The Sopranos to positive reviews and solid ratings. Its fourth season debut is on January 10th. Whether or not Mormonism qualifies as a cult is, of course, debatable. Many would argue it isn't, but the lifestyle of the Henricksons is something different. They're polygamists, or fundamentalists. That's a whole other thing, if Mormon doctrine is to be believed. The Church of Latter Day Saints condemns plural marriage. I think. I did a little research before writing this piece and, I must admit, I got all confused. For a religion that the mainstream looks upon with such condescension, there seems little unification amongst themselves. There are splinter groups within splinter sects, and, before long, I couldn't make heads or tails of it all. For that matter, the sect to which the Henricksons align themselves, the UEB, is fictional, though based on actual sects. Where are Trey Parker and Matt Stone with a satirical little ditty boiling it all down for me when I need them? Of course, my glib reference to an even glibber South Park episode does miss the point of Big Love quite a bit. Creators Mark Olsen and Will Scheffer did years of research in order to give us a show that purports to find drama in a polygamist household, presenting a realistic depiction of Mormonism, and one without judgment. Read more


Family Ties: 'Big Love' Season Three DVD
DVD Reviews Written by Express contributor Roxana Hadadi Express Night Out - The Washington Post Company Originally published January 5, 2010
IF THE DVD SET for the third season of HBO's "Big Love" could come with a copy of Jon Krakauer's 2003 book "Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith," that would be great. Krakauer's non-fiction work, which focuses on the murder of a woman and her child by two members of a fundamentalist Mormon group and the complicated, often-tense relationship between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and polygamous splinter sects, should practically serve as compulsory reading material for the show about Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton), the patriarch of a three-wife family who is struggling to make his lifestyle choices work in a modern, business-driven world. The show's third season, out now on DVD, closely examines the fracturing power dynamic between Bill's three wives, Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn), Nicki (Chloe Sevigny) and Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin), as well as Bill's political moves to ensure success both with his hardware company, Henrickson's Home Plus, and gambling company, Weber Gaming — Krakauer's detailed insights about what makes fundamentalist Mormons tick would be much appreciated. Read more


Big Love: Season Three
Cast: Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloë Sevigny, Ginnifer Goodwin, Amanda Seyfried, Douglas Smith, Grace Zabriskie, Matt Ross, Harry Dean Stanton, Shawn Doyle, Melora Walters, Mary Kay Place (HBO) US release date: 5 January 2010 (Warner)
By Chris Barsanti DVDs > Reviews > Big Love PopMatters Media - Evanston, IL Originally published January 6, 2010
Outer Darkness Starting off with a larger-than-usual round of hype (even for a new HBO series) back in the spring of 2006, Big Love at first tried unexpectedly hard to show off the normality of the Henrickson family of polygamists. Certainly there were attention-grabbers in the first few episodes, particularly those illustrating patriarch Bill’s (Bill Paxton) need for Viagra when it comes to pleasing his three wives, whom he rotates between according to a firmly-fixed schedule. There was also the introduction of the series’ primary conflict, that between the Henricksons – who see themselves living as righteous followers of the Mormon faith’s original polygamist teachings, albeit secretly in the Salt Lake City suburbs – and the criminalistic Juniper Creek polygamist splinter sect out in the Utah boondocks where had grown up but which had cast him out as a teenager. This efficient plotting triangulation, in which Bill Henrickson and the corrupt, perverted boss of Juniper Creek, Roman Grant (Harry Dean Station, at once ominous and queasy) fight over control over various financial concerns while keeping one step ahead of the state/religious complex, which would put them both in jail if it could, set the show up for a lengthy battle of wits through the first season. However, given how secretive nearly all the show’s principals needed to be by their very nature, there was only so much conflict that could be resolved out in the open. So the show, while hinting often at the real-life violent skirmishes that erupt between the various polygamist sects (which the mainstream Mormon church officially disavows), set its sights more closely on the relationships inside the Henrickson household. And given the inherent tensions involved in a family where three "sister-wives" (two of whom were uncomfortable with many aspects of polygamy, to say the least) must jockey for attention and power inside a mostly closed world, there was plenty of material to go around. Read more


Like it or not, 'Big Love' is back for Season 4
By Scott D. Pierce Deseret News Originally published Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2010
Big Love" begins its fourth season this weekend (Sunday, 10 p.m., HBO), and it hasn't lost a step from the first three seasons. It's still a compelling family drama, sprinkled with comedy, about a polygamous family living in Utah. And it's still certain to raise the hackles of some viewers (or non-viewers) who will continue to be offended by its portrayal of the dominant culture in the Beehive State. If you were offended before, you're going to continue to be offended in Season 3. As has been the case for the previous 34 episodes, "Big Love" is clearly about a family that is not part of the LDS Church. The Hendricksons are sort of freelance polygamists. Bill (Bill Paxton) has three wives — Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn), Nicki (Chloe Sevigny) and Margie (Ginnifer Godwin) — and a bunch of kids. Some of them used to be members of the LDS Church, but no longer. As a matter of fact, it was made clear last season (and it's reiterated this season) that Bill and Barb have been excommunicated. Bill and Nicki are also former members of a polygamous church that's an offshoot of the early Mormons. And that church is in considerable turmoil because their leader, Roman Grant (Harry Dean Stanton) is missing. Read more


Pergament: 'Big Love' steps up its game
HBO's polygamy drama better than ever; NBC’s 'Chuck' returns as a lover and a fighter
By Alan Pergament On the Tube The Buffalo News - Buffalo, NY Originally published January 07, 2010
It will be unconventional "Big Love" versus dangerous Spy Love on "Chuck," as two heavily promoted series make their long-awaited season premieres at 9 p.m. Sunday. ______________________________________ BIG LOVE Three and a half stars (Out of four) 9 p. m. Sunday, HBO ______________________________________ Entering its fourth season, HBO’s Emmy nominated "Big Love" has found a new, intriguing way to deal with the polygamist Henrickson family. Starting with Sunday’s opener, the season’s first two episodes are heavy on plot developments as Salt Lake City businessman Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton) opens the Mormon-friendly casino that he planned last season with Native American partners. Bill also is considering putting his hat in the political ring at the same time the FBI is sniffing around his business and private life and the State of Utah is holding hearings on the trust of the compound, Juniper Creek. Read more


'Big Love' keeps big mo as fourth season begins
HBO SERIES 'The sunny face of polygamy'
BY PAIGE WISER TV Critic Chicago Sun-Times Originally published January 7, 2010
As it begins its fourth season Sunday, "Big Love" hasn't lost any momentum as Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton) and his sister-wives continue to represent, as one character says, "the sunny face of polygamy." Where were we? Resident prophet Roman (Harry Dean Stanton) remains at large and wanted by police. Nicki (Chloe Sevigny) is back in the fold, but ambivalent about her feelings for Bill. Roman's son Alby (Matt Ross) commits an indiscretion that complicates his life profoundly. Bill's son Ben (Douglas Smith) is fronting a Christian rock band that I rather enjoy. Bill's daughter Sarah (Amanda Seyfried) wants to get married, but can't decide on a church. The episode's highlight for me was a geriatric knock-down, drag-out fight ("My hip!" "My back!"). And coming up: Bill contemplates a career in politics -- insert incredulous pause here -- and Sissy Spacek guests in episode three as a lobbyist. The financial stakes get considerably higher this season. Bill's new "casino and family fun center" results in briefcases full of cash, and Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) gets serious about her career hawking jewelry on television. No matter what their affiliation, everyone on this show worships the almighty dollar. See photo

Happy Returns of the New Season
By DOROTHY RABINOWITZ Television Wall Street Journal Originally published JANUARY 8, 2010
But for the suspense, much the same can be said about HBO's "Big Love," which returns Sunday, Jan. 10, 9-10 p.m EST, for its fourth season. It seemed improbable, when the series made its first appearance, that a drama about the lives of a family of polygamous Mormons would attract a wide and enthusiastic audience. Yet it did just that, for reasons that were quickly evident. Not only were these Mormons determined practitioners of polygamy, which the Mormon Church banned in 1890, but this Salt Lake City family led by up-and-coming businessman Bill Henrickson delivered more domestic drama and variety per household than anything television had ever seen. Furthermore, this assemblage of three wives and nine children, settled in three houses hard by one another to facilitate the required conjugal arrangements, managed to represent recognizable realities of family life — complete with squabbles, meals, job and career concerns, schooling — with an artfulness that instantly drew viewers in. The show owed everything, then and now, to spectacular performances: Bill Paxton as the Viagra-popping Henrickson, an ambitious, devoted, four-square sort, but one also determined to defy society's taboo against polygamists; Jeanne Tripplehorn as Barb, head wife, at once devout and a skeptic, with thwarted ambitions of her own; Chloë Sevigny as the chronically haunted Nikki; and Ginnifer Goodwin as wife Margene — unyieldingly sunny, seductive, a plotter at heart. The season opens with the Henrickson family liberated at last from the threat of Roman, the criminal "prophet" — never among the most interesting of the show's characters despite the aura of menace that surrounded him. The family now faces newer crises both political and domestic. An antipolygamy activist threatens to occupy a vacant Senate seat, which alarms Henrickson.Then, Bill has begun to look a bit frazzled at night, causing wife Barb to issue a stern warning to her usually dutiful husband, reminding him to leave the house; he's supposed to be with Nikki according to the schedule: It's her night. There's promise, plainly, of rich developments ahead. See photo


'Big Love' gets even more political
Bill Henrikson is running for public office, his wives are exploring new facets of themselves, and old characters are turning up -- all in nine episodes.
By Allyssa Lee Entertainment The Los Angeles Times Originally published January 8, 2010
The weather reports might have shown that it was a sunny mid-November afternoon in Southern California, but inside a Santa Clarita-based "Big Love" soundstage, a storm is brewing. Tucked within a nondescript building sit the three Henrickson houses, and head wife Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn) is quietly working at the island in her kitchen. That is, until sister-wife Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) slips in through the back door and nonchalantly drops that she had gone out and done something . . . huge. Only, because this is filming seven episodes into the fourth season, we can't say what that is. Suffice it to say that the news does not sit well with the first wife. If that wasn't bad enough, wife No. 2, Nicki (Chloë Sevigny), stops by, and Barb quickly discovers she's been the odd woman out all along. "Nicki, you knew?" she accuses. The jaw-dropping news and the betrayal are too much for even the temperate head wife to handle: Barb bursts into an all-out rage -- "My cope container is full, do you hear me? It is full!" -- and storms out, leaving the other spouses to uneasily absorb her wake. Welcome to the ever-volatile, ever-revolving swirl of secrets and wives. Over its three seasons, HBO's drama about a man and his three wives has evolved from a curious polygamy premise into a nuanced family drama. The dense interlacing of tense marital strife, social commentary and even a fair share of laughs proved a potent mix its third season out, and the series picked up its first-ever best drama Emmy nomination. More recently, it was named one of AFI's top television programs of 2009 and earned Golden Globe nods for Bill Paxton (who plays Henrickson patriarch Bill) and Sevigny as well as for best drama. Read more


University of Utah dropping from Big Love complaint
ABC4 News Originally published January 20, 2010
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - The University of Utah has dropped its legal action against the HBO series "Big Love." Last year, the U sent the show a cease and desist letter. School attorneys alleged the HBO show about polygamy used the university's logo without permission. The network argued it did not violate anyone's rights. Now the university says it won't take any further action against HBO because it hasn't seen that episode re-run. The U felt the episode might have mislead viewers to believe it's affiliated with the program.


U of U says matter over HBO's 'Big Love' is dormant
By Andrew Adams KSL Newsradio Originally broadcast January 20, 2010
SALT LAKE CITY -- The University of Utah it is not going to file a lawsuit against the makers of the HBO series "Big Love." The university sent HBO a cease-and-desist letter after an episode in March 2009 showed the block U logo on letterhead from a school research lab report. As the story goes, the main character in "Big Love" found a letter in the report from a former president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints legitimizing the practice of polygamy. The fictional U report is meant to help authenticate the letter. The university objected to use of the logo. Lawyers issued a cease-and-desist letter last summer, saying they wanted the image removed from any rebroadcast of the episode. University spokesman Remi Barron tells KSL Newsradio the school hasn't seen the logo again, so it's decided to take no further action for now. "We are holding and the matter is dormant and we are simply monitoring the situation and have not seen a recurrence," said Barron. If the logo is used again, Barron indicated the university's legal counsel will consider its options. "Big Love" is a series about a suburban Utah polygamist juggling his three wives and three families. E-mail: aadams@ksl.com


'Big Love' make big premier
By: Matt Jamieson Lifestyle The Journal - Webster University, St. Louis, MO Originally published January 21, 2010
HBO's "Big Love" has returned for a fourth season that is turning the series and its plot on its head. From a new title sequence to a drastic change in plot and characters, the balance has shifted in favor of the story. It's helped the series transform with a new vision while keeping true to the ideas that started this gem. The series continues to chronicle the lives of the Henrickson family, a group of polygamists led by patriarch Bill (Bill Paxton), a local businessman, who wants to keep his families safe from public scrutiny. Bill's life is also complicated with the threats from his father-in-law Roman Grant, the self-proclaimed 'prophet' and leader of the Mormon Church at the fictitious Juniper Creek compound. However after three years of blackmail from Roman, Bill is branching out by forming his own church and launching a casino. He also plans to run for the Utah state senate to help positively 'out' his polygamist family into mainstream society. Meanwhile, his second wife, Nicki (Chloë Sevigny), who is Roman's daughter, tries to bring herself back into the family's good graces. Nicki also introduces her previously unseen teenage daughter, Cara Lynn, into the Henricksons' lives, protecting the girl from her father. Bill's other wives, Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn) and Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) try to support Bill and continue to state their own independence. Also complicating matters in the new season are the murder of Roman and an FBI raid on Juniper Creek. Roman's death leads to the question of who will be the successor benefitting from his vast wealth. Read more


Darien native Chloë Sevigny wins Golden Globe
Written by Susan Shultz Darien Times - Darien, Connecticut Originally published Thursday, 21 January 2010
Former Darienite Chloë Sevigny won a best supporting actress Golden Globe on Sunday for her role as Nicki Grant on the HBO series "Big Love." The category was for TV series, miniseries or movie. During her acceptance speech, which started out with an awkward moment in which a staffer ripped her dress, Sevigny began by thanking her "sister wives" from the show, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Ginnifer Goodwin. They play the Mormon wives of actor Bill Paxton. She also thanked the show’s creators and said she "can’t even imagine what inspired you to cast me as Mormon fundamentalist polygamist." "I remain eternally confused and forever grateful," she said. Sevigny also thanked her "beautiful mother" Janine, of Darien, and her brother Paul, "for making me who I am." Sevigny was previously nominated for a best supporting actress Golden Globe for her role in "Big Love" in 2006 and for a best supporting actress Academy Award for "Boys Don't Cry" in 1999. Sevigny was born in 1974 and grew up in Darien. Her career has included modeling and working in many independent films before her first mainstream role in "Boys Don't Cry." In her role in Big Love, on since 2006, Sevigny plays the second wife in a polygamous marriage and daughter of a charismatic cult leader. sshultz@darientimes.com


SEVIGNY SLAMS POLYGAMOUS SECTS
ContactMusic Originally published January 21, 2010
CHLOE SEVIGNY hopes her BIG LOVE Golden Globe win will help to shed light on polygamous religious sects and the damages they can cause. The actress plays a member of a fictional Mormon family in the show, a role which earned her a Best Actress award at Sunday's (17Jan10) ceremony. Speaking out after her win, Sevigny slammed sects like those depicted in the show. She told Daily Variety, "These women are kept extremely repressed. They should be helped. "They don't even know who the president of the United States is." See photo


Big Love Renewed for Fifth Season
By KATE STANHOPE TV GUIDE Seattle Post Intelligencer Originally published February 3, 2010
HBO has renewed Big Love for a fifth season, TVGuide.com has confirmed. The series — starring Bill Paxton as practicing polygamist Bill Henrickson and Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny and Ginnifer Goodwin as his three wives — attracted 1.7 million viewers for its Season 4 premiere last month, a 49 percent rise from its Season 3 opener, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Overall, the series' ratings are up 13 percent compared to last year. The current season, including guest star and Oscar winner Sissy Spacek, spotlights Henrickson's attempt to break into politics. See photos from Big Love The show's awards profile is also on the rise. Big Love was nominated for an Emmy for best drama series last year and took home its first Golden Globe award in January — for best supporting actress winner Sevigny.


HBO renews 'Love' vows
Post staff writer New York Post Originally published February 5, 2010
'Big ratings for "Big Love" have earned the show an other season. HBO has renewed the polygamy drama for a fifth season, based on its increased viewership so far this season. Last month's opener was up nearly 50 percent in viewers (to 1.7 million) from the season three premiere. HBO has ordered 10 episodes for next season, one more than this season, according to Variety. "Love," which stars Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny and Ginnifer Goodwin, is up 13 percent in viewership this season -- despite facing stiff Sunday-night competition from the NFL playoffs and the Grammys. It also received its first Emmy nomination (for Best Series) last year -- while Sevigny won a Golden Globe last month for her work on the show. The show's core cast is expected to return next season, save for Amanda Seyfried, according to trade reports. There's also the chance that former co-stars Zeljko Ivanek and Sissy Spacek could return next season.


'Big Love' Renewed For Fifth Season
By EU News Network OfficialWire Originally published February 06, 2010
(EUNewsNet.com and OfficialWire) LOS ANGELES, CA HBO has ordered a fifth season of its U.S. polygamy drama series "Big Love," The Hollywood Reporter said. The show, now in its fourth season, stars Bill Paxton as a Utah man with three wives played by Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny and Ginnifer Goodwin. This season reportedly is focusing on Paxton's character running for office, whereas next season is expected to concentrate on his family life. Series creator Mark V. Olsen told the entertainment industry trade newspaper Season 5's episodes will be "settling into the storytelling." "We want to take the temperature of the marriages," added co-creator Will Scheffer. Contact European News Network EU News Network wire@eunewsnet.com Tel: +44 (0) 758-845-6978


For Valentine’s Day: A True Big Love and a Big Planet
Seth Arenstein On the Circuit CableFAX - Rockville, MD Originally published February 12, 2010
The cover story of this month’s National Geographic Magazine appears to poke some fun at Valentine’s Day. The cover shot shows a thin, elderly man in a cowboy hat, surrounded by what appear to be roughly 50 people. The headline: Polygamy in America. The subhead: One Man, Five Wives, 46 Children. Yet in terms of sheer numbers, National Geographic Channel will best its parent’s magazine cover subject with a special Valentine’s Day edition of its investigative series Inside (6pm; Wed, Feb 17, 5pm). This week’s focus on Inside is the polygamy of Winston Blackmore, who lives just over the U.S. border in Bountiful, British Columbia, with his 25 or so wives and some 100 children. Yes, old Winnie estimates when it comes to his wives and offspring. "It’s a best guess, as he won’t confirm the exact number," Nat Geo’s narrator tells us. For fans of HBO’s series about a polygamist family, Big Love, this special will be especially important viewing. The parallels between the lives of the Blackmores and the Henricksons, the fictional polygamists on Big Love, are fascinating. This special will be interesting viewing for others, too. That’s because beyond the obfuscation about exact numbers of wives and kids, Blackmore might be the perfect polygamist for the media. He’s photogenic, articulate, approachable, seemingly honest and, most important, very willing to allow his lifestyle to be recorded by National Geographic’s cameras. Read more


Lesson from Utah: 12th graders are slackers
By Editorial Board St. Louis Post-Dispatch Originally published February 15, 2010
Blessed as we are to have two state legislatures to entertain us, we often don’t often appreciate the rich menu of weirdness that permeates legislatures in the 48 other states. Utah, for example. There, a state senator has proposed making senior year in high school optional. State Sen. Chris Buttars, a Republican from the Salt Lake City suburbs, at first proposed eliminating the senior year altogether. Reason: It would save the state $102 million, and a lot of kids spend their last year in high school just goofing off, anyway. "You’re spending a whole lot of money for a whole bunch of kids who aren’t getting anything out of that grade," Mr. Buttars told an appropriations subcommittee hearing earlier this month. "It comes down to the best use of money." Gone would be such institutions as the senior prom, senior cut day, senior project and senior advanced placement courses for those grinds who take education seriously, not to mention a full year of eligibility for football, basketball and other sports teams. Thousands of 17-year-olds would be turned loose on a job market that already is full of unemployed 18- and 19-year-olds. Kids would learn early that they have to pick themselves up by their bootstraps. Mr. Buttars’ proposal doesn’t seem to have much support from his fellow lawmakers, who often treat him as if he were radioactive. But he is not a man who cares what other people think. His previous legislative initiatives have included preventing retailers from instructing their employees not to wish shoppers "Merry Christmas." Read more


The Thing Is, Chloe Sevigny Was Actually Right About Big Love
Lilit Marcus Editor in Chief www.savetheassistants.com The Huffington Post - Washington, DC Originally published March 29, 2010
Actress Chloe Sevigny, who recently won a Golden Globe for her role as second-of-three wives Nicki on HBO's Big Love, caused some controversy when she gave an interview to The Onion about the show's just-ended fourth season. Sevigny said, "It was awful this season, as far as I'm concerned. I'm not allowed to say that! It was very telenovela. I feel like it kind of got away from itself." Once her comments began to circulate online, Sevigny quickly backtracked, telling Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello that her words were taken out of context and that the journalist who asked her questions was trying to provoke her. I get that Sevigny is probably in damage-control mode, realizing that her comments might come off as more critical than helpful. After all, Katherine Heigl is still being vilified for complaining about the bad writing on Grey's Anatomy, and I'm sure Sevigny doesn't want to be tarred with the same "ungrateful" brush. Here's the thing, though: she's right. I have no idea if she's right about her words being used against her, but she is right about the most recent season of Big Love. It was a mess, and someone needs to be honest about it. Read more


TLC's 'Sister Wives' reality show will document a polygamist family
The program about a man, his three wives and their 13 children will premiere in September.
By Joe Flint Los Angeles Times Originally published August 6, 2010
Get ready for a reality show version of "Big Love." TLC, the cable network behind hits "Jon & Kate Plus 8" and "19 Kids and Counting," is hoping to strike ratings gold again with "Sister Wives," a series about a polygamist family in Utah that will premiere in September. Much like the HBO drama "Big Love," which follows a polygamist and his three wives, "Sister Wives" is about Kody and his wives Meri, Janelle and Christine and their 13 kids. Unlike "Big Love's" Bill Henrickson, though, Kody is looking to add to his family by taking on a fourth wife, Robyn, who has three children of her own. For TLC, "Sister Wives" will likely generate a little controversy, but the network is no stranger to that. Besides its shows about the now-divorced Jon and Kate Gosselin, TLC has been getting some heat for "Sarah Palin's Alaska," a documentary series featuring the 2008 vice presidential nominee, which is expected to premiere this year. "We've never shrunk from a unique opportunity," said TLC President Eileen O'Neill. TLC has ordered seven episodes of the series and has an option to produce more if the ratings merit it. Although the show features several young children, O'Neill said the kids were brought into discussions with Kody and his wives and that going forward with a show was a "thoughtful decision considered over time." As for the motivations of the family in "Sister Wives," O'Neill said they are seeking to change the secrecy of their situation and are "looking for understanding." The show is being produced by Figure 8 Films, the same company behind "Jon & Kate Plus 8." O'Neill said the network had not necessarily been in the market for a show about polygamy but that once they saw footage of Kody and his clan, the network jumped. Although its shows about unusual families generate the most media attention, TLC has also developed a strong roster of programs about cooking, including "Cake Boss" and the brand new "DC Cupcakes." The fading interest in Kate Gosselin and her kids has not hurt TLC yet, because its overall ratings this year are up in viewers and among women, its primary demographic. joe.flint@latimes.com


TLC Orders Polygamist Reality Show
By Chris Jordan TV News TV Squad Originally published August 6, 2010
There are plenty of reality shows about families with lots of kids -- now here's one about a family with lots of wives. Viewers can learn all about a real-life polygamist family next month on TLC's 'Sister Wives,' the channel has announced. A seven-episode run, starting Sun., Sept. 26, explores the world of Kody Brown, a Utah resident who has three wives and 13 children. Much of the plot of 'Sister Wives' focuses on Brown's courting of a potential fourth wife, who has three kids herself, according to a TLC press release. "'Sister Wives' also captures the intense dynamics surrounding a man juggling three wives while attempting to keep it a secret from the outside world," TLC wrote in the release. Though a reality show, 'Sister Wives' mirrors the plot of HBO's hit 'Big Love,' which essentially depicts a fictional polygamist in Utah juggling his three wives while attempting to keep it a secret from the outside world. Brown and his family are striving to be more open about their lifestyle and are "looking for understanding," said TLC president Eileen O'Neill in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. The Brown family was profiled by the BBC in March of 2009. The show is being produced by Figure 8 Films, the folks behind the 'Jon & Kate Plus 8' franchise.


Bigger love: TLC tries polygamy reality series
By Gary Levin USA Today Originally published August 6, 2010
Kody Brown has three wives, and a fourth on the way, but only one of them is legal. That's the premise of Sister Wives, a new reality show from TLC — home of little people and Kate Gosselin — that amounts to a real-life version of HBO's Big Love. The Brown family, fundamentalist Mormons from Utah, has 13 children between them, some from other marriages, and are keeping their lifestyle a secret, though not for much longer. Three of the wives were raised in "plural marriages," so they're used to sharing the limelight. How do they split their time? "We just have a schedule, I'm still trying to figure it out," says Kody, an advertising executive. "The kids feel awesome about this," says Robyn, 31, who as the series begins is about to become Kody's fourth wife, though she still lives apart. "They call him dad ... there is a constant party going on in this family."


TCA: TLC Sets a Date With Sarah Palin, Unveils Polygamy Reality Show
By Hunter Walker The Wrap News Originally published August 6, 2010
TLC announced its final plans for former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin -- and unveiled a polygamy reality show -- at the annual TCA summer press tour Friday. A start date was announced for the travelogue "Sarah Palin's Alaska," which will premiere on the network Nov. 14. TLC President Eileen O'Neill also said that "Kate Plus Eight" star Kate Gosselin will guest on the show. Gosselin will fish for salmon and go hiking with the conservative politician. TLC also unveiled its new seven-episode reality series "Sister Wives," which features the polygamous family of advertising executive Kody Brown. Brown has three wives -- Janelle, Christine and Meri. The trio says they are "fundamentalist Mormons." To avoid trouble with the law, Brown is married to only one of the women. "Sister Wives" debuts on TLC in September.


TLC to air polygamist reality show called 'Sister Wives'
Written by: Dan Metcalf Jr. ABC 4 News Originally broadcast August 6, 2010
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - A national cable channel will air a reality television show about polygamists in Utah called 'Sister Wives.' According to TLC's web site, 'Sister Wives' will premiere in September. The show will follow a polygamist and his three wives living in Utah, and is produced by the same company that produced 'Jon and Kate Plus 8.' A synopsis of the show says it will feature a polygamist husband Kody Brown, along with his three wives; Meri, Janelle and Christine and their combined 13 children. The program will air half hour episodes, exposing "...the inner workings of a polygamist household, revealing the unexpectedly tight-knit and loving relationships between Kody's wives." The sister wives include Meri (first wife): 39-years old, married 20-years and has one daughter named Mariah 14. Janelle (second wife): 40-years old, married 17-years and has six children - Logan, 15; Madison 14; Hunter, 13; Garrison, 11; Gabriel, 8 and Savanah, 5. Christine (third wife): 37-years old, married 16-years and has five children with one on the way - Aspyn, 14; Mykelti, 13; Paedon, 11; Gwenelyn, 8; Ysabel, 6 and Truely. Robyn: 31-years old, soon to be fourth wife with three children from another husband - Dayton, 10; Aurora, 7 and Breanna, 5. --- Information from: TLC.com See photos


Sister Wives Not Afraid to Reveal Inner Workings of a Polygamist Family
By Kate Stanhope TV GUIDE Originally published August 6, 2010
Polygamists may already have a fictional voice, thanks to HBO's Big Love, but Sister Wives, a new TLC series, will raise the stakes when a real polygamist family steps in front of the cameras. "I just didn't want to raise my children with the same fear that I was raised with," Christine Brown told TVGuide.com about her family's decision to go . "I'd rather be open and just open to our society." Sister Wives, which premieres on Sunday, Sept. 26 at 10/9c, goes inside the household of polygamist Kody Brown and his three wives and 13 children as they prepare to welcome a fourth wife — as well as her three children — into the fold. Although Kody said they've told their co-workers about their lifestyle, and that the kids have told their friends, he admitted it's been "scary" to go public. "It's a story that needs to be told. ... We're telling a story the way that it is," Kody said, referring to the recent coming-out of Big Love's fictional family. "We're willing to take the risks, which is why we're here," Christine said. Just because the family is going public with their lifestyle — a risky move since polygamy is illegal in their home state of Utah — doesn't mean this family isn't anything less than true polygamists. "We are four very strong personalities. We chose this," Janelle Brown said. "We have an extremely functional family. Our children are beautiful. We've committed to this." Read more


TLC Preps Show On Polygamy Family
By Scott Bomboy Entertainment MyFox Philadelphia Originally published August 6, 2010
The production company that does "Kate Plus 8" will now have a TLC series on the exploits of a polygamist family in Utah. The show will push the bounds of reality TV, since polygamy is illegal in Utah but practiced by an estimated 40,000 people, according to a 2009 BBC report. The Los Angeles Times first reported that Figure 8 Films has a seven-episode deal with TLC to produce "Sister Wives." On Friday, Discovery Communications COO Peter Liguori defended the series to TV critics. "We want to continue to push the avenue of storytelling," he said. "We want to do things that have never been done in the 25 years of the company. TLC does a great job of examining families in every size, color and creed. What they tend to do is show you one common element among all these families -- love." Figure 8 had its first big hit with "Jon & Kate Plus 8" and the exploits of Jon and Kate Gosselin. It then had second hit on TLC with the exploits of the Duggars and their 19 children. But will America warm up to a husband with three wives and 13 children, especially when he wants a fourth wife? The series will focus on Kody Brown and his wives Meri, Janelle and Christine and their 13 kids. Brown will tell his wives that he wants to add a sister wife, and the series will show the interaction among Brown’s family to the news. Read more


EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS: New TLC Show Features Polygamist Family With Four Wives
Radar Online Originally published August 7, 2010
TLC, the network that brought you Jon & Kate Plus 8 and 19 Kids and Counting, is featuring another controversial family and will air the show Sister Wives this fall about a fundamentalist Mormon family with one husband and four "sister wives." Kody Brown is married to Meri and has two other "sister wives," Janelle and Christine. Brown is bringing a fourth wife into the family, Robyn. They have 13 children collectively and live in Utah and the show gives a glimpse into a real life Big Love. "That was a scripted show, we’re real life," Robyn exclusively told RadarOnline.com about the comparison between the hit HBO series and their family. Kody explained that his family is not breaking the law with its polygamist marriages. "It’s one legal marriage and the rest are commitment marriages." On a panel at the Television Critic’s Association on Friday in Los Angeles the family faced a crowd of journalists questioning their lifestyle. "Like every other American family this takes everything we’ve got," Kody said. Robyn, who is becoming the fourth "sister wife" explained their living situation. "There are three [wives] in one home with separate apartments and I’m separate right now. We’re hoping to be all in one home." Kody told reporters the reason the family decided to do the show was because of the secrecy surrounding their lifestyle. "I felt like the secretiveness of the society has been a little bit dangerous for the society, as well as the public. This is part of our reason for essentially coming out. This is a story that needs to be told. I think that by simply telling this story and not getting into prejudices it actually helps the society to understand." Read more


Real 'Love'
Polygamous family gets reality TV show
By MICHAEL STARR Entertainment New York Post Originally published August 10, 2010
Kody is a salesman who loves to spend time with his kids and his dog, putter around the house and do yard work on weekends. Oh yeah, and he's got three wives and 13 kids -- with a fourth wife and her three kids on the way. Meet the cast of "Sister Wives," TLC's new reality show which follows a family of fundamentalist Mormons practicing polygamy somewhere in Utah. The seven-episode series, a cross between HBO's polygamy drama "Big Love" and any of TLC's huge-family shows ("Kate Plus Eight," "19 Kids and Counting"), tracks gregarious Kody, wives Meri, Janelle and Christine and their kids (of assorted ages), who all live under one roof in a modern, ginormous house. (Each "wife" has her own floor.) TLC president/GM Eileen O'Neill says the network got involved in "Sister Wives" after it was shown a tape by two independent producers who were shopping the story of Kody and his brood as a TV show. "This is not something we casted for," she says. "When watching the family, they were unexpected, unfiltered and engaging in a rather unique way, and that's what captured our attention. "It intrigued us and left us with a lot of questions, and I think our audience will have similar questions." In the first episode, which airs Sept. 26, Kody, who's in ad sales, introduces his family: Meri, his first (and only legal) wife, who was raised in the polygamist lifestyle; Janelle, his second wife, who was raised in a typical nuclear family; and third wife Christine, also raised in the polygamist lifestyle. Read more


"19th Wife" draws on fact, fiction
By Nancy Van Valkenburg Standard-Examiner - Ogden, Utah Originally published Saturday, September 11, 2010
Two women, more than a century apart, come to realize that polygamy is not a lifestyle they feel right about living. That's the story behind "The 19th Wife," a Lifetime channel film debuting at 7 p.m. Monday. Cable subscribers will find it on Channel 46. The film is an adaptation of the best-selling book of the same name by David Ebershoff, published in 2008. And both are a tribute to the 1876 memoir, "Wife No. 19, or the story of a life in bondage. Being a complete expose' of Mormonism, and revealing the sorrows, sacrifices and sufferings of women in polygamy." The author was Ann Eliza Young, who in 1875 divorced Brigham Young, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Chyler Leigh ("Grey's Anatomy") plays the fictional Queenie, a wife in the modern polygamist community, who sets out to exonerate neighbor wife BeckyLyn (Patricia Wettig) accused of murdering her own husband. Queenie collaborates with a childhood friend, Jordan (Matt Czuchry). Jordan's backstory mirrors the real-life stories of modern polygamy's "Lost Boys" who are expelled from polygamous communities and left to fend for themselves because the older men see them as competition for the females. Through the course of her investigation, Queenie reads the story of Ann Eliza Young (shown in intertwining scenes), and Queenie gains insights into the nature of her polygamist community that make her want to change her life. Read more


On Monday, September 13th Lifetime Television will debut "The 19th Wife" a TV movie about a murder inside the fundamentalist sect First Church of Latter Day Saints starring Patricia Wettig, Matt Czuchry, Chyler Leigh and based on David Ebershoff's book.


Faith, polygamy and fears
By Diane Noble, Special to CNN Living CNN Originally published September 14, 2010
Editor's note: Diane Noble is the award-winning author of "The Sister Wife," the first book in her new historical polygamy fiction series "Brides of Gabriel." (CNN) -- "What religion are you?" Last week a young woman sent me an e-mail that opened with this question. She went on to say that she had picked up my book, "The Sister Wife," at Wal-Mart, thumbed through it, and then put it down again. Though the story intrigued her, she didn't want to buy the book until she knew if I was writing from a point of view that wouldn't offend her religious beliefs. That same evening at a book signing, a high school teacher told me a senior honors student had spotted my book in her handbag and asked about it. When the teacher gave her a brief synopsis, the girl looked distraught. She said that her religion should not be written about by an outsider. Furthermore, her teacher should not be reading this book. "There are things in it you shouldn't know," the girl said. Read more


The Brown family appeared on the Today Show September 23, 2010 to discuss the new reality show Sister Wives Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy


The Brown family appeared on HLN's The Joy Behar Show September 23, 2010 to talk about the new TV reality show Sister Wives


Polygamist Stars of Sister Wives Hope to Raise 'Moral and Ethical' Children
By Eunice Oh TV News People Magazine Originally published Originally published Friday September 24, 2010
Get ready for some real-life Big Love. The stars of TLC's Sister Wives will offer viewers a glimpse into the every-day lives of all 18 members of the Brown family – but the household isn't as unconventional as many may think, according to Kody Brown's wives. "That's how most of us are known, [as] polygamists," wife No. 2 says in a sneak peek at the show, which premieres Sunday (10 p.m. ET). "I don’t know. My name is Janelle." Kody's first wife, Meri, 39, hopes the family's 13 children will lead a lifestyle that they want – even if it means breaking away from tradition – "as long as they are strong and firm in what they want to do and what they want to believe and that they're not following somebody else." Adds Janelle, 40, who has six children with Kody: "If we raise productive, contributing members of society who are moral and ethical, that's our final goal. Whatever their path is."


TLC's 'Sister Wives' promises surprising look at polygamy
DERRIK J. LANG The Associated Press The Springfield News-Leader - Springfield, Missouri Originally published September 25, 2010
Los Angeles -- The Duggars have 19 children and counting. Kate Gosselin has eight kids. Kody Brown has four -- wives, that is. TLC, the network responsible for exposes of super-large families such as "Kate Plus 8" and "19 Kids and Counting," is turning its reality TV attention to another kind of domestic abundance: polygamy. "Sister Wives," premiering Sunday at 9 p.m., follows a fundamentalist Mormon family composed of one daddy, three mommies and 13 children living under one roof. "It just felt like our story needed to be told," said Brown, the affable patriarch who works in advertising and lives with his family in Lehi, Utah. "There's a lot of stereotypes out there that are actually perpetuated by the press. I wanted to make sure the world understood that we're polygamists, but we're not the polygamists that you think you know." The series follows Brown, 41, as he brings fourth "sister wife" Robyn, 31, and her three children from a previous marriage into the brood. (He is only legally married to first wife Meri, 39.) Brown and the wives, who said they are not members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, wanted to give a public face to polygamy. "We come from a closed society," said third wife Christine, 37. "That was one of the reasons we wanted to do the show, to open up our society, just so people can see what it's like. Because of that, I think that there is a lot of fear that comes from doing things like this. We just want to show our family. We don't even want to go into our church life." Instead of examining the religion that inspires the Browns' lifestyle, "Sister Wives" focuses on their mostly mundane household as Robyn enters the mix. There's no "Big Love"-style salaciousness here. The Browns are far less chaotic than the fictional Henricksons from HBO's polygamy drama, and parts of their lives are off limits to reality TV. "There's boundaries that we've established," said Brown. See photo


On Sunday, September 26th TLC will debut the new reality show Sister Wives


It's all four one, one four all in TLC's 'Sister Wives'
By Mark A. Perigard Television Reviews Boston Herald Originally published Sunday, September 26, 2010
If Disney executives ever lose their collective minds and decide to remake HBO’s "Big Love," it might look a lot like TLC’s "Sister Wives." In this unscripted series about a man with three wives - and soon a fourth - and his 12 kids, polygamy is just another word for paradise. The husband is content. The wives are happy. The children are polite and helpful and never sass. You haven’t seen a clan this sugary sweet since CW’s "7th Heaven," and even that network and its stars acknowledge that scripted show was pure fantasy. Advertising salesman Kody Brown lives somewhere in Utah with Meri, his wife of 20 years, Janelle, his wife of 17 years, and Christine, his wife of 16 years. "I like marriage, and I’m a repeat offender," he says glibly. He identifies himself as Mormon, though he is not a member of the mainstream faith that has banned "the lifestyle," he notes. "The lifestyle." You’ll hear that expression tossed around a lot in the one-hour premiere. The wives are the biggest advocates, arguing it guarantees security to their children. If one of them were to die, the other wives would step in to raise the kids. Isn’t that what the husband could do? The extended clan lives in a large house that is subdivided into separate but adjoining apartments for each of the wives and their children. Just as in "Big Love," Kody rotates his private time between his wives. Read more


Sister Wives and the puzzle of polygamy
By SHELLEY FRALIC The Vancouver Sun Originally published September 26, 2010
Kody Brown the polygamist begins by telling viewers he agreed to be on a reality show because he wanted "to come out of the closet." Not because he's gay, but because he has three wives and 12 -- soon to be 13 -- children. He didn't want to hide his lifestyle any more, he said, and he wanted others to understand what sister wives are all about, and what it means to be the husband and father in a so-called plural family. And so he invited TLC and its cameras into his big home, in a seven-part series called Sister Wives that premiered Sunday night. Kody, a handsome sensible guy who openly cherishes his wives and his kids, walks the viewers through the home's three separate apartments, with their separate kitchens and bedrooms, and chats about rotating his conjugal services and often gets confused about what door he's walking through ("I don't have my own space") and it's clear that this is a loving home where everyone wanders back and forth among apartments, sharing cooking and childrearing duties. This is the real-life version of the HBO hit Big Love, a scripted tale of a man with multi wives, and just one of numerous big and small screen shows focusing on the subject of polygamy, including an upcoming movie starring Kathryn Heigl based on the story of Carolyn Jessop, who escaped a polygamist sect. An illegal practice, polygamy is nevertheless practised in both Canada and the U.S., and has been the subject of several lawsuits and high-profile court cases in recent years, which may account for its new pop culture predominance. Read more





"Sister Wives" program could lead to legal trouble
Reported by: Kimberly Houk ABC 4 News Originally broadcast September 26, 2010
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - A very unconventional Utah family is thrust into the national spotlight tonight in the premiere of TLC's "Sister Wives". One man is married to four women, and he fathered more than a dozen children. The show follows a polygamist family as they pursue their fourth sister wife. But, polygamy is illegal in America. Greg Skordas is a local defense attorney who is studying up on the crime of polygamy in the state of Utah. "If people are flaunting polygamy, a very serious crime in their jurisdiction, they’ll do something about it," says Skordas. The Brown family is taking their unconventional family public. I caught up with Kody and his 4 wives on Friday while they were talking about their new reality show, and Kody calls 4 different women his wife. "I wouldn’t want to be without any one of them," says Kody Brown. There is video of what the Brown’s call a spiritual wedding ceremony between Kody and his fourth wife Robyn. "If they portray a marriage, and the person is already married, then I think that’s evidence the person is committing the crime of polygamy," says Skordas. Kody claims to have been married to his first three wives for the past 16 years, and he has children with each of them. Skordas says this will make it easier to prosecute him. "We normally do recognize common law marriage. Does the couple have children? Do they do things together as husband and wife? After a number of years, the court will recognize a common law marriage," says Skordas. And not one of these women or the man they say they are married to is shying away from showing the world how four women can be married to the same man. "If I was advising this family about this TV show, I would certainly say, don’t flaunt polygamy in this state at this time," says Skordas. Skordas believes the Attorney General and the state’s attorney in Utah county is watching this show closely, and probably subpoenaing taped interviews of the adults. Sister Wives airs on TLC on Sunday’s at 8 pm. See photo


TLC Premieres Polygamy Reality Show Sister Wives
By Joanna Brooks Religion Dispatches Magazine - San Francisco, California Originally published September 27, 2010
After watching last night’s series premiere of Sister Wives, TLC’s new reality series about fundamentalist Mormon polygamist Kody Brown and his three — wait, now, four?!! — wives and thirteen — wait, now, sixteen?!! — children, what I find most remarkable is not the series itself but the rave reviews it’s getting from the critics. The Vancouver Sun calls Sister Wives "a fascinating, surprising eyeopener." (Never mind that British Columbia is home to one of the larger Mormon polygamous communities on the continent.) Us Magazine calls it "provocative" and "utterly fascinating" and gives it four stars. And over at the Los Angeles Times a reviewer crows: "I’ve seen the feminist revolution and it is . . . polygamy?" (Really? You’ve never seen women do collective childcare without being married to the same man?) The show opens with shots of goatee-sporting blonde Kody Brown wearing his best pin-striped suit and sitting at the wheel of his white Lexus convertible, then cuts to shots of Kody Brown bopping around under a big white tent at a wedding reception, encircled by a passel of blonde wives and blonde kids, as Brown’s voice-over intones: "My name is Kody Brown, and you’ve gotta meet my family. I like marriage. . . . And I’m a repeat offender." What follows is an hour of breakfast, burnt toast, yardwork, and family meetings. Arriving home from work, Brown, who has the vacant energy of a pep squad leader, greets each of his blonde wives with a passionless kiss, reserving his most serious affection for wife Christine’s pregnant belly. And a powerful dose of intrigue is provided by the appearance at episode’s end of a prospective fourth wife: this one, a brunette. Read more


Lehi police investigating Utah polygamists featured in new TV show
By Dennis Romboy Deseret News Originally published Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2010
LEHI — A polygamous Lehi family featured on a new TV series that debuted Sunday night has drawn the attention of local police. Kody Brown and his wives are the subject of a TLC program called "Sister Wives." Lehi police in a statement released Monday evening say they are now investigating the family for bigamy, a third-degree felony. "At the conclusion of the investigation, the evidence will be forwarded to the Utah County Attorney's Office for review and possible prosecution," according to Lehi Police Lt. Darren Paul. TLC spokeswoman Laurie Goldberg had no comment Monday night on the investigation. Producers of the show apparently feared the Browns could come under legal scrutiny. They contacted the Utah Attorney General's Office months before airing the program. "They called us and said, 'Hey, are you going to shut us down?'?" said Scott Troxel, spokesman for the attorney general. "Sister Wives" premiered Sunday night with an hourlong special, the first installment of a seven-part "docu-series" about Brown and his three wives — Meri, Janelle and Christine — and their 13 children. The series began with Brown announcing plans to take on another wife, Robyn, and her three children. A TLC news release describes the show this way: "From their unconventional family structure and living arrangements to financial challenges, each half-hour episode exposes the inner workings of a polygamist household, revealing the unexpectedly tight-knit and loving relationships between Kody's wives." Also, the show "captures the intense dynamics surrounding a man juggling three wives while attempting to keep it a secret from the outside world." Troxel said the Utah Attorney General's Office doesn't have the resources to go after polygamists unless it suspects crimes such as child abuse or child trafficking. Read more


Bigamy prosecutions of polygamists rare in Utah
Only 2 men have been convicted in the past decade for polygamy
By Dennis Romboy Deseret News Originally published Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2010
SALT LAKE CITY — Prosecuting polygamists for bigamy is rare in Utah. In the past decade, only two polygamous men — Tom Green and Rodney Holm — were convicted of the third-degree felony, and a justice court judge was removed from office for that crime. Whether county prosecutors decide to file charges against Kody Brown remains to be seen. The Lehi man and his four wives and 16 children are the subject of a new TLC docu-series called "Sister Wives." The day after the show premiered Sunday night, the Lehi Police Department announced it is conducting a bigamy investigation of the family. At their home Tuesday morning, the Browns referred questions to a TLC publicist who later issued a statement from the family. "We are disappointed in the announcement of an investigation, but when we decided to do this show, we knew there would be risks. But for the sake of our family, and most importantly, our kids, we felt it was a risk worth taking." Lehi Police Lt. Darren Paul said police became aware of the Browns in part because they planned to put themselves on TV. "That played a role in bringing it to light. We started receiving calls from all over the place, wondering what we intended to do," he said, adding the inquiries came from various sources. "I don't care to be more specific than that." Aside from traffic violations, he said there previously has not been "any major police involvement with the Browns." Paul said police consulted with the Utah Attorney General's Office and the Utah County Attorney's Office before moving ahead with the bigamy investigation. Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff has reiterated several times that his office doesn't go after polygamists unless it suspects crimes such as child abuse, domestic violence and fraud. Decisions to file charges are left to local authorities. Chief Deputy Utah County Attorney Tim Taylor said his office will review the case once Lehi police present it. Paul said he did not have a time frame for completing the investigation. Read more


"Sister Wives" premieres and viewers ask, "How do they get away with it?"
Reported by: Jon Du Pre ABC 4 News Originally broadcast September 28, 2010
LEHI, Utah (ABC 4 News) - "How do they get away with it?" That's the question today, as television viewers react to a new cable reality show featuring a self-proclaimed polygamous family in Utah. The show is called "Sister Wives." It's billed as a real-life, day-to-day portrayal of a family whose members refer to themselves as polygamists. "Hello. I'm Kody and this is my family," says Kody Brown in the show's opening segment. Kody is the husband and father. The four women who live with him all refer to themselves as his wives. Brown and his four wives now have 13 children between them. The show appears to be a celebration as well as an examination of the Brown family's unusual arrangement, promising to allow the audience to eavesdrop on almost every aspect of their lives. Sunday night's premier episode reportedly attracted a lot of curiosity, and now that it has hit the air it has generated a lot of questions. Most frequently asked on abc4.com and ABC 4's Facebook page: So now that the nation knows about this family, are the Browns in trouble? The Browns appear to be defiant as they willingly allow a national audience to watch their family life. Kody and the four women openly declare they are polygamists. Read more


Utah Co. prosecutors want to see 'big picture' of prosecuting reality TV polygamists
Ben Winslow Fox 13 News KSTU-TV Originally broadcast September 28, 2010
LEHI - Police here have opened a criminal bigamy investigation into a polygamous family starring in a new reality TV show. But any prosecution could ultimately be problematic, and open a Pandora's Box that could decriminalize polygamy in Utah. Late Monday, Lehi police announced a criminal investigation into Kody Brown and his wives Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn, who star on the TLC reality series "Sister Wives." In an interview with Fox 13 last week, the family acknowledged they were taking a risk by being so public about their lives. But they insisted it was a risk worth taking. "There's always a fear of being prosecuted," Kody Brown told Fox 13. "We're just hoping that ultimately... what it is, is the fear of being prosecuted is less daunting than the fear of continuing a society in secrecy and darkness." It's being on television that put them under investigation by Lehi police. Lt. Darrin Paul said they had been investigating the family for several weeks leading up to the debut of the show, based on phone calls. He declined to be more specific. "We're looking at bigamy and we'll see where the investigation takes us," Paul said Tuesday. Lehi police said they would forward their investigation to the Utah County Attorney's Office to determine if criminal charges were warranted. The Browns could face a third-degree felony bigamy charge. But prosecutors on Tuesday appeared to be taking a step back, saying they needed to look at the "bigger picture" that a polygamy prosecution could bring. "Do we want to open this can of worms and maybe have some court of appeals say this statute is unconstitutional?" deputy Utah County Attorney Tim Taylor told Fox 13 on Tuesday. "Is this a test case that we want to go ahead and take up?" Read more




Lehi police: We've been investigating Brown family for weeks
By Sam Penrod KSL 5 TV Originally broadcast September 28, 2010
LEHI -- A Lehi man and his four wives are now the subject of an investigation by police. They are also the stars of the newest reality show on the TLC network, which could take a new twist if they are prosecuted. Lehi police confirmed Tuesday that the Brown family has been under investigation for several weeks, ever since TLC announced the show would be in its fall lineup. But there are questions about what this investigation will actually lead to. Sunday night, TLC's viewers were introduced to the Brown family in the debut of "Sister Wives." Kody Brown and his four wives have opened up their home in Lehi to cameras so other can see what their lives together are like. "The show certainly shed light on the situation," Lehi police Lt. Darren Paul said Tuesday. Paul said detectives are now involved in an investigation of the Browns, looking at possible bigamy charges. The crime is a felony in Utah. "Right now we're looking at the bigamy aspect of it. As the investigation goes on, we'll see where it goes from there," Paul said. KSL News attempted to talk to the Browns as their home in Lehi, but no one answered the door Tuesday afternoon. Ten years ago, Utah polygamist Tom Green was prosecuted for bigamy, in what became news around the world. Read more

Video Courtesy of KSL.com


Prosecuting for bigamy poses challenges
By Paul Nelson KSL NewsRadio Originally broadcast September 28, 2010
LEHI -- The city of Lehi is officially investigating the Brown family, the stars of the TLC series, "Sister Wives." But one legal analyst says it may be an uphill battle for prosecutors to get a conviction if they decide to take them to court. Even though the Browns talk about their polygamist lifestyle on TV, it's possible that the investigation won't lead to any charges at all. Legal analyst Marguerite Driessen says, "At the outset, just because they're investigating them, that doesn't mean they're guilty of anything." Convicting someone on bigamy charges may be trickier than it sounds. Driessen says that bigamy statues typically only apply when someone has legally married one person, then tries to legally marry another person. "If whatever marriage rite is being engaged in by folks is not one recognized as marriage by law, it is not typically one that would subject someone to bigamy liability," she says. Many polygamists have only one legally recognized marriage then use what are known as "spirit marriages" to symbolize their marriage to another spouse. These spirit marriages are not recognized by law, but there's a flip side to them. Since they're not recognized legally, attorneys typically can't prosecute people for them, either. "These things may have meaning to you, but if they don't have legal meaning then it's difficult to see how the bigamy statute could be implicated," Driessen says. If the investigation uncovers more than one "legal" marriage, including common-law marriage, in Utah or any other state between Brown and his wives, then bigamy charges may stick. "If they find that there were no legitimate marriage ceremonies anywhere and [in] no jurisdiction where a common-law marriage was recognized as a real marriage they may very well have to report out, 'Sorry. [There is] no chance of a bigamy prosecution,'" Driessen says. E-mail: pnelson@ksl.com


Family target of bigamy investigation
By The Associated Press Red Deer Advocate - Red Deer, Alberta, Canada Originally published September 29, 2010
SALT LAKE CITY — A bigamy investigation has been launched into a polygamous family starring in a reality television show, police said Tuesday. Lehi police Lt. Darren Paul has said the probe was triggered by the reality television show Sister Wives, which features 41-year-old advertising salesman Kody Brown and his four wives, 13 children and three stepchildren. The TLC program premiered Sunday. Brown is only legally married to Meri Paul, but also calls three other women his spouses: Janelle, Christine and Robyn. The three stepchildren are from Robyn’s previous relationship. Christine Brown declined to comment Tuesday, although the family issued a statement through TLC that it was disappointed. ". . . When we decided to do this show, we knew there would be risks," the family said. "But for the sake of our family, and most importantly, our kids, we felt it was a risk worth taking." The Browns have said they hoped that the reality show’s peek into their lives would help broaden the public’s understanding of plural families. Across Utah and parts of the western U.S., polygamy is a legacy of the early Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Members brought the practice to Utah in 1847, but the Mormon church disavowed plural marriage in 1890 as part of a push for Utah’s statehood. The modern Mormon church excommunicates members found engaged in the practice, though an estimated 38,000 self-described fundamentalist Mormons continue to believe and/or practice polygamy, believing it brings exaltation in heaven. Although it is rarely prosecuted, bigamy is a third-degree felony in Utah, punishable by a prison term of up to five years. Under the law, a person can be found guilty of bigamy through cohabitation, not just legal marriage contracts. Lehi police said the evidence gathered from the probe will be turned over to the Utah County attorney’s office for possible prosecution. A telephone message left for Paul was not immediately returned Tuesday. See photo


Before "Sister Wives," there was Tom Green
Reported by: Chris Vanocur ABC 4 News Originally broadcast September 29, 2010
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Before there were the Browns, there was Tom Green. Kody Brown and his four wives are the stars of the new cable TV show, "Sister Wives." They are also now the targets of a bigamy investigation by the Lehi police. But in 2001, Tom Green was actually convicted on several counts of bigamy. This after he and his wives appeared on national TV. In fact, the Juab County prosecutor decided to file charges after seeing Green on TV. Green had five sister-wives and more than 30 children. Many lived in a collection of mobile homes in remote Juab County. They might still be there if they hadn't gone on TV. Tom Green, at the time said, "Well, what the hell is wrong with going on television? Don't we have the right of free speech in this country?" Green was convicted of four counts of bigamy. The first bigamy case to be tried in Utah in a half century. After the verdict one of his wives, sobbing, told reporters, "This man spent his entire life living up for his family and everything he could do." The prosecution made little secret of the fact that they were monitoring Green's TV appearances or recording his news conferences. But even though the state eventually locked him up, his wives stood by their man. After he was sentenced to prison, another of his wives said, "I think the judge is wrong. I don't see any reason how this religion and lifestyle is harmful to society." Years later, there is a sense that Tom Green didn't get sent to prison because he was a polygamist but because he was a loud one. See photo


"Sister Wives" Family's Risk Worth the Cost?
Legal Expert: If Convicted of Bigamy, Self-Described Polygamists Could Face Jail Time and Kids Being Put into Foster Care
CBS News - NEW YORK Originally published September 29, 2010
(CBS) Last Sunday, "Sister Wives" premiered on TLC and almost immediately after, the Brown family of Lehi, Utah, learned they were under investigation for the very lifestyle they allowed reality show cameras to film. In promotions for the show, Kody Brown admitted, "I'm a polygamist, but we're not the polygamists you think you know." CBS News correspondent Priya David Clemens reported the mysterious world of polygamy was on full display last Sunday as the 21-member Brown family entered the public eye. Kody Brown said in the episode, "I just fell in love, and then I feel in love again, and I fell in love again." And people are watching. Clemens reported 2.3 million viewers tuned in to watch 41-year-old Kody, his four wives, 13 children and three stepchildren. In the episode one of the wives remarked, "Some people think how do you feel when he's off with another woman and you know they're having sex? Well gosh darn it, they better." However, by allowing reality cameras into their home, the Browns may have allowed real trouble into their lives that may end up costing them their freedom. Utah police have now launched an investigation to determine if the Mormon family is breaking the law against multiple marriages. Police say the investigation was brought on by the publicity surrounding the show. But the family says that freedom of religion should allow them to continue their way of life. The HBO series "Big Love" turned the spotlight back on polygamy, a practice that was banned by the Mormon Church in 1890. In 2008, the issue grabbed real headlines when a polygamist compound run by convicted sex offender Warren Jeffs was raided and more than 400 children removed. Read more


Polygamy Probe for 'Sister Wives' CBS - The Early Show September 29, 2010 6:56 AM Utah police launched an investigation to determine if the stars of TLC's "Sister Wives" are breaking state laws against polygamy. Priya David Clemens reports.


Will Reality Show Stars Be Sent to Jail? CBS - The Early Show September 29, 2010 7:05 AM Maggie Rodriguez talks to legal analyst Lisa Bloom about the likelihood of jail time for the stars of TLC's "Sister Wives."


'Sister Wives' family investigated for bigamy
Kody Brown has four wives, 13 children, three stepchildren
By Jennifer Dobner Associated Press MSNBC Originally published September 29, 2010
SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah family with four wives had hoped its participation on a TLC reality TV show would shed light on polygamy. But now that it is the target of a bigamy investigation by Utah police, one advocate worries that the probe will instill fear in other plural families about going public with their lives. "If it really goes to a court situation, then our people are going to go right back into isolation," said Anne Wilde, co-founder of Principle Voices, a nonprofit that seeks to educate the public about polygamous families. Over the past 10 years, Utah's historically insular polygamist community has worked with state agencies to increase understanding of the unique aspects of polygamous culture, Wilde said. As a result, plural families are now less hesitant to seek help and services when needed, she said. The Brown family's decision to do the reality TV show was sort an extension of that education work, said Wilde, who knows the family well. "Sister Wives," which premiered Sunday, chronicles the life of 41-year-old advertising salesman Kody Brown, his four wives, 13 children and three stepchildren. The Browns, of Lehi, have said they hoped that the peek into their lives would help broaden the public's understanding of plural families. Lehi police are investigating whether the family is violating bigamy laws in plain view on cable TV. Brown is only legally married to Meri but also calls three other women his spouses: Janelle, Christine and Robyn. "...When we decided to do this show, we knew there would be risks," the Brown family said in a statement Tuesday. "But for the sake of our family, and most importantly, our kids, we felt it was a risk worth taking." Most polygamist families practice in secret, but it has entered the national dialogue given its portrayal on the HBO scripted drama "Big Love." Read more


Watch the Today Show September 29, 2010 about the Brown familiy being investigated for bigamy because of the new reality show Sister Wives


Prosecutor: Polygamy charges could be a can of worms
Janice Peterson Daily Herald - Provo, Utah Originally published Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Police are investigating a Lehi family who appear on "Sister Wives" for charges of bigamy, but officials are unsure whether charges will be filed. Lehi police announced Monday that they are investigating charges of bigamy against Kody, Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn Brown, who are the subjects of the TLC show "Sister Wives," a reality show about a polygamous family that premiered on Sunday. Lehi police Lt. Darren Paul said the investigation into the family began several weeks ago, before the show aired. He said police have received several calls recently inquiring whether police would be investigating the allegations. Paul said police investigate any allegations they receive, and this case will be investigated the same way any other allegations would. Ultimately, it will be up to prosecutors to decide whether to file charges. He did not give a timetable as to when the investigation would be completed. "I don't know where this is going to end," he said. Utah County prosecutor Tim Taylor said his office has not received anything from the Lehi police department yet. He said he has not had any communication with the department regarding the investigation, so he does not know whether charges will be filed in the case. "Does this open up a can of worms that we want to open up right now?" he said. Taylor said the decision on whether to file charges will have a lot more to it than whether the elements of the crime have been met. Bigamy is a third-degree felony, and according to Utah code, "a person is guilty of bigamy when, knowing he has a husband or wife or knowing the other person has a husband or wife, the person purports to marry another person or cohabits with another person." Read more


Legal four-for-all
That was quick. Cops move on poly TV family
By MICHAEL STARR New York Post Originally published September 29, 2010
The "Sister Wives" show will continue airing -- even if its polygamy-practicing cast goes to jail for breaking Utah's bigamy laws. Kody Brown and his four wives are under investigation by police in their hometown of Lehi, Utah, after Sunday-night's premiere of TLC's "Wives" exposed their polygamist living arrangement. Bigamy is a felony in Utah and carries a prison term of up to five years. But even if the Browns are thrown into the clink for breaking Utah's bigamy laws, TLC can continue airing "Wives," legal experts say. The bigamy law in Utah is rarely enforced, but a fundamentalist Mormon married to five women who made a series of TV appearances, including "48 Hours" in 2000, spent six years in prison after being convicted of bigamy and other charges. "We are disappointed in the announcement of an investigation, but when we decided to do this show, we knew there would be risks," the Browns said in a statement. "But, for the sake of our family, and most importantly, our kids, we felt it was a risk worth taking." If the Browns are charged with a crime, TLC will have to decide if it should keep airing the series -- offering prosecutors more evidence with every episode. There is little chance, however, that the network can be legally stopped. "There's no doubt the family signed a waiver to appear on the show, which is like a contract," says Jim Cohen, associate professor of law at Fordham University. "So TLC can still show the series notwithstanding the possibility that the reality people end up in jail. "As long as the waiver covers it, the First Amendment trumps everything." Read more


Tattle: TLC's 'Sister Wives' sparks bigamy probe in Utah
By Howard Gensler Philadelphia Daily News Daily News Tattle Columnist Philadelphia Inquirer Originally published Wed, Sep. 29, 2010
IN A CASE of life imitating art, TLC has taken the success of HBO's fictional "Big Love" and launched "Sister Wives," a reality show about a real polygamist and his family. The show is set in Utah. Duh! After only one episode, it's already making headlines, and not because 41-year-old ad salesman Kody Brown has four wives, 13 children and three stepchildren. No, it's because the show caught the attention of Utah law enforcement and triggered a bigamy investigation. Kody is legally married only to Meri Paul, but he also calls Janelle, Christine and Robyn his spouses. The three stepchildren are from Robyn's previous relationship. (Note to Kody: Call them mistresses and this will all go away.) The family issued a statement in response to the investigation (because when you do reality TV, you stop speaking and start issuing statements): "When we decided to do this show, we knew there would be risks. But for the sake of our family, and most importantly, our kids, we felt it was a risk worth taking." The Browns have said they hoped that the show's peek into their lives would help broaden the public's understanding of plural families. The public doesn't seem to care when Hef lives with three women. Although polygamy once was a common practice in the Mormon religion, the modern Mormon church (there's an oxymormon) excommunicates members found engaged in the practice. Still, an estimated 38,000 self-described fundamentalist Mormons continue to believe and/or practice polygamy, believing it brings exaltation in heaven. So once again, the fundamentalists bring the crazy. Read more


Sneak Peek: Tears and Heartache on Polygamy Show Sister Wives
By Eunice Oh People Magazine Originally published Wednesday September 29, 2010
Before their legal troubles, the Browns had to deal with different kind of drama at home. The stars of TLC's Sister Wives, who are under police investigation in Utah for a possible charge of felony bigamy, reveal they clashed over a lip-locking incident. "Kody sealed the engagement [with his fourth wife Robyn] with a kiss and I freaked," Kody Brown's third wife, Christine, says in a preview of Sunday's new back-to-back episodes (10 p.m. ET). "We didn't kiss until over the altar because I didn't feel right about kissing a married man." Robyn, likewise, was surprised by the kiss and says she was saddened it caused so much pain. "I found out that Christine was upset," she says, breaking down in tears. "I remember being really upset cause I knew I'd hurt you. I knew it'd be complicated but I didn’t know it would break my heart as well." TLC will air an encore of the Sister Wives series premiere on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET).


Polygamy show features a lot of wives but little faith
KIMBERLY WINSTON NewsOK - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Originally published September 30, 2010
(RNS) For a show that centers around a family in which polygamy is an article of faith, there's very little religion in TLC's new reality show, "Sister Wives." But there were enough wives to pique the interest of Utah authorities, who are investigating felony charges of bigamy. The show, which premiered Sunday (Sept. 26), follows Kody Brown, a 41-year-old advertising salesman, his three wives and 12 children, as they welcome a fourth wife into their Utah home. By the end of the seven-part series, the family includes five adults and 16 children. On Tuesday, police in Lehi, Utah, said they opened a preliminary probe when TLC announced the show several weeks ago. Bigamy is a third-degree felony in Utah. Under state law, Kody Brown is legally married only to his first wife of 20 years, Meri. They have one child together. The police probe could ultimately divulge more than the show, which keeps the family's sex lives - and the religious faith that inspires their lifestyle - behind closed doors. In the first episode, Meri Brown briefly mentions sleeping arrangements. "Christine and Janelle and I each have our own bedrooms, and Kody is welcome in each of those bedrooms," she says, referring to the two other wives. "Alone. That's just how it is, we don't go weird." The show tackles religion just as quickly and succinctly. "We're a fundamentalist Mormon family, not an LDS or Mormon family," Kody Brown says, referring to the more mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "They quit practicing polygamy 120 years ago. Big difference from us and them - similar to Catholics and Protestants." The LDS church banned polygamy in 1890 as a condition of Utah statehood. No one knows how many fundamentalist Mormons live like the Browns; scholars estimate between 30,000 and 50,000 people live in plural marriages, mainly in Utah and other Rocky Mountain states. Read more


'Wives' could be dangerous
Ex-polygamist speaks
By Linda Stasi TV New York Post Originally published September 30, 2010
Polygamy is so hot on TV right now, it threatens to infect people who aren't even blond. Between "Big Love" and the newest reality-TV hit "Sister Wives," you'd think that sharing a husband is not just fun, but frees up a sexually sated wife to pursue all sorts of glamorous things -- like creating business empires and running casinos. "Free? Not at all," says Elissa Wall, author of the moving biography "Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect." "It's all rather unrealistic." What about the fact that before they got their own TV show, several of the "Sister Wives" filed for bankruptcy and one was on food stamps? Is it common for these families to expect the government to support their illegal lifestyles? "When there are three wives and 14 kids to feed, the mothers are forced to turn to the government," Wall says. "In reality, there is lots of sadness and lots of contention between the wives," says Wall, who was married off at 14. "I will never say it's all wrong -- but, in my experience, polygamy becomes a breeding ground for child abuse." And there's nowhere for wives or kids to turn. In her sect, for example, the local cops were polygamists, too. So, the whole happy sister-wife-as-entrepreneur thing is as false as a polygamist's promise to be true? "No, not always," she said. "There's the Centennial Group. The women are well-educated and many are entrepreneurs married to educated men who are well off. But that's really, really an anomaly." Read more


Sister Wives TLC Series A Bigamist Lifestyle Investigated
By Linda Evans Entertainment CNM News Network - Jonesboro, Arkansas Originally published September 30th, 2010
The New Sister Wives TLC Series brings real-life "Big Love" drama to your home. The story of Kody Brown and his three wives and their brood of children may not be a traditional American family. However, the "Sister Wives" family doesn’t seem to be the religious fanatics/ child abusers that polygamists are typically portrayed as. If you watch "Big Love" you know that Nicolette Grant is the daughter of the late "prophet" Roman Grant. Before his death he took on a child bride, and Nicolette herself was even a child bride. The "joy book" was a menu of sorts where men could pick out their young wives. These types of child abuse may be prevalent on traditional Mormon polygamist compounds, but they aren’t present in the "Sister Wives" family. However, the modern polyamorous (I choose that word purposefully, as I see the family as polyamorous rather than polygamists) family embraces a lifestyle they know is different than the main stream norms. Under Utah Law, their family lifestyle is illegal. Although polygamy laws are typically used to prosecute statuary rape and incest cases, this family is breaking the law for the whole world to see. An investigation has been launched in to their family. While some believe that their lifestyle is harmless, and as such they should be left alone a dangerous precedent would be set if Utah didn’t act on the family. If you commit any crime on TV, and law enforcement stands idly by and does nothing...what message does that send? So far, TLC is standing behind "Sister Wives." The series airs on Sunday nights and it’s interesting. There’s no word if the new TLC series "Sister Wives" will come back as a second season, though – we will have to wait and see how the criminal investigation works out for the family. Maybe they will move from Utah to a state that allows their lifestyle? See photo


Would-be reality star with four wives and 16 children sparks row over polygamy
By Guy Adams in Los Angeles The Independent - London, England Originally published Thursday, 30 September 2010
When the advertising salesman Kody Brown, his wife Meri, and his three other wives, Janelle, Christine and Robyn, decided to invite a film crew into the home they share with no less than 16 children, they presumed that a life of reality TV stardom would beckon. Instead, the family has found itself at the centre of a snowballing public debate after police in Utah responded to Sunday's premiere of Sister Wives by launching an investigation into the polygamous lifestyle that Brown and his spouses have chosen to pursue. Prosecutors in Lehi, south of Salt Lake City, announced that they believe the Browns are guilty of not just violating state laws against plural marriage, but of celebrating the crime in front of millions of television viewers. In Sister Wives, the Browns try to expose what they call the benign truth about how a plural marriage works. "We're a very integrated family," argues Kody. The opening episode introduced viewers to his wives Meri, Janelle and Christine, before showing how they go through the occasionally traumatic process of adding a fourth wife, Robyn, to their already sprawling household. "I think we're normal," says Christine, of their domestic arrangement, in which the wives take turns to sleep with Kody. "People ask, 'How do you feel when he's off with another woman, having sex?' I say 'Gosh, darn it, he better!'" The show has shed light on the modern face of polygamy – a practice originally endorsed by the 19th-century founders of the Mormon Church. Plural marriage was made illegal, as a condition of Utah joining the US in 1896. But although today's Mormon Church excommunicates polygamists, polygamy is still practised by an estimated 40,000 families in Utah. Read more


TLC Stands by Polygamous 'Sister Wives,' Even If Family Goes to Jail
By Elena Gorgan News Softpedia Originally published September 30th, 2010
Television network TLC is standing behind its latest reality show, "Sister Wives," which documents the life of Kody Brown and his 3 wives: by saying it will continue shooting even if the entire family is put behind bars. Yesterday, it emerged that Utah authorities were investigating Brown and his 3 wives (soon to become 4) for felony bigamy, which could even mean they’d be sent to jail for breaking the law, if found guilty. While the Browns insist doing the reality show was their decision – and a good one while at it, for all the risks it entails – TLC says it will continue shooting even if they’re sent to jail, HollyBaby reports. Of course, one can’t help noting, should that truly turn out to be the case, it would make sense because TLC would get even bigger ratings with the scandal than it did with the season premiere. "The star of TLC’s Sister Wives, 41-year-old Kody Brown, could be thrown in jail if he’s found guilty of practicing polygamy in his hometown of Lehi, Utah. But even if the husband with four wives is put behind bars, TLC won’t pull the show," the aforementioned e-zine notes. "A spokesperson for the show revealed that in spite of the investigation into the lives of Kody and his four wives – Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn – they will continue airing the show," the report says. Polygamy is illegal in all states – with the Browns risking up to 5 years in jail for breaking the law. Still, in the chase for ratings, TLC seems willing to risk everything. Read more


'Sister Wives' gives us a truth stranger than TV fiction
Andrea Simakis The Plain Dealer - Cleveland, Ohio Originally published Saturday, October 02, 2010
Reality television has brought us a plethora of car-wreck-fascinating, morally dubious programming, from the dental-floss thongs and debauchery of "Jersey Shore" to the JonBenet Ramsey clones on "Toddlers and Tiaras." We've seen Shorty Rossi, an ex-con in a fedora who stands a smidge over 4 feet tall, rescue pit bulls with his team of little people in "Pit Boss." We've invaded the homes of the unkempt and unhinged in A&E's "Hoarders" and steeled our stomachs to peer inside hoary Hef's bedroom in "The Girls Next Door." So what's a little polygamy? Last Sunday, TLC launched "Sister Wives," a seven-part series chronicling the marital ups and downs and ups and downs and ups and downs of ad salesman Kody Brown and his three wives. Well, four really, if you count his fiancee, Robyn, a brunette looker as dull and featureless as the Utah highway he travels to court her. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The Browns have 12 kids; well, 13 really, as Christine (wife No. 3) is pregnant with Truly, her sixth child. The first episode aired on Sept. 26 and drew 2.3 million viewers, the biggest series premiere for the network in a year. The special one-hour first episode opens with Kody and his kubs dancing in rapturous slow motion at a wedding. "We're not the polygamists you think you know," he says in a friendly voice-over. The Browns say they decided to bust out of the "plig" closet to show the world they are a happy "alternative family." ("Plig," the Browns tell us, is cheeky shorthand for "polygamist," and its applications are endless: The Browns eat "plig" food, and the kids are "pliglets.") Read more


New reality show spotlights polygamy
By Shelley Fralic, Vancouver Sun Postmedia News The Edmonton Journal Originally published October 2, 2010
It is only minutes into Sister Wives, the new TLC reality show about a polygamist family, when you figure out what's in it for Kody Brown. Kody has been a polygamist his entire adult life, and while it's not legal in Utah where he lives (or anywhere else in the U.S. or Canada), he was born into the culture, inculcated by his polygamist father and the Mormon community in which he was raised. And so, 20 years ago, Kody married Meri, and then Janelle a few years after that and then Christine a few years after that. Like most fundamental church-based beliefs, polygamy is a man's world and it's clear from the Sunday night premiere of the seven-part Sister Wives that what's in it for Kody, who is a charming, youthful man with much energy and rock star hair, is that life is a smorgasbord of interesting if compliant women, with Kody as some kind of working-class American gigolo representing the main course. He earnestly tells viewers in the first episode that he's doing the show because he wants to "come out of the closet" and stop hiding his lifestyle from the world, and then goes on to walk us through his life, through his home's three separate apartments, with their separate kitchens and bedrooms, and he chats about keeping a calendar to chart his rotating conjugal services and admits he often gets confused about what door he's walking through, joking that "I don't have my own space." Read more


Polygamy attitudes appalling
Opinion Toronto Star Originally published Sun Oct 03 2010
Re: Show sparks bigamy probe, Sept. 30 It is disturbing to see the media's growing acceptance of polygamous marriages. Although often denied by those within a bigamous marriage, women in these situations are not treated the same as men. Our Western culture's emphasis on freedom has made us hesitant to judge any other culture or lifestyle. Yet, by doing so we have allowed groups of people to believe that women are inferior to men. It is equally appalling that the police have stated that they avoid prosecuting these types of relationships. Yes, there are dangers out there that may keep police busy, but allowing these lifestyles is teaching our society to accept the subservient role of women. How often do the media show relationships of one woman with three men? Marsha Vandergaast, Newcastle


"Sister Wives": Will Reality Show Stars Face Prosecution for Polygamy in Utah?
By JOANNA L. GROSSMAN and LAWRENCE M. FRIEDMAN FindLaw Originally published Monday, October 4, 2010
Polygamy hit the small screen in 2006, when the fictional show "Big Love" debuted on HBO. The show, which has an all-star cast, captivated viewers with its depiction of a man and his three wives living in Sandy, Utah. A major part of the plot is the family's efforts to hide their lifestyle from the outside world. But now, a new show turns this plotline on its head. In Sister Wives (TLC, Sundays at 10 p.m.), Kody Brown is unapologetically open about his polygamous lifestyle. He has three wives and twelve children (plus one on the way); by the end of the first episode, he is courting wife number four, who has three children of her own. But it's not the gimmick of a sit-com. Neither Kody, nor his wives or children, are playing a part. To the contrary, this is a reality show about a real polygamous family currently living in Utah. And the difference between reality and fiction has not been lost on local police in Lehi, Utah, who announced shortly after the show's premiere last week that the family would be investigated for felony bigamy. Read more


The No Longer Secret Lives of "Sister Wives"
Christine Detz Staff Reporter Opinion Neon Tommy - Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism - Los Angeles, California Originally published October 5, 2010
To the outside eye, Kody Brown of Lehi, Utah looks like the all-American father and husband - and he is, except that he has four wives, 16 children and three stepchildren. Brown and his family are the stars of TLC’s new show reality "Sister Wives," which details life in a polygamous family. The police department in Lehi initiated a bigamy investigation before the show aired its first episode last week. According to Utah law, bigamy is a felony and defined as, "when a person knowing he has a husband or wife or knowing the other person has a husband or wife, the person purports to marry another person or cohabits with another person." The legal definition is important because Brown is reportedly only legally married to first wife Meri; however, wives Janelle, Christine and newest wife Robyn and their respective children all live under the same roof. Police officials said they will report their findings to the county attorney’s office for possible prosecution, but no further information has been released. For their part, the Brown family said they knew participating in the show would come with risks. Make no mistake, this family is not living the polygamous life of Warren Jeffs. All of the sister wives were consenting adults at the time of their marriages, and there is no evidence or reports of child abuse or neglect, and Brown is no deadbeat dad. They live in a residential neighborhood, not some commune in the middle of nowhere. Read more


'Sister Wives' family has Powell ties
Written by Tessa Schweigert Powell Tribune - Powell, Wyoming Originally published Tuesday, October 5, 2010
A polygamist family formerly of the Powell area attracted national attention and scrutiny for starring in the reality television program, "Sister Wives." "I like marriage, and I’m a repeat offender," Kody Brown says with a smile in the premiere episode on TLC. A photo on TLC’s website depicts Kody Brown and his three wives, Meri, Janelle and Christine, with Heart Mountain’s unmistakable silhouette visible in the background. Though the family now resides in Lehi, Utah, they lived in northern Wyoming for a number of years, where Kody and his three wives raised their plural family, now numbering 13 children. "All three of us were married before any of the kids were born," says Christine, wife No. 3. As he introduces his wives on the TV show, Kody says, "I just fell in love, and then I fell in love again and then I fell in love again." "Sister Wives" follows Kody as he falls in love again with a fourth wife, Robyn. She brings another three stepchildren to the family, for a grand total of 21 people — one husband, four wives and 16 children. In one scene, a group of Kody’s daughters are standing in the kitchen, and explain that they’re sisters. "Sisters from the same mister," Kody says in the background. "She’s a sister from the same mister, and he’s a brother from another mother." Though the Browns hoped to shed light on polygamy to broaden the public’s understanding, "Sister Wives" also drew the attention of Utah police, who are investigating the family for bigamy. Lehi police are investigating whether the family is violating bigamy laws in plain view on cable TV. Kody is only legally married to Meri (his first wife), but calls all four his wives. Read more


'Sister Wives' -- Backlash in Polygamy Community
Celebrity Justice TMZ - Thirty Mile Zone - Glendale, California Originally published October 7, 2010
Kody Brown, his three wives, fiancée and 13 kids have created a house divided in his fundamentalist Mormon church. We're told before Brown decided to do "Sister Wives," he went to his Utah church for its blessing, but the main man -- called the "community leader" -- would not give Kody the thumbs up, because the law squarely outlaws bigamy and the church didn't want the heat. The community leader told Kody to make the decision himself ... and Kody chose to be a TV star. As for members of the church, we're told they're all down with polygamy but split on one of its families flaunting their lifestyle on TV. Some church members feel it's too risky -- the old waving-the-red-flag-in front-of-the-bull thing. But despite the split, Kody and crew are still welcome at their house of worship. See photo


'Sister Wives' family hires attorney as prosecutors mull charges
Utah County Attorney’s Office still thinking about bigamy charges
By Emiley Morgan Deseret News Originally published Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010
PROVO — The Utah County Attorney's Office is now sifting through evidence police have gathered on a polygamous Lehi family — who are the subject of a new TV series — and debating whether to file criminal charges. In the meantime, the family has hired a well-known constitutional law professor and attorney to represent them. Kody Brown and his four wives are the subject of a TLC program called "Sister Wives." They caught the eye of local police after the show debuted. The day after the first episode aired Sept. 26, Lehi police issued a statement that officers were investigating the family for bigamy, a third-degree felony. Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Buhman said his office was given the evidence from Lehi police Monday, after the department concluded its investigation. Buhman's office is currently screening the evidence in the case to determine what to do next. "We're reviewing (the case) now," he said. "We can either not file charges, file charges or seek further investigation." Buhman noted that while polygamy cases have been prosecuted in the state in the past, this was the first such case he could recall, at least within the last 10 to 15 years, that targeted a "traditional" polygamist family. "We've done bigamy cases before, but normally, it's people getting married to someone when they're already married, not traditional polygamy," he said. "We haven't done this type of bigamy case." Attorney Jonathan Turley, who is a nationally recognized scholar on constitutional law, announced the decision to represent the Brown family on his personal blog Wednesday. He said in the blog that his comments on the case "will be limited," however he wrote of his confidence that there would not be criminal charges in the case. Read more


Bigamy investigation threatens TLC's Sister Wives
BY MATTHEW BELLONI REUTERS Entertainment canada.com Originally published October 7, 2010
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Will a Utah district attorney spoil the polygamy party at TLC? Only two weeks into the network's hit reality series Sister Wives, the results of a felony bigamy investigation of the show's stars have been presented to the Utah County Attorney, who now must decide whether to file charges against Kody Brown and wives Mari, Janelle, Christine and Robyn. Bigamy is a felony in Utah, where the Brown family lives and the show is set, carrying a possible three- to five-year sentence upon conviction. However, polygamists are rarely prosecuted unless they've committed so-called collateral crimes like child abuse or welfare fraud, none of which yet has been alleged. Sister Wives is the first cable reality series starring an openly polygamist family, and police in Lehi, Utah, said they started an investigation after becoming aware of the Browns through the TLC show. Production company Figure 8 Films, which also made TLC's controversial hit Jon & Kate Plus 8, is said to have discussed the possibility of criminal charges with the Browns before they agreed to participate in the show. But the family viewed Wives as a chance to stop hiding its lifestyle. "When we decided to do the show, we knew there would be risks," the Browns said in a statement. "But for the sake of our family and most importantly our kids, we felt it was a risk worth taking." Utah County Attorney Jeff Buhman told reporters that it could take months to review the file and decide whether to prosecute. Read more


Sister Wives Bombshell: Wives 2 & 3 Want Out!
News and Gossip Star Magazine - Boone, Iowa Originally published October 7, 2010
TLC's new reality show Sister Wives paints the picture of one big happy polygamist family, but Star has learned that middle wives Janelle and Christine want out of their marriage to hubby Kody Brown. "Janelle and Christine can smile for the cameras all they want and say how everything is great, but Janelle has cried on my shoulder many times," a family friend tells Star for our Oct. 18 issue. "She told me she and Christine are so sick of how Kody’s desire to be a TV star is pulling the family apart, plus all the attention he lavishes on his new, young wife, Robyn, that they've talked about divorce." However, as we detail in our story, their mysterious religious sect — which broke away from the traditional Mormon church years ago — could make it an absolute nightmare for them to leave the marriage. It's possible Janelle and Christine could be barred from seeing their own children if they left Kody! And in some extreme cases, the repercussions could be even worse! "They're really distraught over the family situation," adds the pal. Pick up the new issue of Star, on newsstands now, for more details on the possible dangers that Janelle and Christine could face if they separate from Kody. Plus: See pics of Kody in high school! See photo


'Sister Wives' Star Kody Brown Is Being Shunned By His Home Community In Utah!
We’ve been telling you local Mormons in the Brown’s town of Lehi, Utah are completely divided, but new reports suggest Kody is taking big heat from community leaders.
By Chloe Melas Hollywood Life - Los Angeles, California Originally published October 8, 2010
Kody Brown might be regretting his decision to air his multi-wife lifestyle on a reality TV show. The star of TLC’s Sister Wives is at the center of a polygamy investigation in Lehi, Utah, where he currently resides with his four wives and sixteen children. It turns out Kody approached his Utah church "community leader" before starting to film the seven part documentary series, but TMZ reports Kody did not get his blessing. We recently told you that HollywoodLife.com spoke with friends close to the Browns, who revealed that they were worried when Kody told them he wanted to do a reality TV show. "His best friend was worried about him, we were worried about him being prosecuted," says our source and former teacher of the Brown’s children. We also spoke with a former polygamist in Utah, John Llewellyn, who echoed the same feelings. "I think it’s a bad idea for Kody to subject his family to all of this pressure and notoriety," says John. "Most polygamist you talk to frown on what he’s doing ... the thoughts of people in Utah are mixed." Read more


Oprah Winfrey -- It's Time for More Polygamy!
Developing Stories TMZ - Thirty Mile Zone - Glendale, California Originally published October 8, 2010
Oprah's travel budget just took a pretty big hit -- TMZ has learned several members of the 21-member polygamist family from "Sister Wives" just rolled over to Chicago to tape a spot for O's TV show. Sources connected to the production tell us Kody Brown, his multiple wives and "some" of his 16 children blew into the Windy City a few days ago to be interviewed by the Queen of Daytime for an episode set to air next week. Oprah's no stranger to the topic -- just last year, she interviewed another polygamous family during an entire hour dedicated to exploring the world of plural marriages. YOU get a wife! YOU get a wife! EVERYBODY gets a WIFE! See photo


Mad about mormons
By LINDA STASI TV New York Post Originally published October 9, 2010
Calico is the new black. If you aren’t in a plural marriage, don’t have your own sister wives, don’t go in for prairie frocks, and haven’t revived those giant bangs that you wore in the 1980s, well, you may as well be on Mars. Or maybe in NY. For one thing, you’re not in Utah; for another, you ain’t going to TV heaven anytime soon. I’m talking about how fundamentalist Mormon sects have become as hot as vampires; maybe even more so because polygamy is more shocking than having sex with the undead. The first really big show about polygamy, "Big Love," premiered in 2006 on HBO. The first time I saw it, I thought, "What the hell is that?" My second thought was, "Give me more!" "Big Love" wasn’t like anything I’d ever seen. It wasn’t possible that Mormons in Utah were regular suburbanites who practiced polygamy — was it? We quickly learned through the antics of the Henricksons of "Big Love" however, that these sects are not like other religions and are not even like traditional Mormons. In fact there are huge differences between Mormons (Latter Day Saints, or LDS) and the fundamentalist sects which are not even recognized by the LDS. For one thing, the Mormons have outlawed polygamy, but the fundamentalists still practice it. However not all polygamists live in weirdo compounds. Turns out many plural families live in suburbia. Geez! "Pligs" (slang the folks in Utah use for 'polygamists'), could live right next to vampires for all we know! What we do believe from watching TV, at least, is that fundamentalists, like vampires, have more sex than porn stars. Yes, TV is an educational medium, no matter what anyone tells you. Anyway, in the world of TV, if one show about something is good, 10 shows on the same theme will be 10 times as good — right? Last season brought us National Geographic’s excellent, "Inside Polygamy," which documented the lives of fundamentalist Mormon polygamist leader, Winston Blackmore, and his 20-something wives and more than 100 children. Read more


'Sister Wives' Family Heading to 'Oprah Winfrey Show'
Oprah Winfrey, who is no stranger to the polygamy topic, will dedicate one hour to learning about a family which consists of one man and four wives.
TV News AceShowbiz Originally published October 09, 2010
"The Oprah Winfrey Show" has invited the family that has just made the headlines with their unusual lifestyle. Kody Brown, his multiple wives and some of his 16 children were recently spotted visiting the Chicago studio. TMZ's source said they were there for an interview with Oprah Winfrey for an episode airing next week. Brown is the patriarch of a polygamous family in Utah. Together with his wives, children and step-children, the advertising salesman is starring in TLC's "Sister Wives" which many call as the true reflection of HBO's series "Big Love". "Sister Wives" debuted on September 26 to 2.26 million viewers. Once they go public with the lifestyle, the family faces an investigation of bigamy by Utah police. This prompts fear from other plural marriages from exposing themselves. "If it really goes to a court situation, then our people are going to go right back into isolation," said Anne Wilde, co-founder of Principle Voices, a nonprofit that seeks to educate the public about polygamous families. The Browns themselves did "Sister Wives" for educational purpose. "When we decided to do this show, we knew there would be risks," the family said in a statement Tuesday, October 5. "But for the sake of our family, and most importantly, our kids, we felt it was a risk worth taking." See photo


Kody Brown of TLC's "Sister Wives" marries fourth; bigamy charges unlikely
By Lisa Von App Salt Lake City Page One Examiner Originally published October 11th, 2010
Polygamist Kody Brown of TLC’s new reality series "Sister Wives," has allegedly married wife number four, Robyn Sullivan. TMZ is reporting that the private ceremony was held several months ago in Utah; however, TLC cameras were only allowed to film the reception which producers say will be featured in a future episode. The Brown family is currently under investigation by the Utah County Attorney's office for bigamy; however, no charges have been filed yet. Authorities say there are numerous polygamous families in Utah, and officials don’t have adequate resources to investigate them all. Utah County Attorney, Jeff Buhman, told Fox News that polygamists aren’t typically charged exclusively with bigamy, a third-degree felony. A more serious crime such as child endangerment must be brought to authorities’ attention. "In my experience...there has never been a traditional polygamist family charged with the sole crime of bigamy," he said. Brown’s marriage to Sullivan brings the clan total to 21 members: four wives—Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn—and their 16 children. Sources say that Brown’s marriage to Meri is the only legal union; the other three were merely spiritual ceremonies. Third wife, Christine, told the Associated Press that the family lives in a closed society. "That was one of the reasons we wanted to do the show, to open up our society, just so people can see what it’s like. Because of that, I think that there is a lot of fear that comes from doing things like this. We just want to show our family. We don’t even want to go into our church life," she said. Read more


Sister Wives Star Hopes He Won't Be Jailed for 'Loving Four Women'
By Johnny Dodd People Magazine Originally published Wednesday October 13, 2010
Sister Wives star Kody Brown is used to chaos. After all, he has four wives and 16 kids. But now that Utah authorities are pondering charging him with felony bigamy, Brown is definitely feeling the heat. "I just hope," Brown tells PEOPLE in its new issue, "they don't put me in jail for loving four women." Since going public on TLC's Sister Wives about his polygamist lifestyle, the affable 42-year-old ad salesman has found himself at the center of a legal showdown that could land him in prison for up to five years. Last week, Lehi, Utah, police submitted their findings to the Utah County Attorney, who has yet to decide whether to charge Brown with a crime. Though it's reportedly been nine years since anyone has been prosecuted for polygamy in Utah, the Brown family has hired a high-powered lawyer to mount a defense of Kody – and his family's way of life. Brown and his wives insist that they understood the legal dangers of doing going public and discussed it with their kids before signing on for a reality show. Still, they felt it was a risk worth taking in order to show a side to polygamy different from the most headline-making cases. "We understand the outrage and confusion over our lifestyle," says Robyn, 32, whose recent "spiritual" marriage ceremony to Kody is chronicled on the show's Oct. 17 season finale. "We're still Frankenstein and freaks to a lot of people." For more on Kody Brown's story, pick up this week's new issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday. See photo


Sister Wives' Robyn: Her Secret First Husband
News and Gossip Star Magazine - Boone, Iowa Originally published October 13, 2010
Robyn Sullivan, the younger fourth wife of Sister Wives' Kody Brown, has become the breakout star of their controversial TLC reality show about polygamy — much to the chagrin of her ex-husband! David Preston Jessop, the father of Robyn's three young children is one of the untold mysteries of the previous life that Star has uncovered in our Oct. 25 issue exposé. We report on Robyn's broken childhood, her shy high school years and the collapse of her marriage to David. Now, David is outraged that Robyn has allowed their children to appear on Sister Wives. A family friend tells Star, "The very last thing on Earth that David Preston wants is to have the private lives of his kids televised." Pick up this week's issue of Star, on newsstands now, for more on David and Robin's divorce and how Robyn's life has changed since her days of living in a trailer park. Plus: See a pic of David and check out our exclusive high school photos of Robyn! See photo


Oprah grills 'Sister Wives' stars about polygamy
USA Today Originally published October 13, 2010
Oprah Winfrey sits down with the stars of controversial TLC show Sister Wives to chat about their polygamous lifestyle on Thursday's Oprah Winfrey Show. Oprah asks if the Brown family (Kody is the husband, surrounded by his three wives on the couch) has considered the consequences of their lifestyle. If police in Utah pursue charges and the adults are thrown in jail, they will not be with their 16 children. Says Christine: "I don't even want to think about that at all -- we never asked for the state to give us any sort of acknowledge or anything for our family. We just wanted to show our family." Says Meri: "We wanted to be free to be this family." Adds Robyn: "It was a choice for all of us." As for why they decided to do the show, Kody answers, saying, "We figured that just by showing our lives, we'd actually help the society be more transparent, have other people in the -- in the lifestyle feel safer about being transparent. ..." See photo


Inside the Lives of a Polygamist Family
The Oprah Winfrey Show Originally broadcast October 14, 2010
Kody Brown seems to have it all. He's a happily married father with a good job and a reality television series. If you saw him at a PTA meeting or in the produce aisle, you may never guess that Kody is also a polygamist. Instead of having one loving wife, he has four. These women and their 16 children are starring alongside Kody on TLC's controversial series Sister Wives. "I like marriage," Kody says. "I'm a repeat offender." Growing up, Kody was raised by monogamous Mormon parents, but when he was 21 years old, he says he converted to fundamental Mormonism. "I have adopted a faith that embraces that lifestyle," he says. "In fact, it recommends it and likes to reward good behavior. So if you're good with one marriage, they figure you'll be good with two. I hope they think I'll be good with four." For the past 20 years, Kody has been legally married to his first wife, Meri. After they said "I do," Meri introduced her husband to Janelle, a woman who's lived as Kody's second wife for 17 years. Christine, Kody's third wife, has been part of the family for 16 years, and Robyn, his fourth wife, joined the family just five months ago. "This is essentially, for lack of a better term ... spiritual relationship[s]," Kody says. Meri says she was raised in a polygamist family and always knew that's what she wanted when she got married. "When we were talking about marriage and stuff, at that point, [Kody] and I both knew that eventually we would take another wife or wives into the family," Meri says. Unlike Meri, Janelle grew up in the mainstream Mormon Church, which does not practice or promote polygamy. But, after getting to know Meri and Kody, Janelle adopted a new belief system. "I met Meri's family when I was 19," she says. "I actually met Kody a few years after that. I think I was 22 when I finally thought: 'Wow, Kody's a great guy. Maybe I'm okay with this plural marriage thing.'" Read more


Polygamous wife loses job after reality show debuts
By ksl.com Originally broadcast October 15, 2010
LEHI -- One of the stars of a reality show about a polygamous Lehi family says she lost her job after the show aired. Meri Brown of TLC's "Sister Wives" says she was dismissed even though her employer knew about her lifestyle before the show premiered. On an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show that aired Thursday, Brown told Oprah she was fired from her job in the mental health industry. She would not name the company she worked for but says her employer felt a need to protect the company. She said she loved her job but understands the company's position. The Browns say they signed up to do the "Sister Wives" show to make their polygamist lifestyle more transparent. Kody Brown, his four wives and 13 children also drew the attention of local police when the show debuted. Lehi police said last month that they are investigating the family for bigamy. ------ Story written with information from Randall Jeppesen.

Video Courtesy of KSL.com


'Sister Wives' Family Speaks Out on Possible Bigamy Charges
Family Attorney's Preemptive Strike: Potential Charges Would Be 'Unconstitutional'
By DAN HARRIS and KELLY HAGAN Good Morning America ABC News Originally broadcast October 15, 2010
The members of the polygamist Brown family, featured on the TLC show "Sister Wives," spoke out for the first time Thursday about potential felony bigamy charges that could land the parents in jail. "I don't even want to think about that at all," Christine Brown, one of Kody Brown's four wives, said on "The Oprah Winfrey Show". "We never asked for the state to give us any sort of acknowledgement or anything for our family." In Utah, where Kody Brown and his four wives raise their 16 children, bigamy is a third-degree felony and those convicted could see up to five years in prison. Prosecutors haven't decided whether to criminally charge the Browns, but a new, high-octane attorney for the family has already launched a preemptive strike, declaring any potential charges "unconstitutional." Police in Lehi, Utah, reportedly launched the investigation in September after fielding complaints from locals who were unhappy about "Sister Wives." Recently, the police handed the results of their investigation over to prosecutors, who now are weighing whether to file charges. The Browns' new attorney, Jonathan Turley, is already arguing that previous prosecutions of polygamists involved charges of child abuse or child brides, charges that don't apply to the Browns' case. Read more




Secrets of the polygamists
A former plural wife answers the questions raised by TLC's "Sister Wives"
By Schuyler Velasco Entertainment - TV Salon - San Francisco, California Originally published Saturday, Oct 16, 2010
Considering its sensational subject matter, TLC's "Sister Wives" has been refreshingly modest. The stars -- Utah polygamist family Kody Brown, his wives Meri, Janelle, Christine and fiancee Robyn, along with their 16 children -- have a natural, honest presence in a genre fabled for the camera-hogging antics of "Jersey Shore." Rather than merely emphasizing what's different about the Brown family -- most obviously, their "plural marriage" -- "Sister Wives" shows us how normal they seem: loving and good-natured around their children, occasionally prone to envy and feelings of betrayal. Meanwhile, the show offers a peek into an unfamiliar world: The sprawling dormlike home where the whole brood lives in attached houses, the rigorous scheduling of Brown's date nights and sleeping arrangements. But what's just as notable about "Sister Wives" is what it doesn't show us. TLC scarcely acknowledges the Browns' deeply held fundamentalist Mormonism. (This isn't unusual for TLC, which also makes little mention of the conservative Christianity theology of the Duggars family from "19 Kids & Counting.") Because of the clandestine nature of polygamists, we don't meet other families or see much of the community at large. (There are about 38,000 fundamentalist Mormons in the U.S.) Adding to the intrigue is Kody Brown's recent legal trouble; in the least surprising gotcha in television history, Brown came under investigation by the Lehi, Utah, police for bigamy after the show began airing in September. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. As the show nears its season finale on Sunday, "Sister Wives" has arguably raised more questions than it answered. To help fill in those gaps, Salon contacted Anne Wilde, co-founder of Principle Voices, an advocacy group for the civil rights of polygamists. A graduate of Brigham Young University, Wilde grew up in the mainstream Mormon church and had a monogamous marriage that ended in divorce. She converted to fundamentalist Mormonism as an adult and was in a polygamous marriage, as her husband's second wife, for 33 years. She is now a widow. We spoke with Wilde from her home near Salt Lake City about the show, why Bill Paxton is kind of a wimp, and the parallels between the polygamous and gay fight for civil rights. Read more


Editor Speaks Out
By Christine Keener Opinion The Quad News - Quinnipiac University - Hamden, Connecticut Originally published Sunday, October 17, 2010
This man has a lot of love to share. He has so much love that he shares it all with three different women, all at the same time. He calls each one his wife, with a fourth wife in the works. Meet Kody Brown, 41, a polygamist. This fundamentalist Mormon and advertising salesman, and his three wives and thirteen children, are all part of TLC's controversial new show, "Sister Wives," which aired on Sept. 26 with 2.3 million viewers. His three wives, Meri, Janelle, and Christine all live in separate quarters of their Lehi, Utah house. Brown divides his time evenly between them all, as shown in this seven-part series. As if three were not enough for this real-life "Big Love," Brown's big announcement on the series premiere is that he is courting a fourth woman, Robyn, who happens to have three children of her own. For those keeping score, that is a total of sixteen children and four wives. Most polygamist families practice in private, but the Browns decided to take the risk and allow their lives to be aired on national television. As to not get confused, fundamentalist Mormons and the modern Mormon Church do not share the same beliefs on polygamy. In 1890, the Mormon Church ruled to excommunicate members who practice polygamy as part of the push for Utah's statehood. According to a Huffington Post article, the family says this show is to help society understand plural marriages. The family is now being investigated by the Utah police for violating bigamy laws. In Utah, polygamy is a third-degree felony, punishable by a prison term of up to five years. Read more


Utah County prosecutors to meet Tuesday to discuss bigamy case involving Lehi TV family
By Jennifer Stagg Deseret News Originally published Monday, Oct. 18, 2010
LEHI — The TLC reality show "Sister Wives" aired its season finale Sunday night. And while the series season is over, the fallout keeps coming. Prosecutors with the Utah County Attorney's Office are scheduled to meet with Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff Tuesday to discuss potential bigamy charges against the Lehi family. Before "Sister Wives" hit the airwaves, the show's producers called Shurtleff's office and inquired how often polygamy cases are prosecuted in the state. Spokesman Paul Murphy said he told them polygamy is against the law, but that the attorney general's office doesn't have the resources to prosecute every case. It focuses on polygamists who are also committing other crimes. "I think everybody involved with that show knew the risk going in, and we'll soon find out how big that risk is," Murphy said Monday. "There could be as many as 30,000 polygamists in the state of Utah, and so to investigate a polygamy case takes as much time as it does to investigate a child abuse case. And so for simple resources, we've decided to go after the most serious crimes and that's child abuse, incest, fraud and domestic violence." Each of Brown's wives were over the age of 18 when they married Cody Brown. But just because Shurtleff won't likely prosecute a case like the Brown's, doesn't mean other agencies won't. Lehi police conducted a bigamy investigation into the Brown family and has turned over its findings to the Utah County Attorney's Office for possible prosecution. Read more


Escape From Polygamy -- A Former Sister-Wife Shares Why She Left
By Susan Ray Schmidt First Person Lemondrop - AOL Lifestyle Originally published Oct 19th 2010
I was watching "Sister Wives" on TV. I placed the apple I'd been munching on the lamp table and leaned forward in my chair, thoughtfully staring at my flat-screen. The blue eyes of the woman looking into the camera appeared honest and sincere. Her voice was friendly and steady as she explained to her TV show audience that she, Janelle, was wife number two in her polygamous family. Her husband, Kody, and her sister-wives, Meri and Christine, all lived together in one huge home right in Salt Lake City. Their 12 children ate and romped together. The women valued one another and wouldn't know what to do without the amazing bond that knit them all together as a family unit. They shared various family tasks, and their caring and support of each other was inspirational ... The camera panned from one woman to the next and all smiled and nodded in agreement. Seated in the middle was Kody, dashing Kody, with his irresistible smile and his feathered hair curling long over his collar. He gave a quick squeeze to Janelle, seated on his left, as his fingers twined with Meri's, seated on his right. "Sister Wives." My jaw clenched. Oh, yes, the daily mechanics of polygamy they were choosing to display were somewhat on target. But ... really? Did they think the skin-deep details -- whose turn it was to do laundry; which wife was pregnant; the rotating, nocturnal visits of Kissing Kody to his wives -- was going to satisfy intelligent viewers? What about the real issues in polygamy? What about the truth? Closing my eyes, my thoughts raced back to the blond, blue-eyed girl I used to be -- the child who had become a sister-wife. So many years had passed since ... Read more


EXCLUSIVE! TLC Is In Talks With Kody Brown's Family For A Second Season Of 'Sister Wives!'
Hollywood Life - Los Angeles, California Originally published October 20, 2010
We hope you’re a fan of Kody Brown and his polygamist brood, because we’ve learned that TLC has been in talks with the stars of Sister Wives regarding a second season renewal! "A second season has been discussed, but nothing has been decided," a source close to the Brown family tells HollywoodLife.com exclusively. "There have always been discussions for a second part to the series." The source points out that, while a second season is likely, a formal sit-down between the network executives and the family has yet to take place. As for whether or not the ongoing bigamy investigation could affect TLC’s decision to renew the series, our source tells us: "I think TLC is concerned for the family. It would be up to how TLC would feel about it." See photo


TLC's 'Sister Wives': The High Price of Polygamy
By Dr. Michelle Golland Mom Logic - Warner Bros. Women's Digital Network Originally published Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Dr. Michelle Golland: During the "twenty-year wedding anniversary" episode of "Sister Wives," the pain that wife number one, Meri, was feeling was palpable. This was caused by Kody Brown, her husband, showing his giddy affection for young wife number four, Robin, who is just joining the family. Meri has been married to Kody for twenty years. "Sister Wives," the TLC series that is shining a spotlight on the polygamist culture (well, at least at one polygamist family, anyway), has been in a bit of trouble lately. The authorities are investigating the family for felony bigamy; Meri was fired from her job for exposing this part of her life on television. Of course, TLC won't be addressing the amount of child sexual abuse that goes on in polygamist culture, or the forced marriages of young women which are performed in order to create family alliances, with no regard for the emotional state of the girls involved. (The polygamist Kingston Group of Utah became infamous in 1998 when a 15-year-old girl accused her father of forcing her to become her uncle's fifteenth wife.) These issues won't be addressed during the show; they would be more appropriate for a "serious" documentary. But I find it strange that the show doesn't discuss the "whys" of polygamy, and its history. When I watch the show, I believe there's an elephant in the room that nobody is addressing. What is the elephant? The inherent discrimination and one-down position that this lifestyle places on the women. Read more


Sister Wives Bombshell: Janelle Was Married Before She Met Kody -- To The Brother Of Wife No. 1, Meri!
News and Gossip Star Magazine - Boone, Iowa Originally published October 21, 2010
Keeping up with the polygamist Brown family just got more complicated! It turns out the stars of TLC's hit show Sister Wives have been hiding a secret about how wives Janelle and Meri first met. In this week's issue of Star, we reveal the shocking news that Kody Brown's second wife Janelle was married to the brother of wife No. 1, Meri, before she joined their family. According to their marriage certificate, Janelle legally wed Adam Barber in Salt Lake City in December 1988. They divorced in 1990, three years before Janelle and Kody tied the knot in a nontraditional commitment ceremony. As for Meri, "I know she was originally very upset over Janelle dumping her brother. I think there has been a lot of unspoken tension between her, Janelle and Kody all these years," a family insider tells Star exclusively. Pick up this week's issue of Star — on newsstands now — to read the full story, including the surprising reason why Janelle dumped Adam. Plus: Find out how a source says Kody helped break up his own brother-in-law's marriage! See photo


EXCLUSIVE! 'Sister Wives' Grandma Is Up In Arms: 'If Kody Goes To Jail, We're All Going With Him!'
Hollywood Life - Los Angeles, California Originally published October 22, 2010
TLC’s Sister Wives family has been under investigation by the Utah County Attorney’s office for felony bigamy, but HollywoodLife.com spoke exclusively to a family source who said the entire family is prepared to lock themselves in a cell alongside Kody Brown if he’s arrested! According to our source within the family, one of the grandmothers has been filled with fiery words, threatening, "If they arrest him [Kody], they will have to arrest me, and we won’t all fit in a cell!" Yikes! The Brown family is made up of hundreds of people — forget the cell, they would take up the entire jail. Our insider also dished about a potential next season if all goes well in Kody’s investigation. "Yeah, we haven’t gotten picked up yet, but we’re making a lot of money from the show," the family member told us. We sure hope they are getting paid — as we first reported, Kody & Janelle Brown are the only ones bringing in the bucks for the entire clan. Even though we’d hate to see Kody locked up for being a polygamist, we can’t help but think it’d be great to watch Grandma Brown and the rest of the group invade the jail! Talk about amazing television! See photo


EXCLUSIVE! Inside 'Sister Wives' Divorce! Robyn REALLY Likes Victoria’s Secret!
Jessica Finn Hollywood Life - Los Angeles, California Originally published October 22, 2010
HollywoodLife.com dug up the divorce document for Robyn Brown (Kody Brown’s newest (fourth) wife on TLC’s Sister Wives) and looks like Robyn loves lacy underthings! According to the filing, in Ravalli County in Montana, Robyn had serious money issues up until the divorce to David Preston Jessop back in 1999, including owing almost $1,000 to Victoria’s Secret! We’re guessing the unmentionables may have helped her snatch up the desirable Kody Brown. The divorce document breaks down the separate debts of Robyn & David. Robyn had a mound of debt that was awarded to her in the divorce. Besides the unusually high Victoria’s Secret bill, she also owed thousands to Target and Sears. The total debt awarded to her was... $32,400! But she didn’t leave the marriage empty-handed — according to the docs she got to keep the Sanyo VCR (a VCR in 2007?) and a Kirby vacuum cleaner. David didn’t go away light either; he got to keep the 1974 Academy Mobile Home! Robyn was married to David Preston Jessop back in 1999; the couple had three children together over the duration of their marriage; David, Aurora & Brennan. They filed for divorce in 2007, citing irreconcilable differences. See photo


‘Sister Wives’ Star Kody Brown & His Four Wives Will Have A TLC Special On Halloween!
Hollywood Life - Los Angeles, California Originally published October 22, 2010
Despite an ongoing polygamy investigation into the lives of Kody Brown and his four wives, the TLC reality stars aren’t flying under the radar! TLC has just announced that Kody, Meri, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn will take part in a one hour Sister Wives special that will air on Oct. 31, yes — Halloween! The stars of the seven-part docu-series will be interviewed by NBC’s Natalie Morales and they will "speak about how their lives have changed since the premiere of their show." In case you were wondering if the stars will steer clear of the questions we all want answered, you’re in luck. TLC says that the Brown’s will talk about the investigation, and any "breaking family news." You better mark your calendars, because it’s set to air Oct. 31 at 10 PM ET, and again at midnight. But in case you’ll be out trick or treating, it will re-air Nov. 3 at 9 PM ET! See photo


Sister Wives Brown Family Tree
AUTHOR: Asa Hawkes Starcasm.net - Chicory Media LLC Originally published October 23, 2010
It was already difficult keeping up with the 21 family members on TLC’s hit reality series Sister Wives which features Utah polygamist Kody Brown and his four wives, but throw in the fact that some of the children are from a previous marriage and that one of the sister wives was married to a brother of another sister wife, and what you’re left with is a big ol’ polygamuddy mess! So we combined some professional-grade ancestegery with a bit of graphic design and came up with a “family tree” that should help simplify matters. (We recommend that regular viewers of the show print it out, laminate it and use it whenever watching Sister Wives.) Here’s the information in harder-to-digest text form: Kody Brown, 42 1st wife: Meri, 39 Children with Meri: Daughter Mariah, 14 2nd wife: Janelle, 41 Previously married to Adam Barber, 41 (no children) Adam Barber is the brother of Kody’s 1st wife Meri Children with Janelle: Son Logan, 15 Daughter Madison, 14 Son Hunter, 13 Son Garrison, 11 Son Gabriel, 8 Daughter Savanah, 5 Read more


'Sister Wives' Spawns Special Episode and Porn Parody
Practicing polygamist Kody Brown and his wives would sit down with Natalie Morales in 'Sister Wives Special' and be portrayed by adult film stars in 'Sister Wives XXX: A Porn Parody'.
TV News AceShowbiz Originally published October 23, 2010
While a second season is still a question mark, TLC announced that fans of "Sister Wives" will be able to see the polygamist family in a follow-up special. THR said the network has ordered Peacock Productions to produce the special, involving also NBC's Natalie Morales as an interviewer. Morales would be questioning Kody Brown and his large family "about how their lives have changed since the premiere of the show, the government investigation into the legality of their polygamous marriage and how they're dealing with the media attention." Simply called "Sister Wives Special", it will premiere on Sunday, October 31 at 10/9c. The first season of the controversial series ended on October 17 with 2.7 million viewers tuning in. The Utah family's popularity has extended beyond the screen for Vivid Entertainment has announced that it will be producing "Sister Wives XXX: A Porn Parody" at the end of November. "I'm a big fan of this show and I feel the possibilities for parody are practically endless," director B. Skow said. "We'll have fun spoofing the characters and taking that extra behind-the-scenes step inside their bedrooms to understand their erotic sides." See photo


Nancy Grace on 'Sister Wives' Investigation: "Kody Should Go to Jail!"
Author: Laura Lane OK! Magazine - Northern and Shell NA Ltd. Originally published October 25, 2010
TLC’s hit reality show Sister Wives, which chronicles the lives of fundamentalist Mormon Kody Brown and his four wives – Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn – and 16 children in Utah has captivated audiences since it first aired. But by opening up their controversial lives to the world, the Browns have also made themselves suspect to legal charges and are currently under investigation for bigamy. Although the season finale aired last week, the drama is far from over. To break down the legal issues with Sister Wives, OK! went to legal expert Nancy Grace. As the new host of the hit syndicated series Swift Justice With Nancy Grace, Nancy knows the law better than anyone on television. According to Nancy, if justice is served, Kody should be in jail. Kody is legally only married to his first wife, Meri, but could he have a common law marriage because he lives with the other wives? Utah does recognize common law marriage, but in this case bigamy trumps common law. He should go to jail. Read more


"Sister Wives" explained: A fundamentalist Mormon polygamy primer
By Jessica Ravitz Belief Blog CNN Originally published October 25, 2010
Going where no reality show cameras had gone before, TLC this fall aired "Sister Wives," a television series that invited voyeurs into the lives of a fundamentalist Mormon family that practices polygamy. The finale aired earlier this month, when Kody Brown of Lehi, Utah, married his fourth wife and, with the addition of three stepchildren, expanded his kid base to 16. And while the show set out to reveal the human side of such families – not one sexed-up by Hollywood (think HBO’s "Big Love") or sullied by allegations of under-aged brides (think the trial of Warren Jeffs ) - it kept details about faith out of episodes. Maybe that was a decision by TLC producers. Or perhaps the family, which is facing possible bigamy charges, wanted to keep those aspects of their life sacred. The finale’s spiritual wedding ceremony - only Brown’s first wife is recognized legally - was off-camera, after all. So here's a primer on what drives families like this one, religiously, historically and culturally. "Purest at its source" Even though polygamy was disavowed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1890, the LDS Church is still trying to shake its association with the practice, known among Mormons as plural marriage. Joseph Smith, Jr., the church's founder and its first president, was the one who introduced the idea. He established the church in 1830 after translating the Book of Mormon from golden plates that he said an angel revealed to him in New York State. Smith – who, like all subsequent church leaders, is considered a prophet - continued to share revelations and new doctrines throughout his life. Among those revelations recorded in 1843 in the Doctrine and Covenants, a book of Mormon scripture, were teachings about plural marriage. That Smith recorded these teachings is all Anne Wilde needs to know. Wilde, 74, was raised in the mainstream LDS Church but became part of the fundamentalist Mormon movement and the second wife in a plural marriage. Read more


'Big Love' says goodbye
Polygamist drama to end after fifth season
By STUART LEVINE Variety Originally published Thurs., Oct. 28, 2010
HBO is saying goodbye to "Big Love." Polygamy drama starring Bill Paxton as a Utah husband with three wives will end its run following the fifth season that begins Jan. 16. "It has been an honor and pleasure to work with series creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer on this unique and provocative series, and I'm happy that they will be able to bring the story to its close the way they always envisioned," said HBO programming prexy Michael Lombardo. Show bowed in 2006 on the heels of national headlines about legal battles involving polygamists. "Big Love" earned an Emmy nom in 2008 for drama series. Last year's season drew about 5.6 million viewers per episode, counting encore airings, DVR and on-demand viewing. "Big Love" examined the problems of Paxton -- whose character owned a hardware store and then entered politics last season -- in trying to keep all three of his wives happy. Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny and Ginnifer Goodwin play Paxton's spouses. "'Big Love' has been our all-consuming labor of love for the past eight years. We are very grateful for HBO's continuing support and for the collaborative effort of our partners at Playtone, our producers, our fine cast and our fellow craftsmen and crew for making this show the exceptional and joyful experience that it's been," said Olsen and Scheffer. "This coming January, we look forward to presenting our audience with the most vibrant and satisfying final season of a television series that we can produce." Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, David Knoller and Bernadette Caulfield exec produce with Olsen and Scheffer. Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com.


2011 season to be final for HBO's 'Big Love'
Written by: Dan Metcalf Jr. ABC 4 News Originally published October 28, 2010
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - The HBO drama series 'Big Love' will begin its 5th season in January, and it will be the last for the show about a Utah polygamist family. According to the HBO, the 2011 season will be the end of the hit drama this spring. The show follows a fictional Utah businessman and his struggles with his family, including three wives. The series stars Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny and Ginnifer Goodwin. Most of the series was shot in California, but the story of the Henrickson family is portrayed as being based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The program drew controversy last year for depicting scenes of a Mormon temple ceremony, even though the fictional Henrickson family practices religious beliefs outside the mainstream LDS faith.


'Big Love' to wrap up next year
Entertainment USAToday Originally published October 28, 2010
Say goodbye to Big Love. HBO announced today that the show will return for a fifth season on Jan. 16 - and it will be the show's final season. Big Love, starring Bill Paxton, tells the story of polygamous Salt Lake City businessman Bill Henrickson, who balances the needs of his three wives – Barb, Nicki and Margene – their nine kids, three houses and work. Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloë Sevigny and Ginnifer Goodwin star in the series, which is executive produced by Playtone's Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, David Knoller, Bernadette Caulfield and series creators and show runners Mark V. Olsen & Will Scheffer.


"Big Love" and HBO to divorce after fifth season
Reuters Originally published October 28, 2010
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Polygamy TV show "Big Love" will end after its fifth season, starting in January, broadcaster HBO said on Thursday. The often controversial drama, starring Bill Paxton as a Salt Lake City businessman with three wives and nine kids, has run its course, "Big Love" creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer said in a statement. "When we created 'Big Love' in 2002, we had a strong conception of the journey the Henrickson family would make over the course of the series, of the story we had to tell," they said. "While we were in the writers' room this year shaping our fifth season, we discovered that we were approaching the culmination of that story.". The show at times angered the Mormon community, whose 13.5 million member Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has its headquarters in Salt Lake City and which banned polygamy in 1890. The Henrickson family featured in "Big Love" are members of a fictional breakaway Mormon fundamentalist sect. HBO said the show's fifth season, which begins airing on January 16, will be its last. HBO programing chief Michael Lombardo called it a "unique and provocative" series and added, "I'm happy (the creators) will be able to bring the story to its close the way they always envisioned." "Big Love" has earned several Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, but its fourth season, which ended in March 2010, was seen by many TV critics as disappointing. (Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)


Speech & Debate Playwright Stephen Karam Pens Opera Libretto for Dark Sisters
By Kenneth Jones Playbill - Woodside, New York Originally published 28 Oct 2010
Dark Sisters, a new opera about one woman's attempt to escape a fundamentalist sect of the Mormon faith, will get its world premiere in November 2011. Playwright Stephen Karam (Speech & Debate) will pen the libretto. The commission was announced by Gotham Chamber Opera, Music-Theatre Group and the Opera Company of Philadelphia on Oct. 28. Composer Nico Muhly will write the music. Neal Goren will conduct. Busy theatre director Rebecca Taichman will direct. The three organizations have co-commissioned and will co-produce the opera, which will have its world premiere in November 2011 at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College, 899 Tenth Avenue, in New York City. It will be one of the first works to be presented at the theatre following the creation of a new lobby at the space. The 2011 cast will be headed by Caitlin Lynch and Kevin Burdette, with Kristina Bachrach, Jennifer Check, Eve Gigliotti, Brenda Harris and Jennifer Zetlan. Dark Sisters will also be presented in June 2012 as part of the Opera Company of Philadelphia's chamber opera series at the Perelman Theater. This is Karam's first libretto. His Speech and Debate has received more than 80 productions since it premiered in Roundabout Theatre Company's Roundabout Underground series. Here's how the opera is described by the producing partners: "[It] follows one woman's dangerous attempt to escape her life as a member of the FLDS Church (Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints), a sect that split from mainstream Mormonism in the early 20th century largely because of the LDS Church's renunciation of polygamy. Read more


Muhly, Karam to pen opera about polygamy
'Dark Sisters' will bow next year
By Gordon Cox Variety Originally published Thu., Oct. 28, 2010
A trio of stage companies has commissioned composer Nico Muhly and playwright Stephen Karam to pen "Dark Sisters," a new opera about a woman trying to escape a polygamist marriage. Work is skedded to have its world preem in November 2011 at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at Gotham's John Jay College, with a June 2012 presentation on the docket from the Opera Company of Philadelphia. Gotham Chamber Opera and Music-Theater Group join Philly's Opera Company in co-commissioning and co-producing the work. Muhly's work has included film scores for pics "The Reader" and "Joshua" as well as an upcoming opera commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera/Lincoln Center Theater Opera/Theater Commissions program. Karam's breakout play "Speech and Debate" launched the Roundabout Underground series in 2007. Rebecca Taichman ("Orlando," "The Scene") is on board to helm "Dark Sisters," with Neal Goren conducting. "Sisters" is set among the members of a fundamentalist Mormon splinter sect called the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints, which continues to endorse polygamy. Cast will be led by Caitlin Lynch and Kevin Burdette. Contact Gordon Cox at gordon.cox@variety.com See photo


Opera Company in virgin territory with new work on Mormon sect
By David Patrick Stearns Inquirer Classical Music Critic Arts & Entertainment Philadelphia Inquirer Originally published Thu, Oct. 28, 2010
Usually the home of the tried, true and traditional, the Opera Company of Philadelphia will announce Thursday that it is commissioning a new work from a composer who is as up-to-the-minute as classical music gets - Nico Muhly. The 29-year-old former assistant to Philip Glass will write a new work titled Dark Sisters, to be presented in June 2012 as part of the Opera Company's series at the smaller-scale Perelman Theater at the Kimmel Center. Dark Sisters' subject is the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a radical Mormon splinter group that practices polygamy and is based in remote parts of the American West. The libretto by Stephen Karam (author of the Off-Broadway hit Speech & Debate) is partly inspired by detailed diaries kept by women living in such places, as well as the periodic law-enforcement raids, most recently in Eldorado, Texas, in 2008. "It's an incredibly American story to me. It looks so extreme - people, mainly women, living in a very unforgiving landscape. It has always fascinated me . . . in the way it's related to basic questions of civil rights," says Muhly, who grew up in rural Vermont near the birthplace of Mormonism's cofounder, Joseph Smith. "There's a long history of government action and inaction. There's a complicated morality. You can't sum it up." The adventurous nature of the commission - in collaboration with Gotham Chamber Opera and Music-Theatre Group, which will premiere the opera in New York City in November 2011 - is no fluke. "It's emblematic of everything we've been working on at Opera Company of Philadelphia," said executive director David Devan. "We're tried to expand people's thinking about what opera can be." Read more


Polygamy, the Opera? Coming soon
By Daphne Bramham Think Tank Vancouver Sun Originally published October 28, 2010
Parts of a new opera called Dark Sisters will be played Thursday night at New York's Chelsea Art Museum, but the full opera won't have its world premiere until November 2011 in New York. It's then scheduled to run in June 2012 in Philadelphia, of all places. As the Philadelphia Inquirer's classical music critic David Patrick Stearns writes, the opera company there is usually "the home of the tried, true and traditional." Following on the heels of HBO's Big Love and the reality show, Sister Wives, it's a measure of how mainstream the issue of polygamy has become and how fascinated the public is with polygamy 120 years after it was banned in both the United States and Canada. Composer Nico Muhly bases the opera diaries taken from women during the 2008 raid of a Texas compound owned by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The story is about a woman who tries to leave the FLDS, which is the largest polygamous group in North America. Its prophet Warren Jeffs was once on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List and is currently in jail awaiting both retrial in Utah as an accomplice to the rape of a 14-year-old girl and extradition to Texas on charges of bigamy and sexual assault of a minor. Muhly, a 29-year-old opera wunderkind who grew up in Vermont near the birthplace of Joseph Smith, Mormonism's founder. Muhly has worked with both Philip Glass and Bjork. "It's an incredibly American story to me, Muhly told Stearns. "In a way, it's related to basic questions of civil rights. There's a long history of government action and inaction. There's a complicated morality. You can't sum it up."


Gotham Chamber Opera, Music-Theatre Group & Opera Co of Philly Join For DARK SISTERS
by BWW News Desk Broadway World - New York, NY Originally published Thursday, October 28, 2010
Gotham Chamber Opera, Music-Theatre Group and the Opera Company of Philadelphia announce the commission of a new American opera, DARK SISTERS, composed by Nico Muhly with libretto by Stephen Karam, conducted by Neal Goren, and directed by Rebecca Taichman. The three organizations have co-commissioned and will co-produce the opera, which will have its World Premiere in November 2011 at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College, 899 Tenth Avenue, NYC, one of the first works to be presented at the Theater following the creation of a new lobby at the space. The cast will be headed by Caitlin Lynch and Kevin Burdette, with Kristina Bachrach, Jennifer Check, Eve Gigliotti, Brenda Harris, and Jennifer Zetlan. Dark Sisters will also be presented in June 2012 as part of the Opera Company of Philadelphia's chamber opera series at the Perelman Theater. Muhly shares his inspiration for Dark Sisters, which will represent his American operatic debut. It also marks the first libretto written by Stephen Karam, a celebrated playwright whose work Speech and Debate debuted at the Roundabout Theater and has received over 80 subsequent productions. Dark Sisters follows one woman's dangerous attempt to escape her life as a member of the FLDS Church (Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints), a sect that split from mainstream Mormonism in the early 20th Century largely because of the LDS Church's renunciation of polygamy. The male founders of the Mormon faith (Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, chief among them) have traditionally loomed large in American history; Dark Sisters puts the women of the FLDS sect front and center. The narrative draws inspiration from the flurry of media attention surrounding the two most infamous raids on FLDS compounds (the 1953 raid at Short Creek, AZ and the 2008 raid at the Yearning For Zion Ranch in Eldorado, TX) as well as the stories of the over 80 wives of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. Set against a red-earthed landscape filled with revelations, dark prophets and white temples stretching towards heaven, Dark Sisters charts one woman's quest for self-discovery in a world where personal identity is forbidden. Read more


Ladies first: Muhly's "Dark Sisters" precedes "Two Boys" as US opera debut
By Anne Midgette Arts and Living The Classical Beat The Washington Post Originally published October 28, 2010
Back in June, when I wrote about small-scale opera productions and the future of contemporary opera, the powers-that-be were not yet ready to announce a new project that epitomizes what I was writing about. Now the word is out: like the Spanish Armada, three smaller organizations have nosed in under the bow of the mightly Metropolitan Opera and seized the American opera debut of Nico Muhly, the hotter-than-hot young composer who is currently working on "Two Boys," with playwright Craig Lucas, for the Met and English National Opera. Before "Two Boys" makes it to the Met in 2013-14, however (though after its ENO debut in June, 2011), Muhly will oversee the premiere of another new opera, "Dark Sisters," which will have its world premiere in New York in November, 2011, courtesy of Gotham Chamber Opera, the Opera Company of Philadelphia, and the Music-Theatre Group. It’s a coup for the Gotham Chamber Opera, which has been making waves in New York for years with quirky productions of little-known works that seem to attract a kind of excitement and buzz many other companies could only dream of (its most recent offering was the world premeire of Montsalvatge’s 1947 opus "El gato con botas," Puss in Boots, which got rave reviews and may tour in future). It’s validation for the once-conservative Philadelphia opera company, which has over the last few years launched a series presenting offbeat works in a theater smaller than their home-base Academy of Music (coming in June, 2011: Hans Werner Henze’s Phaedra). And it’s an example of the core mandate of the Music Theatre Group, which is devoted to developing and presenting new work (I wrote about the recording of Arjuna’s Dilemma, a fusion of jazz and Indian music and elements of narrative that they helped develop, in 2008). Read more


Nico Muhly and Stephen Karam's Newly Commissioned Opera Dark Sisters to Get NY Debut in 2011
By: Andy Propst Theater News TheaterMania.com Originally published October 29, 2010
Gotham Chamber Opera, Music-Theatre Group and the Opera Company of Philadelphia have announced casting for the companies' jointly commissioned Dark Sisters, featuring music by Nico Muhly and libretto by Stephen Karam, the piece will be directed by Rebecca Taichman and conducted by Neal Goren. A special event was held on October 28 at the Chelsea Art Museum to celebrate the announcement. The opera will be performed in November 2011 at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater in Manhattan, and then in June 2012 as part of the Opera Company of Philadelphia's chamber opera series at the Perelman Theater. Dark Sisters follows a woman as she attempts to escape her life as a member of the FLDS Church (Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints), a sect that split from mainstream Mormonism in the early 20th Century largely because of the LDS Church's renunciation of polygamy. The cast will be headed by Caitlin Lynch (Eliza) and Kevin Burdette (Prophet/King), with Kristina Bachrach (Lucinda), Jennifer Check (Almera), Eve Gigliotti (Ruth), Brenda Harris (Presendia), and Jennifer Zetlan (Zina). Muhly's other works include the orchestral pieces It Remains to Be Seen, Wish You Were Here, Step Music, and Detailed Instructions. In addition, he has written the scores for such films as The Reader, Choking Man and Joshua. Karam's plays include Speech & Debate, columbinus, Girl on Girl, and the forthcoming Sons of the Prophet. See photo


'Big Love' To Conclude After Season 5
By Meena Kar Thaindian News - Bangkok, Thailand Originally published Friday, October 29, 2010
Oct 29, (THAINDIAN NEWS) HBO has announced the end of the polygamy drama 'Big Love' after the conclusion of season 5. Though the news comes as a surprise to some of the fans, the creators and executive producers of the show said that while writing the story for the fifth season, they realized that they were on the verge of concluding it. Mark V Olsen and Will Scheffer revealed in a statement that while starting the show they had a clear idea about the story that they wanted to tell. They explained that while writing about the journey of the Henrickson family for the fifth season, they discovered that they were heading towards the culmination of the story. 'Big Love' stars Bill Paxton as Bill Henrickson who is a polygamist from Utah. His three wives are played by Jeanne Triplehorn, Chloe Sevigny and Ginnifer Goodwin. The series also starred Amanda Seyfried as the eldest daughter of Bill Henrickson, who struggles to come to terms with her father’s polygamous faith. The complications of the drama began with Douglas Smith who is the eldest son of the family and is attracted to his third mother, Margene, played by Ginnifer Goodwin who dismisses it as incestuous. Read more


More TLC for 'Sister Wives'
By MICHAEL STARR New York Post Originally published October 29, 2010
TLC is bringing its "Sister Wives" back for a second season. Ten new episodes of the controversial series will air beginning next March, the network announced yesterday. The show centers around polygamist and fundamentalist Mormons Kody Brown and his four "wives" -- Meri, Janelle, Robyn and Christine -- who live together with 16 children in Lehi, Utah. Kody Brown and the women (Meri is his only legal spouse) are currently being investigated for possible bigamy charges by the Utah County Attorney's Office. If convicted, Kody could face up to 20 years in prison, with each "wife" facing up to five years each. "Sister Wives," which ended its first seven-episode season earlier this month, was a moderate ratings draw for TLC. See photo


HBO's 'Big Love' ends
Tamara Ikenberg The Buzz Louisville Courier-Journal - Louisville, Kentucky Originally published October 30, 2010
There is some is sad news for viewers who have become addicted to the trials of Salt Lake City's Henrickson clan, headed by patriarch Bill (Bill Paxton). AP reports that the next season of HBO's modern polygamy drama, "Big Love," will be the show's last. The fifth and final season debuts on Jan. 16.


On Tonight: A 'Sister Wives' Reunion, Game 3
By Roger Catlin TV Eye - What's on Television Hartford Courant - Hartford, Connecticut Originally published October 30, 2010
HBO announced this week that the next season of "Big Love" in January will also be its last. But expanding with a new season and a special tonight is "Sister Wives" (TLC, 10 p.m.), presenting a first season reunion show updating the government crackdown into their apparent polygamy. Natalie Morales interviews the Brown family - as they secretly picture her as Wife No. 5.


'Sister Wives' renewed for second season
By Tom Ayres, Comics Reporter Television News Digital Spy - United Kingdom Originally published Saturday, October 30 2010
TLC have renewed their controversial reality series Sister Wives for a second season. The show follows the the polygamist Brown family, including head of the family Kody along with his four 'wives' and sixteen children. The family are currently under investigation by officials in Kansas for suspected bigamy, despite their assertions that Kody is only legally married to one of his wives. The Hollywood Reporter has now confirmed that the show will return for a new season of ten episodes next year. Two special episodes of the show have already been announced, the Sister Wives Special and the Sister Wives Honeymoon Special in which Kody and new wife Robyn head off on their honeymoon. Sister Wives will begin its second season in March 2011, while the Honeymoon Special will air on November 28. See photo


Kathy Griffin Answers 'Sister Wives' with 'Brother Husbands' (VIDEO)
By Aimee Deeken TV Squad - AOL Television Originally published November 2, 2010
'Sister Wives' -- the reality show that followed a polygamist and his three wives as they prepared to welcome a fourth -- got everyone thinking: What if the tables were turned? Kathy Griffin attempted to answer that question on 'Lopez Tonight' (weeknights, 11PM ET on TBS) with a sneak-peak at her new "show." In "Brother Husbands," Griffin (in flannel nightgown, surrounded by three husbands silently shucking corn) discusses their "normal" lives. Then she admits, "It's really difficult. It sounded like a good idea, but now it just means that I gotta bang like three or four guys a week." Meanwhile, her husbands are sulking because she's bringing in a fourth guy. "I want a little flava," Griffin explains. And in walks George Lopez. Griffin has a specific task for him. See photo




Web Series "Sista Wives" Talks Polygamy through Humor
By AFRO Staff Arts & Entertainment Afro American - Washington, DC Originally published November 03, 2010
Dunn Deal Studios released a hilarious, new comedy web series called "Sista Wives." The series follows a Black polygamist (Jacob Jones), who lives with his three Black wives (Sarah, Abigail and Rachel) in the fictitious Kush, Utah. Jacob feels it is time to add another wife to the family, but as he tries to find the fourth Mrs. Jacob Jones, viewers learn about his current wives and family exploits. The series’ first episode was released in September and brought in over 10,000 views across multiple social platforms. It was in Comedy Central’s Top 25 Comedy Shorts on Atom.com Comedy Tournament for three consecutive weeks. Currently, the hit new comedy has over 2,500 Facebook members from word of mouth promotion. For the show’s founder, "Sista Wives" is the beginning of a new era in Web media. "Sharing the gift of laughter is always a good thing. Our hope is to continue to share this gift with countless individuals with this show and future productions," said Sonya Dunn, creator/director/writer of "Sista Wives" and owner of Dunn Deal Studios in a press statement. Due to the overwhelming reaction to the show, Dunn Deal Studio has begun production on four new episodes. Cast members include Altorro Black (Jacob Jones), Erika Townes (Sarah Jones), Nyesha Wilson (Abigail Jones) and Jenique Bennett (Rachel Jones). Dunn Deal Studio is a production company located in Washington, D.C. Additionally, in collaboration with the JEMH Communications, Dunn Deal Studios develops and produces films, cable and online programming to entertain and engage the public. For more information on the comedy web series "SISTA WIVES" visit www.sistawives.com. See photo




TLC capitalizing on 'Sister Wives'
Entertainment Courier News - Somerville, New Jersey Originally published November 12, 2010
For the last few weeks, I've been debating whether or not to write the column you're about to read. It's Friday, and this is an entertainment section, so I try to keep this space free from as much controversial material as possible. I think the last time I gave my two cents on a hot-button topic was during the Tiger Woods scandal last year around this time, and I wasn't even sure about going there. After much thought, I've decided to go "there" again. Last month, I was enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon of flipping through the channels, and I came across the TLC show "Sister Wives." Working in the entertainment industry, I'd read several stories about the outrage it sparked, but I had yet to "meet" the family via cable. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the program, cameras follow Utah resident Kody Brown, his three wives, his fiancee and their dozen-plus combined children while they navigate life as a polygamous family. It may have been good for TLC's ratings, but I have to say, it was one of the most disturbing afternoons of my life. Listening to each of the ladies speak, I couldn't fathom how any woman would allow such disrespect of herself. They all knew what they were signing up for when they said "I do." But years later, they clearly have deep issues with jealousy and self-worth. What irks me the most is how Kody, the "man" of the house, seems to take it all with a grain of salt, acting like a brainwashing cult leader. He seems very carefree, like he's entitled to having these women at his service. To top it all off, he drives around in a swanky little Lexus, while one wife has to keep her car window closed with tape. I can't speak for everyone, but I believe in the sanctity of marriage. It's sad to see that TLC's capitalizing on people who don't.


Celia Rivenbark - Someone should've told them polygamy is illegal in Utah, too
By Celia Rivenbark Columnist The Wilmington Star-News - Wilmington, NC Originally published Saturday, November 20, 2010
I told myself I wasn't going to look at, much less write about, TLC's latest plunge into the gene pool, "Sister Wives," but y'all know I haven't got that kind of willpower. It happened to be on TV one night as I wandered through the living room with a big basket of laundry to fold, a bag of Chee-to's crunched between my teeth and, OK, the TiVo set to record it. So maybe it wasn't accidental after all. Four wives, one husband, a busload of brats (sorry; the kids are actually the sanest ones but I love alliteration). What's not to love? OK, for starters, the husband, the smiling puppy-faced Kody Brown, who rotates through his four wives' bedrooms like a Roomba on testosterone. With his moppish blond hair and surprisingly ripped bod, Kody looks and acts like the one guy in the frat house that you suspected was actually 45 years old. He giggles behind his hands when he's busted for whatever ticks off four women at a time. The thing that surprised me the most was how often the "sister wives" called him out on his insensitivity. I was expecting dour, hard-faced women obsessed with martyrdom and home schooling and wearing those scary-tight polygamy gal cornrows, but these chicks were downright mouthy. I get what the Kode-ster gets out of this arrangement, but I'm hard-pressed to see what's in it for the women. While they say it's all very harmonious for the most part, it doesn't take much for one of them to get riled. In the "wedding" episode, they were miffed because he helped Bride No. 4, an itsy-bitsy little thing who came with her own kids, pick out her wedding dress. I almost felt sorry for Kody, because instead of a traditional lambasting by a single spouse like God intended, poor, vacant-eyed, lawbreaking Kody got his ears metaphorically boxed by all of his wives. Read more


Bonnie Says: 'Sister Wives' Kody Brown Sets Off A Vicious Wife Cat fight, During His 11-Day Honeymoon With Robyn!
Bonnie Fuller Hollywood Life - Los Angeles, California Originally published November 22nd, 2010
Meow! The claws were on full display as three jealous wives were neglected at home while polygamist Kody took new wife Robyn on a romantic honeymoon. Whoa! There was no holding back the furious left-behind Sister Wives, Meri, Janelle, Christine, who fumed out loud when Kody left them with the 16 kids, on the Sister Wives honeymoon special, Nov. 21. "We struggle with the fact that Kody’s taking 11 days on his honeymoon with Robyn," admitted wife #2 Janelle. "I perceive any time he spends with Robyn as cutting into our time together." Clueless Kody told the cameras that his "other" wives were comfortable with new wives, just not girlfriends. He has to be pushed to call home by Robyn who fortunately does have a sensitivity chip — he thought he’d wait a couple of days. So while Kody snuggled, hugged, kissed and gamboled for the cameras on his San Diego beach vacation, Meri, Janelle, and Christine lashed out. "We’ve been married for 20 years and I only got a three day vacation with him — "I want to be just as important," Meri admitted. "We struggle with the fact she gets a bigger, better wedding and honeymoon," points out Janelle. And yes Kody, you RIPPED your other wives off, compared to Robyn. They all got road trip honeymoons — Robyn got a fancy suite and beach vacation. Christine, wife #3, tells the other two older wives "I’m much more comfortable with Kody’s relationship with you guys, than his relationship with Robyn." Janelle, wife #2, refuses to talk to Kody on the phone for several days and consoles herself with her belief that she has a special "best friend" relationship with him. Read more


TV Review: Sister Wives - "Honeymoon Special"
Ladybelle Fiske Blogcritics.org Technorati, Inc. - San Francisco, CA Originally published November 26, 2010
Many TV-watching Americans (and others, I’m sure) have now seen Sister Wives on TLC, a coming-out-of-the-closet reality show about life in a fundamentalist Mormon/Latter Day Saints polygamist sect. It seems to be unusually honest, the revelation of a way of life so different from that of conventional married life that it is, I am sure, difficult for many viewers even to imagine living in this way. Though my life has been very little like that of the Brown family, I have a somewhat different perspective on multiple relationship. I’ve lived in the world(s) of polygamy and polyandry in two different communities: one a place of openness, choice, and freedom, the other a quasi-Manson-like situation of the late Sixties in which women were possessions, playthings, and servants. I have never lived in any version of Mormonism as the Browns of Sister Wives do, but all the same I can relate to the concept of "sister wives" — both the happiness and the pain of sharing one’s lover and one's whole life with other women. In this situation, one can become very close to one's sister wives (In some cases, one is close with the "other woman" before the shared man comes along). Even today I miss my friends who were also "sister wives" — some of whom are still close friends, though there were surely times when I’d have been delighted never to have to see some of them again! The women of the Brown family seem to find themselves caught up in very similar feelings. With characteristic honesty and an openness that makes this show worth watching, the three older wives express their feelings. They both wish to include the fourth wife and resent her at the same time, not without reason. Read more


Polygamy Pays in Cable TV World
Diane Dimond Modern day journalist Huffington Post Originally published December 7, 2010
Laws are laws. You follow them and there's no problem. You break them and you'll likely go to jail, right? Well...not so fast. In the state of Utah a person can admit felony behavior -- on national television, no less -- and no punishment occurs. Even though Utah has one of the broadest laws against plural marriage, there are still an estimated 20 thousand mostly secretive polygamist households tucked away in enclaves all over the sparsely populated state. Some are disheveled, disorganized compounds with poor sanitation, access to stores, health care and organized education. Other polygamists maintain their lifestyle in well heeled homes with plenty of amenities. Despite the Utah law that no man "shall marry, purport to marry or cohabitate with multiple wives" it is a crime that's rarely prosecuted unless a man takes an underage bride. That, according to Paul Murphy, of the Utah Attorney General's office, is considered child sexual abuse and "is punishable under the state's child bigamy law which carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison." Enter into this picture one Mr. Kody Brown, a fundamentalist Mormon who lives with multiple wives in Lehi, Utah. He likes to say his faith "rewards good behavior" so why, he asks, stop with one good marriage when you could have more? Knowing that prosecution in his state would be unlikely this handsome, blond, 41 year old salesman went public with his polygamist lifestyle. He and his three wives signed with cable TV's The Learning Channel to be the stars of a reality show called Sister Wives. In the opening episode Kody announced that since "love should be multiplied not divided" he had decided to take yet another wife. His first three got together to pick out the new woman's ring. Everyone seemed content with the arrangement. Today, between wives Meri, Janelle, Christine and his newest addition, Robyn, Mr. Brown is head of a household that includes four wives, 13 children and three step-children. Read more


'Sister Wives' raises morality questions: What do you think? (POLL)
Jennifer Waite Tucson Celebrity Headlines Examiner Examiner Originally published January 2, 2011
Cable network TLC aired a Sister Wives marathon on New Year's Day, running all the episodes as well as a special on the Brown family. The Brown family includes well over a dozen kids, four moms and one dad. Though polygamy is illegal in Utah, where the Brown's live, TLC's reality mini-series Sister Wives chronicles the workings of their newly-expanded family for the world to plainly see. Recently, here in Arizona, infamous polygamist Warren Jeffs had sex-with-minors charges against him dismissed by a Mojave County judge. We here at TCHE don't care what consenting adults like the Browns do, but what kind of judge lets an alleged child molestor off the hook from thorough prosecution without a good reason? (Judge Steven Conn, that's who, and we personally think he's an idiot.) Sister Wives provides a glimpse into the lives of people we all know exist, but who most of us do not fully understand or have any direct experience with. Kody Brown and his brood will tell you they are just normal people living a rather extraordinary life, all just one big happy family. Through emotional conflict and daily chaos, they choose to remain a family unit, and even recently added a new wife and welcomed her children from a previous relationship. What do you think? Have you seen Sister Wives? Do you have strong opinions on polygamy? Sound off in the comments section and let us know how you feel; please keep it clean! See photo


HBO's Big Love shows us the inequalities in every marriage, writ large
Big Patriarchy
By EUGENIA WILLIAMSON The Boston Phoenix Originally published January 12, 2011
For four seasons and five years, HBO's Big Love has dominated the edgy-soap-opera niche once inhabited by Six Feet Under. Having tweaked the well-worn family-drama genre to make room for Mormon fundamentalist polygamy, Big Love has become a funhouse mirror of contemporary American marriage. The show has succeeded in making the lives of a man, his three wives, and their myriad children appear almost normal. On a recent visit home to Chicago, I sat at a neighborhood bar with three of my best girlfriends. As we sipped our drinks, I told them which sister wife they most reminded me of. Sensible Bekah was Barb, crafty Sarah was Nicki, and perky Kate was Margene. Rather than throw their drinks in my face, my friends welcomed these appellations, identifying with the sister wives as easily as they might identify with Carrie or Samantha. The wives are so easy to relate to, in fact, that people often overlook the best part of the show: Lois Henrickson, the wizened, bug-eyed mother of patriarch Bill Henrickson. While praising Sensible, Crafty, and Perky, many miss sour, glorious Lois. Twin Peaks alumna Grace Zabriskie's performance is a revelation: whether she's wheedling, shaming someone, or lying outrageously, Lois always appears to be sucking a lemon. Her pursed lips and twitchy glower steal every scene, yet she never descends into caricature. For this, Zabriskie's empathic grotesquerie puts her in league with Peter Lorre. Read more


My Wives Don't Understand Me
By GINIA BELLAFANTE Critic's Notebook Television The New York Times Originally published January 13, 2011
The culminating season of "Big Love" — the fifth, which will begin on Sunday on HBO — feels less ripped from the headlines than exhumed from the notebooks Marilyn French used when writing "The Women’s Room." Steeped in the spirit of 1970s social commentary, this show examines more acutely than ever before the psychic price women pay when their drive, intelligence and energy are arrogated to male ambition. By women here we refer, of course, to the three increasingly alienated wives of the polygamist Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton), who, by the end of the erratic fourth season, had won a seat in the Utah State Senate and came forward with his unusual domestic arrangement. From the beginning "Big Love" has been a story of assimilation, a look at the limits of American tolerance and an allegory for the tenuous mainstreaming of gay culture. Until his election to office forced Bill and his family to reveal their relationship publicly, the Henricksons had lived in semisecrecy enduring the suspicions and judgments of their Mormon neighbors in suburban Salt Lake City. There a distaste for the fundamentalism in which polygamy is rooted has always been shown to thrive, and the Henricksons worked to conceal their lifestyle as much as they could. Read more


Season's greetings
'Big Love' final premiere gets back to basics
By Linda Stasi TV Critic New York Post Originally published January 13, 2011
"Big Love" Sunday night at 9 on HBO Will "Big Love" go out with a big bang? If the final season's opener is any indication, the answer is a big "yes." And that couldn't be better news for fans of the show. Let's face it, last season, the show had veered so off track with such a gigantic number of outlandish plot threads, it was like watching "A Thousand and One Mormonian Nights." Think about it. Bill simultaneously ran for state senate, opened a casino, pondered an offer to become the next prophet, built his own church with his own hands, took over sole control of Home Plus, and dealt with Roman's murder as well as his mother's and father's attempts to murder one another. Then, there was his parents' illegal bird-smuggling operation and the subsequent kidnapping of his son, Ben, by the mean Greenes after the kid had run away because of a near-sexual encounter with dad's third wife, Margene, whose own superstardom as a TV jewelry hawker was threatening the family's stability. Then, there was Barb's growing independence as a casino (I swear!) operator, and the news that his estranged fourth wife, Ana, was carrying his baby. And, oh yeah, then, there was his election-night announcement of their giant, secret life as polygamists. If all of that drama wasn't enough, the biggest trauma was yet to come. A real-life Henrickson family -- the polygamist Browns -- debuted on TLC in a reality show called "Sister Wives." That seemed to underscore the fictional Henricksons' biggest problem: Nobody seems to object all that much to polygamy after all. So, if you're a fan of "Big Love," you're going to have to pretend that "Sister Wives" never happened -- or this season's "Big Love" just won't make sense because most of it hinges on the horror wrought by their public exposure. Read more


Show 101: Big Love
By Matthew Jaffe TV.com Staff Writer TV.com - CBS Entertainment Originally published January 14, 2011
SHOW: Big Love PREMIERES: Sunday, January 16 at 9pm on HBO THE PREMISE: Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton) is just your average family guy. Except that he has three families. Born and raised at Juniper Creek — a compound of fundamentalist Mormons dedicated to "The Principle" (polygamy) — Bill long ago moved into mainstream society but still believes in many of his faith’s teachings. His first wife, Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn), has been joined by two "sister wives": Nicki (Chloe Sevigny), who is also the daughter of Juniper Creek’s late "prophet" Roman Grant, and Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin). They live in three separate-but-adjacent households, with children ranging in age from toddler to adult. (In fact, wife Margene and Ben — Bill’s oldest son with Barb — are close in age and have been struggling with a mutual attraction.) WHY YOU MIGHT LOVE IT: At its best, Big Love is a remarkable character study of people who are striving to find themselves and live normal lives under secretive circumstances in a world that would consider them pariahs. While often darkly comic (A favorite line: "I have seven mothers and you’re not one of them!"), the series explores big ideas about just what family is and the different ways that people love. Big Love also brings to light the many issues associated with polygamy: the shunning of adolescent males, the exploitation of underage girls, and the putting-out-to-pasture of older wives as they age beyond their childbearing years. Big Love is no titillating male fantasy in which one wife is good, therefore three are triple the fun. Instead, Viagra-popping Bill definitely feels the pressure of dealing with this trio of strong-willed women who sometimes compete with each other for his time and affection but who also have their own complex relationships and shifting alliances. Much of the credit for the show’s success goes to an acting ensemble that makes these characters and all of their conflicting motivations quite compelling. Read more


Television review: 'Big Love' Season 5
In its final season, the HBO series about a polygamist family regains its footing and its ability to astonish.
By Mary McNamara Los Angeles Times Television Critic Entertainment Los Angeles Times Originally published January 15, 2011
As so often happens, the source of "Big Love's" greatness almost proved to be its undoing. For three seasons, the HBO drama about a polygamist family was astonishing in its narrative agility, able to persuade increasingly devoted audiences that the Henrickson clan — one husband, three wives — were not all that different from their non-polygamous counterparts. The cats-cradle of familial relationships, set against Juniper Creek, the polygamous compound where "Little House on the Prairie" gingham concealed hearts right out of "Scarface," allowed creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer to explore character and story in a way that would otherwise require three or four separate shows. Aided by a flawless cast including Bill Paxton as Bill, Jeanne Tripplehorn as Barb, Chloe Sevigny as Nikki and Ginnifer Goodwin as Margene, "Big Love" took on the big themes — love, marriage, God, family, the very nature of adulthood — and shook them until the floor glittered with hidden treasure. Then came Season 4. Suddenly Bill was running for state Senate and going Rambo down in Mexico, and Nikki and her mother were mixed up in some "Boys From Brazil"-type scheme. There was a casino on the reservation subplot, a Sissy Spacek as politico subplot, the Henrickson kids were all over the map and at the end of the most improbably political campaign in history, Bill outed his whole family. Read more


'Sister Wives' Fam -- We're Moving to Nevada!!
By TMZ Staff TMZ - Thirty Mile Zone - Glendale, California Originally published January 18, 2011
"Sister Wives" polygamist Kody Brown is gonna need a whole LOTTA moving trucks ... 'cause the man with 4 wives and 19 kids is moving his entire family out of the state of Utah ... TMZ has learned. Sources close to the Brown's -- all 24 of 'em -- tell us Kody will be moving the gang to Nevada so he and his wives can "explore new job opportunities." Brown -- who was at the center of the felony bigamy investigation in Utah -- shouldn't face as much scrutiny for his living situation in Nevada ... where cohabitation between a man and his unlicensed "wives" is not a crime. Brown family attorney Jonathan Turley tells us neither Kody nor his wives have been hit with any charges stemming from the Utah investigation. As for the move -- we're told the fam should be on the road in the next few days. See photo


UT family investigated for bigamy moves to Nevada
By Jennifer Dobner Associated Press The Spectrum Originally published January 18, 2011
SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah polygamous family whose reality TV show launched a criminal bigamy investigation has moved out of state. Washington-based attorney Jonathan Turley says his client Kody Brown has moved his family of four wives and 16 kids to Nevada to pursue new opportunities. The family is featured on the TLC reality show "Sister Wives." The show first aired in the fall and triggered an investigation by Lehi police into allegations of bigamy. Brown is only legally married to one woman. Bigamy is a third-degree felony in Utah. Under the law, a person can be found guilty of bigamy through cohabitation, not just legal marriage contracts. No charges have been filed. Turley did not say specifically where the family had moved.


Polygamous 'Sister Wives' family moves to Nevada; bigamy charges still not filed in Utah
By Dennis Romboy Deseret News Originally published Tuesday, January 18, 2011
LEHI — A polygamous Lehi family featured on the reality show "Sister Wives" has moved to Nevada. Kody Brown, his four wives and 16 children left Utah to pursue new opportunities, said their attorney Jonathan Turley. Meanwhile, the Utah County Attorney's Office has to date not filed criminal charges against the Browns after Lehi police investigated them on suspicion of bigamy. That investigation began in September. "We will make a final decision one way or another, but we don't know when that will be," Utah County Attorney Jeff Buhman said Tuesday. County officials did consult with the Utah Attorney General's Office, which has said it doesn't have the resources to go after polygamists unless it suspects crimes such as child abuse or child trafficking. But it leaves that decision to local jurisdictions. The Browns moved without any charges pending, Turley said. "In the past, state officials have made it clear to polygamous families in Utah that they would not proceed against them absent evidence of some collateral crime such as child abuse," he said. "No such crimes were found in the Brown family after an extensive field investigation." Turley lauded the county attorney's office for showing "commendable judgment and discretion" in the case. Buhman said no one from his office has spoken with Turley. "We appreciate the compliment, but it's wrong," he said. "We have not exercised our discretion on way or another yet." Read more


'Sister Wives' family moves from Utah to Nevada
The Associated Press The Daily Universe - Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah Originally published Tuesday, January 18, 2011
A Utah polygamous family whose reality TV show launched a criminal bigamy investigation has moved out of state. In an e-mail to The Associated Press, the Washington-based attorney who represents the family, Jonathan Turley, said Kody Brown has moved his family of four wives and 16 kids to Nevada to pursue new opportunities. The family is featured on the TLC reality show "Sister Wives." The show first aired in the fall and triggered an investigation by Lehi police into allegations of bigamy. "There were no pending charges against them in Utah," Turley wrote. "I see no legal reason why their family cannot live and continue to thrive in Nevada as they have in Utah." Turley did not say why - or where in Nevada - the family had moved. Brown is legally married to one woman, Meri Brown, but also calls three other women his spouses: Janelle, Christine and Robyn. The oldest of their children is 15. The family practices polygamy as part of its religious beliefs. Bigamy is a third-degree felony in Utah, punishable by up to five years in state prison, but no criminal charges have been filed against the Browns. Under the law, a person can be found guilty of bigamy through cohabitation, not just legal marriage contracts. Utah County Attorney Jeff Buhlman said Tuesday his office has not yet decided whether to charge the family. Under the law, prosecutors have up to four years to bring charges. Buhlman said the clock stops if the Browns move away and starts again if they resumes residency here. The family's move won't effect a decision about whether to bring charges, Buhlman said. Nor is the practice of polygamy for religious reasons a factor in the decision. "If we receive a report from police that indicates that a crime has been committed in Utah County and there is evidence, we're generally going to do something about it," he said. Read more


'Sister Wives' Stars Won’t Escape Polygamy Laws By Moving To Nevada Say Lawyers! Exclusive Details!
The Brown family is reportedly packing up and heading to The Silver State, but it might be more trouble than it’s worth!
Chloe Melas with reporting by Jessica Finn Hollywood Life - Los Angeles, California Originally published January 19th, 2011
Kody Brown is attempting to seek refuge in Nevada from Utah polygamy laws — but it won’t work! TMZ reported that Kody is moving his four wives and 19 children to Nevada so they can "explore new job opportunities" and because cohabitation is not a crime, but HollywoodLife.com spoke to two family attorneys in Nevada who reveal that Kody will NOT be safe there because polygamy is in fact illegal in Nevada. "Nevada is no safe harbor for polygamists," attorney Ken McKenna says. "If polygamists are trying to side step the law with cohabitation statutes, they will not get away with polygamy and they are subject to prosecution." Eric Pulvar, another family attorney in Nevada, echoed this same explanation. "The cohabitation law in Nevada has to do with how you divide property and living together," Eric says. "Nevada doesn’t recognize bigamy and it’s illegal in Nevada." Kody is expected to be moving any day now, but he might want to reconsider uprooting his entire family! See photo


'Sister Wives' Fam -- Break Down in Las Vegas
"Sister Wives" star Kody Brown has officially moved the family to VEGAS, BABY ... baby, wife, wife, wife, wife, kid, kid, kid, kid, kid, kid, kid, kid, kid, kid, kid, kid, kid, kid, kid, kid and kid.
TMZ - Thirty Mile Zone - Glendale, California Originally published January 20, 2011
TMZ has learned Kody and crew moved into their new temporary rental home in Sin City late Tuesday ... but it wasn't an easy journey. Average travel time from the Brown's home in Lehi, Utah to Vegas is roughly 6 hours ... but Kody's caravan took 30 HOURS to complete the 397 mile voyage. We're told the gang was slowed down by "multiple car issues" -- including EIGHT blown tires!!! As we previously reported -- Kody and the rest of his polygamist family moved to Nevada to "explore new job opportunities" ... but it's unclear what kind of career moves they're looking to make. See photo


"Sister Wives" family moves from Utah to Nevada
By James Nelson Reuters Originally published Fri Jan 21, 2011
LEHI, Utah \| (Reuters) - The family featured on the reality TV series "Sister Wives," about an advertising salesman and four women he calls spouses, has moved to Nevada from Utah following a criminal bigamy investigation sparked by notoriety surrounding the show. "The family is pursuing new opportunities in Nevada. I see no legal reason why their family cannot live and continue to thrive in Nevada as they have in Utah," Jonathan Turley, a lawyer for the family, told Reuters this week. "Sister Wives" premiered in the U.S. on the TLC cable network in September, earning strong ratings while also drawing the attention of authorities in the Utah town of Lehi, just south of Salt Lake city, where the family shared a large house. The show documented the world of ad executive Kody Brown, then 41, the four women he lives with and their 16 children as they sought to make their home and work in mainstream society. Brown is legally married to just one of the women, but counts the three others as "sister wives," a term in polygamous sects that refers to a husband's multiple marital partners. Production on a second season of the series has begun, and nearly half of the new episodes due to begin airing in the fall have been shot, according to the show's executive producer. Plural marriage, an early tenant of the Mormon faith and once common in Utah, was renounced by the church more than a century ago and outlawed, as it already was in the rest of the country, as Utah was seeking statehood. But polygamy persists in secluded communities scattered mostly around the West, especially among followers of a Mormon splinter group called the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or the FLDS. Read more


Big Love Recap: Safety Net
Entertainment New York Magazine Originally published January 24, 2011
The writers of Big Love dipped deep into their anguish well to craft last night's crushing episode. Last week the Henricksons were all alone, and this week they sought solace outside the family only to find rejection and threats of dissolution. This center cannot hold. Bill draws his polygamist pals together to form "Safety Net," a program that helps the compounds access educational and social services. Alby Grant defends the fine schools on the compound, but Nicki interjects that women on the compound are treated like chattle until their uteruses fall out. The meeting devolves into a polygamist interpretation of the South Korean parliament, including an attack from Charlie, a HomePlus employee disgruntled with Bill. "You're a liar because you lied!" he shouts. Alby peers at the chaos streaming on his shiny new Mac and sneers. Barb turns to her mother for support, but Ellen Burstyn wants nothing to do with her. "I just need to be with you," says Barb, who wants mom to join her at a Sunstone symposium. "I need a community, Mother. I have become so isolated." Ellen Burstyn acquiesces, but not before she speaks the kind of line that mothers use on their daughters to make them feel horrible: "There's a vast difference between 'I need you, Mommy,' and 'I need something from you.'" Read more


The Economics of Big Love
By NANCY FOLBRE Economix The New York Times Originally published January 24, 2011
Nancy Folbre is an economics professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The laws of marriage emerge from a process of collective negotiation, informed (though certainly not determined) by consideration of their social and economic impact. Advocates for gay marriage, like my University of Massachusetts Amherst colleague Lee Badgett, argue that it has positive consequences for society as a whole. Five of the 50 states (Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont) plus the District of Columbia now grant same-sex couples the right to wed. Other rules of marriage are subject to contention. A law prohibiting polygamy in Canada is now under review by the British Columbia Supreme Court for possible violation of religious rights guaranteed under the Canadian constitution. While the case originated in controversies regarding the community of Bountiful, founded by a breakaway Mormon sect that advocates plural marriage, it also has implications for Canada’s many immigrants from Muslim countries. While there is little support for legalization of polygamy, or, more specifically, polygyny (one husband, more than one wife) in the United States, the HBO television series "Big Love" (now its fifth and final season) has modernized its cultural image. Many reactions to the possible legalization of polygyny ride on its implications for women. Some economists, including the Nobel Prize-winner Gary Becker in his "Treatise on the Family," have argued that polygyny should increase the demand for women and enhance the efficiency of the marriage market. Government restriction of marriage contracts limits individual choice. In principle, the prospect of enjoying more than one wife could spur men to greater competitive efforts with one another. Some women might prefer to share a rich husband than to have a poor or unemployed husband all their own. Indeed, as income inequality among men increases, the potential benefits of polygyny for young and beautiful husband-seekers probably go up as well. Read more


What has 2 Thumbs, 19 Kids and 3 Houses?
By TMZ Staff TMZ - Thirty Mile Zone - Glendale, California Originally published January 27, 2011
THIS GUY!!!! "Sister Wives" dad Kody Brown struck his best Fonz pose while moving one of his wives into her new Vegas home this week -- one of THREE pads the 24-member family will be living in. Sources close to the polygamous posse tell TMZ ... Kody is renting three homes on the same block in a Vegas-area community -- and TMZ obtained photos of K-dog moving Meri into house #1 earlier this week. We're told the rest of the fam will be spread out in the other two homes -- with two of Kody's 4 wives doubling up in one house. As we first reported -- Kody moved the gang to Nevada so he and his wives can "explore new job opportunities" -- and although the details of the new careers are still unclear ... Kody seems to have a future in moving. See photo


'Sister Wives' New Home -- A Neighborhood Divided
By TMZ Staff TMZ - Thirty Mile Zone - Glendale, California Originally published January 31, 2011
Kody Brown and his "Sister Wives" might need to invest in some good fences -- because a few of their new neighbors aren't happy the polygamist reality show stars have moved into their hood. As TMZ first reported, Brown and his fam recently relocated to Las Vegas so they could explore new job opportunities. TMZ spoke with several of the new neighbors and while some sound tolerant of the Brown clan ("It's a quiet neighborhood, and as long as it stays drama free, then we're fine") others want nothing to do with them. One neighbor told us, "I don't want my family surrounded by polygamists." Another was upset because now her young children are asking her about polygamy -- and now she plans on moving. She told us, "I am not tolerating the polygamists or their TV show in my neighborhood." See photo


'Sister Wives' Valentine's Day -- Table for Five
By TMZ Staff TMZ - Thirty Mile Zone - Glendale, California Originally published February 14, 2011
You think it's difficult to get a reservation for two on Valentine's Day? Try making one for you, your spouse, your other spouse, your third spouse, and your new spouse. Such is the dilemma for "Sister Wives" star Kody Brown. He tells us that in the past, he's spent Valentine's Day with other polygamist families -- since most polygamists don't usually like to be too public about the whole plural marriage thing. This year, however, is different. Brown tells TMZ since the family is "public about the lifestyle now," he's considering taking all the "Sister Wives" out to dinner together. We recommend ordering a sampler platter. As for gifts, Brown says he usually gets cards and chocolates for each of the wives and a small chocolate Valentine for his 10 daughters. Brown says he bought Christine a necklace, but still has to shop for the other wives. Maybe Kay Jewelers is running a buy one, get two free promotion. See photo


'Sister Wives' scoop: Return date, season two details -- EXCLUSIVE
By James Hibberd Inside TV Entertainment Weekly Originally published February 14, 2011
For all those who found themselves irresistibly drawn into the polyga-drama of TLC’s Sister Wives, EW has the second season premiere date and some details about what’s coming up. Kody Brown and his four wives — Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn — along with their 17 children will return on Sunday, March 13. But the big question has been what will happen on Sister Wives now that the family — after outing their "plural lifestyle" on TV — is being investigated for felony bigamy in Utah. For those who want to know, read on ... TLC isn’t going to shy away from the drama caused by its program. In fact, it’s the main focus of season 2. Cameras never stopped rolling on the Browns as season one began airing on TLC last year, so the entire impact of being exposed a polygamists was captured by producers. Season 2 will feature a family ranch trip to Wyoming, planning a Halloween celebration and going on a winter cabin trip. All the while, the tension mounts over their now-public lifestyle, culminating with Brown deciding to move his brood to Nevada. Sister Wives will launch with a one-hour episode as part of a split second season, with the other half to air on TLC later this year. There will be ten episodes — three one-hour episodes and seven half hours. See photo


SISTER WIVES Season 2 to premiere March 13 on TLC
Asa Hawks Starcasm.net Originally published February 15, 2011
TLC has announced the date for the return of their popular polygamist reality series Sister Wives starring Kody Brown, his four wives and their 17 children. The second season, which will be split into two parts, will kick off with a one-hour episode Sunday, March 13. From Entertainment Weekly: Sister Wives will launch with a one-hour episode as part of a split second season, with the other half to air on TLC later this year. There will be ten episodes — three one-hour episodes and seven half hours. EW also had the scoop on some of what would be covered in Season 2! Many were wondering if the show would document the family’s legal troubles stemming from an investigation into the legality of their polygamist relationship and the answer is... TLC isn’t going to shy away from the drama caused by its program. In fact, it’s the main focus of season 2. Cameras never stopped rolling on the Browns as season one began airing on TLC last year, so the entire impact of being exposed a polygamists was captured by producers. Season 2 will feature a family ranch trip to Wyoming, planning a Halloween celebration and going on a winter cabin trip. All the while, the tension mounts over their now-public lifestyle, culminating with Brown deciding to move his brood to Nevada. Read more


Sister Wives family on the Today Show March 7, 2011 Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy


'Sister Wives' Family on Going Public: 'We Knew What the Risks Were'
The Browns Talk About the Investigation Into Their Polygamist Lifestyle for the First Time
By LAUREN EFFRON ABC News Nightline Originally broadcast March 7, 2011
The polygamist family featured on TLC's reality show, "Sister Wives," said the criminal investigation into their lifestyle was a factor, among many others including finding a bigger house, in their decision to move from their home in Lehi, Utah, to Las Vegas, Nev. "We didn't want this thing hanging over us," said Kody Brown, a salesman and the patriarch of the family. "We went to Vegas with hopes of having a good life, preserving the family. ... We never did anything here at all to be rebellious, to challenge the statutes of the law, or anything like that." "We still have our family," Robyn, Brown's fourth wife, said. "That's all it boils down to." Brown and his four wives -- Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn -- sat down with ABC News' Dan Harris on "Nightline" Monday to discuss how their family had been affected since going public as polygamists six months ago on national television. It was the first time the five of them had talked at length about potentially facing bigamy charges back in Utah. "We knew what the risks were," said Meri, Brown's first wife. "You go from one fear to another," Robyn Brown said. "When you grow up in this lifestyle, you aren't able to completely be yourself. You do live in fear already, and you just go from one fear to another. We're just trading fears at this point." "We try to do everything we can with the kids to just keep everything the same, keep the routines the same," Meri Brown added. While the Mormon family could still face prosecution, a representative from the Utah County Attorney's Office said they still have not filed criminal charges against the Browns. "I understood the concept of my faith," said Janelle, Brown's second wife. "It was more of my, like questioning society, questioning, like, is everything going to be OK?" Read more

Sister Wives family on ABC Nightline March 7, 2011


VIDEOS Sister Wives family discuss criminal investigation and season 2
Starcasm.net Originally published March 8, 2011
The premiere for the second season of the controversial and engrossing polygamy themed reality show Sister Wives is set for March 13th. Patriarch Kody Brown and his now four wives, Meri, Jenelle, Christine and Robyn have been hitting the news cycle to discuss the changes in their lives since the popular premiere season. Topics included the investigations of bigamy in Idaho and Kody’s courtship and marriage to 4th wife Robyn. Our first clip is from ABC’s Nightline. When asked about the criminal investigation Kody stated that: "When you ask the question my hearts start pounding in my chest and I get nervous." Brown added when asked about how he and his wives helped his children cope with the consequences of their decision to go public that they used, "Positive mental attitude." That certainly sounds like the strange, endlessly exuberant master of multitasking Kody we came to know during season one of Sister Wives. I go back and forth on my opinion of him and his motivations. Is he seeking fame and money with the show? Does he genuinely want to be a trailblazer for the polygamist lifestyle in hopes of enlightening America to how families who’ve made that decision our much like the ones we’re familiar with? I think the answer is somewhere in between and its this dynamic that I find so interesting about The Browns. Read more


SISTER WIVES, Move to Las Vegas, Kody Brown and Favorite Wife Robyn!
AstroChicks - Manhattan Beach, California Originally published March 8, 2011
Kody Brown and the Sister Wives said they "knew what the risks were" when they decided to do the reality show. Not willing to say how much they are paid per episode, rumor is the family receives at least $250k per year for their participation in the show. In a new interview, Kody Brown explains why the family moved. He says, "We didn't want this thing hanging over us," said Kody Brown, a salesman and the patriarch of the family. "We went to Vegas with hopes of having a good life, preserving the family... We never did anything here at all to be rebellious, to challenge the statutes of the law, or anything like that. We still have our family," Robyn, Brown's fourth wife, said. "That's all it boils down to." In the end, the Browns said they were glad they have at least raised awareness about their particular lifestyle and shown that even as polygamists they are a loving family. "We started this so that we would hopefully open and create more tolerance in the world," Janelle Brown said. "I hope that's what we're accomplishing here." Sister Wives, not as good as Big Love, but still fun to watch. See photo


"Sister Wives" 2011 - Kody Brown's polygamous life focus of new interview
Heather Tooley Portland Pop Culture Examiner The Examiner Originally published March 8, 2011
"Sister Wives" 2011 airs in less than a week and Kody Brown and his four wives appear on The Joy Behar Show Tuesday night for a glimpse into their polygamist lifestyle for season 2. The Brown family will talk about their polygamous lives and express their desire to be legally married. Joy Behar began by comparing Kody's four wives to Charlie Sheen's two "Goddesses," except Kody has two more women than Charlie. The "Sister Wives" cast laughed that was hardly the case. In the interview, Kody explains that he wants to be legally married to all of his wives, not just one. Kody is legally married to Meri, but he married Christine, Janelle, and Robyn in religious ceremonies. Between all four wives and Kody, they have 16 children. Kody tells Joy Behar he wants to be married legally to all of his wives for "credibility" reasons. He wants the women to have a "claim" on him so that they're "taken care of." In a clip of season 2 "Sister Wives," Kody discussed the value of learning civil rights and tolerance in school. "It's not just taught now," Kody said. "It's a morality now." What about jealousy amongst the "Sister Wives"? Do they have petty moments? Christine said it's mostly over how much time Kody is spending with one of them over another, just little things like that. Janelle said she feels satisified and that her needs are met. She said she finds comfort as well her other "Sister Wives." Read more


'I'm not the marrying kind,' claims polygamist reality star with four wives and 16 children
Kody Brown, whose family shot to fame with TLC show Sister Wives reveals the effect it had on their lives, and how they maintain their unconventional lifestyle.
By Tamara Abraham Daily Mail - London, England Originally published March 8, 2011
It was a concept made in reality television heaven. Kody Brown, an unapologetic polygamist with four wives and 16 children, laying bare his unconventional lifestyle for all the world to see. Now the Utah family have spoken about the public response to Sister Wives, and, despite a police investigation into Mr Brown's multiple marriages, why they have agreed to do a second series. Speaking in an interview today, the 42-year-old claimed he was not the marrying kind. He told the Today show: 'Right now we kind of feel like four [wives] is enough... It was 15 years from the time that I married Christine to the time that I married Robyn. I'm not the marrying man. 'Ask me [if I'd take another wife] in 10 years. Let us have a honeymoon. Let us have an experience where we're getting very comfortable with each other as a family. But wait 10 years. It's not happening soon.' Mr Brown, who married fourth wife Robyn at the end of the first series of Sister Wives, incorporating the three children from her previous marriage into their family, said that the decision to wed again was a joint one. '[The decision to marry Robyn] included all of us,' he explained. 'The experience of meeting Robyn and the process of falling in love was very serendipitous. 'But Meri actually introduced the idea to me, our first meeting. Robyn connected and then Meri suggested it to me.' The foursome remain positive about making their lives public, despite a mixed response to their lifestyle choice. There are estimated to be 35,000 people living in polygamous relationships in the U.S., despite it being illegal, and Robyn revealed that some families had sent them messages of support after watching Sister Wives. 'We actually had people write to us. There were families out there like us,' she revealed. Read more


'Sister Wives' may not be great television but view of polygamist family offers intrigue
By David Hinckley DAILY NEWS TV CRITIC New York Daily News Originally published Wednesday, March 9th 2011
The first thing most people wondered last year when they heard a polygamist family was starring in a reality show was why they would want to do that. This opening episode for season two suggests some members of the family will be asking the same question. While this still doesn't make "Sister Wives" great television, it does shift the central drama to the fundamental question of how Kody Brown, his four wives and their 16 children can coexist with outsiders who frown on or condemn their lifestyle. For TV purposes, it also doesn't hurt that many in the family, particularly Brown himself, have become visibly more confident and comfortable in front of the cameras. Anyone who saw the family talking with Meredith Vieira on national TV last year saw Brown responding like a deer in the headlights - an awkward moment revisited in detail on opening night here. Brown says he suffered a disconnect between brain and mouth at the wrong moment. That's not something that seems to have recurred once he's back home in Utah, where he's more conversational than ever about his story and his life. Part of the appeal of the first "Sister Wives" season, remember, was that it threw a curveball. While popular curiosity about plural marriage tends to focus on the husband/wives aspect, "Sister Wives" spent much of its time on the dynamics of the extended family. The wives became mothers to all the children, who in turn mostly seemed to accept that this large crowd of siblings and parents is just the way a family is. If you buy that premise, then the Brown clan scores high for family values. It seems to pull together in ways that families with three fewer wives and a dozen fewer children might envy. This season, however, the camera seems to pull a little further back to put the Browns in the larger context of a society that considers plural marriage wrong. Read more


A (big) family affair as 'Sister Wives' returns
FRAZIER MOORE AP Television Writer The Spectrum Originally published March 10, 2011
NEW YORK — They laugh a lot. Maybe the Browns are just happy to be back in New York City, where they have landed to plug the second season of their TLC reality show, "Sister Wives." The Browns love being here, make no mistake. But something larger is going on as they meet with a reporter in midtown Manhattan to discuss the show and their plural marriage, which "Sister Wives" documents. It's easy to see that Kody Brown and his four wives share a closeness and a comfort zone and, yes, a sense of humor that keeps the conversation at a gallop. At one point, their newfound celebrity (a word at which they cringe) is broached. "It's embarrassing!" cracks Christine, Kody's wife of 16 years, with whom he has six children, the youngest being 10 months old. "It's embarrassing when someone recognizes you in a store and you have on no makeup and you're wearing your home pants. A man spoke to me who said he watched the show. I thought, 'You recognize me THIS way? Why should I put on makeup? Why dress up?'" The room rocks with laughter. Certainly the mood is lighter than on their previous New York publicity hop last fall. Sunday's season premiere (airing at 9 p.m. EST) captures scenes from that media tour, as the Browns made appearances to introduce a TV series no one had seen yet, a series headlined by this unconventional Utah family that already was raising eyebrows coast-to-cast. At the same time, the Browns — nervous but resolute — were publicly coming out as polygamists. But exposing their lifestyle to the world was a big reason the Browns had welcomed the opportunity to see their story told on a TV series. They were tired of keeping secrets and living in fear. They were tired of the misconceptions and stereotypes that defined polygamy in many people's minds (including HBO's extreme polygamy drama "Big Love," which some of the Browns say they have watched and enjoyed). Read more


Chloë Sevigny Slams 'Sister Wives'! Says They 'Gloss Over' The Tough Stuff!
The 'Big Love' star doesn’t think TLC’s reality show, 'Sister Wives', accurately portrays all the trials and tribulations polygamists face
Katrina Mitzeliotis Hollywood Life - Los Angeles, California Originally published March 11th, 2011
Chloe Sevigny plays a polygamist on HBO’s hit show, Big Love, and apparently she doesn’t take the issue lightly! "I have a lot to say about it but I never really see people out who are Mormon fundamentalists. If they are, I don’t think they would say they are!" While the star is probably right about that, there is one family who is very open about their arrangement — but the Big Love star doesn’t endorse the way they flaunt their lifestyle! "I haven’t seen the show because I don’t have a TV, but I heard a lot about it," she said at the Target GO International Designer Collective Party on Mar. 10. "I heard that they gloss over things and everything is hunky dory and they don’t really get down and dirty or tell you all the negative aspects [of being a polygamist]." Do you agree with the star? See photo


'Sister Wives' Recap — Brown Family Outed As Polygamists, Hypocritically Worry For Kids.
The Brown family goes public as polygamists on the 'Today' show yet worry how it will effect their children. Maybe they should have stayed off national television if they were so concerned.
Chris Spargo Hollywood Life - Los Angeles, California Originally published March 13th, 2011
The Sister Wives gang is back and for Season 2 we are thrown right into the thick of things as we get to see the Brown family on the eve of the Season 1 premiere — and being outed as polygamists. While what the Brown family has done is in many ways brave and they should have every right to live their life in whatever manner they choice, it is difficult to see them so worried over how the public will treat their children. It makes it seem as if maybe they shouldn’t have selfishly gotten a reality show if their children are indeed their primary concern. The few scenes of the Brown children on the morning the adults left to go to New York and make the big announcement about their lifestyle spoke volumes. While father Kody was downright giddy, the children all looked petrified. Their parents would be more than 2,000 miles away making an announcement that would change their lives forever — and they seemingly had no say in it. The more we see of Kody the more it appears as if it is the appeal of fame, and not so much a desire to share his lifestyle, that motivates him. He realizes polygamy is his best chance of achieving notoriety and runs with it, but had he just one wife it feels like he would still find some way, or rather any way, to make his way onto a reality show. And so the Browns departed for New York (did anyone else wonder how the hotel rooms broke down?) and Cody got his chance to shine on national television. Kody kind of froze up and poor Meri had her fly down, but otherwise the five actually gave a pretty great interview. Read more


TV Review: "Sister Wives," Married to the Media
Caryn James James on screenS - TV Reviews Indie Wire Originally published March 14, 2011
How many wives does it take for a guy to get arrested? The husbands were in legal trouble on last night’s second season premiere of Sister Wives, TLC’s reality show about a Utah man with four wives, and Big Love, the next-to-last episode ever of HBO’s dramatic series about a Utah man with three wives, two symbiotic series that reveal a vicious circle of fictional and real polygamists. It’s hard to imagine Sister Wives without Big Love leading the way, but now the real-life Browns are living the dream of the fictional Henricksons, appearing on every show from Oprah to Today to George Lopez, the wives chatting about the shared housework and the shared man. And to think that last season on Big Love it seemed absurd when Bill decided to reveal his wives to the world, hoping to make them seem like some ordinary supersized family. The Browns, of course, are nothing like an ordinary family; if they were, they wouldn’t have a TV show, and a successful one at that. In the first season, Brown had three wives approaching middle age, and through the season added a fourth (like latest-wife Margene on Big Love, more glamorous than the others) with children of her own. That brought jealousy, drama and a wedding to the series, and the total kid count to 16. But where Big Love has flourished on its rich, conflicted characters, from the start of Sister Wives Kody Brown has just glowed with self-satisfaction. His religion seems like an excuse for a harem, and frankly, he seems like an egotistical jerk. His wives are more likable but seem either self-deluded or pursuing some warped emotional trajectories of their own. In an hour-long special before last night’s show, host Natalie Morales asked Brown if he was the playboy he seemed to be last season and he answered he was more of "a party boy with my four girls." Oh good, that clears it up. Read more


Bonnie Says: Sister Wives' Kody Brown, You're A Fame Whore! You Loved Going Public On Show Premiere!
Sister Wives' Kody Brown, you could barely contain your giddiness in the show, about appearing on the Today Show, despite your children’s fears about being ousted as polygamists.
Bonnie Fuller Hollywood Life - Los Angeles, California Originally published March 14th, 2011
I’m beginning to think that Kody Brown is just a plain and simple narcissist after watching the Sister Wives' premiere on Mar. 13. The season opens with the family going public in two major ways that really call into question their sensitivity, or complete lack thereof, to their sixteen children. It appears that Kody’s three older wives have stopped sniping against newcomer fourth wife, Robyn, in order to focus on — FAME! Kody is bubbling about going to NYC where he and his harem will be interviewed about their polygamist lifestyle and show. He and his wives – Meri, #1, Janelle, #2, Christina, #3, and Robyn, #4, have strangely decided that this is now the perfect time to send almost their entire brood to public school for the first time — where they will most certainly and sadly be teased for being polygamist kids. Kody, are you thick as a brick? Or simply so insensitive about the feelings of the children you fathered that you would doubly torture your kids? Any normal parent of a teen — let alone several — knows how tough it is to be "different." You’ve deliberately chosen to reveal your alternative lifestyle on Sister Wives, then were excited about revealing it on The Today Show, on virtually your kids’ first day of non-polygamy school! It seems clear that it is fame, not faith, that is motivating you right now. As for being a dedicated dad to your brood, it’s also clear on the show that your sixteen kids are each more attached to their individual moms, who appear to do all the childcaring and raising tasks, than they are to you. You are barely ever seen helping or hanging with your kids. Read more


TLC's 'Sister Wives' Returns Strong in Ratings
Philiana Ng The Hollywood Reporter Originally published March 15, 2011
The return of TLC’s polygamy reality series Sister Wives delivered Sunday night, drawing 2.2 million total viewers. The second season premiere posted gains in several key demographics versus Season 1, including women 25-54 and women 18-49. In the latter demo, Sister Wives drew 1 million. The program was ranked No. 4 in ad-supported cable in the female demos: women 25-54, women 18-49 and women 18-34. Its lead-out, a Hoarding: Buried Alive special drew 1.5 million viewers at 10 p.m. See photo


Sister Wives - The 1st Season Set of TLC's Polygamous Reality Show on DVD
7-episode collection is available in early April
Posted by David Lambert TVShowsOnDVD.com Originally published March 16, 2011
At first glance, the Browns are a typical big American family, but as Kody, father and husband explains; I fell in love, fell in love again, and fell in love again. Kody Brown, is a polygamist with three wives (Wife #1, Meri; Wife #2 Janelle; Wife #3 Christine) and 13 rambunctious kids. This series presents a fresh look at a lifestyle that has been mired in secrecy and misunderstanding. Shattering stereotypes, the Browns show viewers a type of polygamy that has never been seen before - a lifestyle so close to mainstream America, yet so seemingly well adjusted. A reality series which has been getting a lot of attention since it began airing on the TLC cable channel, Sister Wives is coming to DVD on April 5th from Discovery/Gaiam. This single-disc release costs $14.98 SRP, and gives us a look at a world and a way of life that the vast majority of North Americans have no insight into, or understanding of. The 7 episodes included on this release are "Meet Kody & the Wives", "Courting a Fourth Wife", "Wives on the Move", "Third Wife in Labor", "1st Wife's 20th Anniversary", "A Fourth Wife to Be" and "Four Wives and Counting..."; the running time is approximately 240 minutes. Here's the front cover art: See photo


Sister Wives's Kody Brown: I want more kids
Life & Style Magazine - Bauer Entertainment Network Originally published Thursday, March 17, 2011
Kody Brown and his four wives had their lives turned upside down after revealing themselves as a polygamous family six months ago. But that hasn't stopped Kody and his other halves from wanting more kids -- even though they already have 16! "We hope we have more children," Kody tells Life & Style exclusively. "Whatever God gives us," fourth and newest wife Robyn adds. The family of Sister Wives (airing Sundays at 9 p.m. on TLC ) became the center of an ongoing criminal investigation for a possible charge of bigamy. Shortly after, they relocated their 21-member Lehi, Utah, family to Las Vegas, where they are now split up into four separate homes. But third wife Christine, who expressed regrets in the March 13 premiere, tells Life & Style that the future looks bright -- bigger family or not. "My kids, our children, can now be open about who they are. That's what I love the most." See photo


Big Love: god is in the details
HBO's polygamist drama has toned down the sensationalism to bring religion to the fore in its final season. We speak to show creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer about the tricky business of exploring faith in the context of prime-time entertainment
BY Joshua Ostroff TV Talk Eye Weekly - Toronto Star Newspapers Limited Originally published March 18, 2011
When polygamist melodrama Big Love premiered on HBO five seasons ago, much ado was made over how Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton) and his sister-wives’ plural-marriage was a parable about our patriarchal society as well as a reaction to right-wing attacks on non-traditional same-sex and single-parent families. The controversy over the show's socio-political subtext has somehow masked its religious sur-text and Big Love is winding up its controversial run on March 20 as the most God-fearing TV show since Touched by an Angel or 7th Heaven, albeit in a more morally ambiguous manner. "We kinda took [religion] off the burner for the first couple of years," admits co-creator Mark V. Olsen in a recent interview with Eye Weekly. "We loved everything about the material — we loved the specificity of it; we loved that the Mormon world had yet to be tapped into in American pop culture. But we were nervous about the religious part of it, because clearly the polygamy that we were portraying was very scriptural-based." Though the (relatively) mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints banned polygamy back in 1890, fundamentalist sects out on secluded compounds continue to refer to it as "The Principle" and consider it necessary to salvation. Or perhaps it's just a disingenuous excuse to have married sex with multiple partners. Either way, religion is how all of Big Love’s polygamists justify their illegal "celestial marriages." Read more


Everlasting Love
William Keck TV Guide Originally published March 18, 2011
Over its five seasons, HBO's Big Love masterfully divided story lines between its polygamous foursome — Bill (Bill Paxton), Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn), Nicki (Chloë Sevigny) and Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin). But cocreator Will Scheffer points out, "This is Jeanne's year. Barb has been utterly transcendent." Her journey, and all the reunited Henricksons' (Amanda Seyfried is back as daughter Sarah), comes to a close in Sunday's emotional series finale as Barb is finally able to embrace her life as an independent woman/wife/mother... and priesthood holder. "I really wanted Barb to find an inner peace and happiness, because she's never had that," says Tripplehorn. "And she's on her way. Without giving anything away, at the end of the episode you see that this arrangement truly is for all time." One thing Tripplehorn assures us: She'll be forever linked with her "sister-wives." "Ginny and Chloë and I are incredibly close and always will be — they're aunts to my son," says Tripplehorn, who will be in attendance for Goodwin's upcoming wedding. Alas, to just one groom. Big Love airs Sunday at 9/8c on HBO. See photo


Bye-bye Big Love family
By BILL BROWNSTEIN The Montreal Gazette Originally published March 18, 2011
We hardly knew ye, Bill Hendrickson. No sooner do we finally get to feel for the beleaguered patriarch, then he's gone. Say bye-bye to Bill and his extended brood as Big Love wraps Sunday at 9 p.m. on HBO Canada after five morally turbulent seasons. Few gave Big Love a ghost of a chance of surviving when it first hit the airwaves in 2006. A show about a Godfearing Mormon family in Utah was taking over the time-slot previously occupied by a non-God-fearing mob family in New Jersey. The latter would be the Sopranos, led by Tony (James Gandolfini), who dealt with his demons by disposing of them - or their parts - in garbage Dumpsters and other innovative burial sites. Tough enough to replace Tony and cronies Little Carmine, Patsy Parisi, Big Pussy and Johnny Sack. But to bring in a family that doesn't cuss, mainline, toke, snort or down quarts of hooch, let alone engage in graphic sex on screen or dissect enemies ... whoa ... that's some kind of tall order. And yet Big Love has broken virgin ground - and not with a shovel - on the tube. It has taken most of us into a universe about as foreign as that of Charlie Sheen, who, too, practises a form of polygamy but dispenses with any religious rituals. Props to the show's creators, Mark Olson and Will Scheffer, who spent three years researching Mormons and polygamy. They have not only emerged with some of the most original and intriguing plot lines to surface on the tube, but they have also managed to elicit empathy with sensitive portrayals of key principals. No matter one's moral view of polygamy, one has to be moved by the plight of the hard luck Bill Hendrickson (fabulously interpreted by Bill Paxton), forever trying to keep his besieged family together. Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. It's a wonder that he hasn't taken to the bottle over the course of the series. Read more


The End of 'Big Love,' the Rise of 'Sister Wives': Mormons, Gays and Reality TV
Melissa Tapper Goldman Culture (And TV) The Awl - New York, NY Originally published March 18, 2011
America loves TV about polygamy. After four years of the scintillating fiction of "Big Love," we were ready for fact. Or, at least, the reality-TV version of it. TLC’s series "Sister Wives" finally arrived in 2010, and the second season has just begun, as "Big Love" concludes this weekend. Like an elephant with a friendly bird to eat flies off of its back, the two shows have formed a sort of symbiosis. Fact and fiction intertwine: "Sister Wives" shows you the real-life versions of the characters. "Big Love" shows you what they might look like in bed. The excitement of "Big Love" relied on our faith in the characters’ realism, both in its writing and premise. Now, unlike the characters of both shows, we don’t need faith anymore. Instead, we find ourselves sunk in the uncanny valley between the real brood and the fake one. The two families even look shockingly alike. Kody Brown's first wife, Meri, is a mirror of Jeanne Tripplehorne’s reserved face and emotive, scrunched mouth. His newest and youngest wife, Robin, shares Ginnifer Goodwin’s bone structure and girlish figure. It’s as though the Browns were made for TV — the attractive family next door that just happens to include four wives and 16 blond children. Beyond the bedroom, the boldness possible in the fictional world of "Big Love" allows the show to tackle some political issues that "Sister Wives" will barely allude to. If gay marriage didn’t think it needed any more input from Mormons, the Browns are about to unload some heavy stuff on us, and it’s not in the form you might expect. Read more


Sister Wives in tears over police's polygamy probe
By Lee Brown People Monsters and Critics - Glasgow, Scotland Originally published March 19, 2011
Four wives in a polygamous family who star in a reality TV show have broken down in tears after realising they could be jailed. The huge Brown family have recently been seen in the opening episode of the second series of Sister Wives. By the end of the show they were facing possible jail time following a police probe and could also lose their jobs. One of Kody Brown's four wives, Meri, is seen bursting into tears as she admits: 'I have been doing a lot of thinking since the investigation came up as to whether or not I would do this again. 'It has the potential of messing up our job situations. It has the potential of splitting our family. It scares me to death the possibility of being taken away from my family, or to have Kody taken away, or the kids being split up. It scares me to death.' When the other wives were asked if they would do it all again, Janelle was defiant: 'I would choose it again - I'm tired of being afraid.' Robyn also started to cry, but insisted: 'I would choose it again - I don't want my kids growing up repressed.' However, fourth wife Christine admitted: 'I don't know.' See photo


Shows take different paths on polygamy
By ERIC DEGGANS Lifestyles Winston-Salem Journal - Winston-Salem, North Carolina Originally published March 19, 2011
Even as marriage rates decline out in the real world, TV seems fascinated with an odd offshoot: the Mormon practice of polygamy. On HBO, Sunday marks the final episode of its polygamy-centered drama, "Big Love," wrapping up a universe of convoluted plots and conflicts after five years. Besides handing meaty roles to Bill Paxton, film legend Harry Dean Stanton and talented eccentric Chloe Sevigny, we have this series to thank for introducing the world to star-in-the-making Amanda Seyfried. And as the HBO series winds down, TLC revs up the second season of its unscripted look at a real polygamous family, "Sister Wives," airing in the same 9 p.m. time slot as "Big Love." Each show tackles its subject in subversive ways. "Big Love," which its creators always posed as a nonjudgmental take on polygamy, has instead become a treatise on the hypocrisy of its characters, who fall short of their religious and moral ideals. Most recently, Paxton's Henrickson, elected to the Utah state Senate as an open polygamist, discovered his third wife lied about her age. She was 16 when they wed, and his political enemies are using statutory rape charges to end his public stand for multiple marriage. Stack that storyline on top of Henrickson's conflicts with his murderous, closeted gay brother-in-law who runs a cultish compound, and you can see why real polygamists haven't exactly embraced the series. If "Big Love" shows its characters falling short, "Sister Wives" is a too-brazen attempt to slap a "Brady Bunch"-style sheen on a practice long considered illegal in most states. Read more


On Tonight: The End of 'Big Love'
By Roger Catlin TV Eye Hartford Courant - Hartford, Connecticut Originally published March 20, 2011
It's the end tonight for "Big Love" (HBO, 9 p.m.), which presented such a compelling and credible look at a modern family trying to survive in a world where their Mormon spinoff beliefs are illegal. Throwing Bill Hendrickson into the statehouse this season has added some extra punch to the series that has mostly stayed on track as of HBO's best. And the shooting that rang out in its halls last week may lead to some prosecution for the polygamist paterfamilias. Take a bow, Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny and Ginnifer Goodwin. We have taken you for granted and we'll miss you when you're gone and all we're left with is "Sister Wives" (TLC, 9 p.m.).


Sister Wives Bombshell: Janelle is Kody Brown's Stepsister
By Danity Donnaly Right Celebrity Originally published Sunday, March 20th, 2011
On season two’s episode two, the Brown family took a trip to Wyoming to get away from the messy investigation that the police department brought upon the family after they came out as a polygamist family. But, during this episode, we are dropped a bombshell that has me wondering what other funny business is going on here! Read the Sister Wives recap below! Since the Brown family came out as polygamists via The Today Show they not only have had numerous news agencies contacting them to get the dish, but to top it off, they had their local police department announce that they were investigating their family. So to seek a bit of tranquility, the Browns packed up the whole fam to head to Wyoming to 'go play cowboys' (as Cody calls it) at his father’s ranch. After experiencing some car trouble and tons of bathroom breaks, the family eventually makes it to the ranch and there, we get to meet Winn, Kody’s 75 year old father. In addition, we get to meet Genielle, Kody’s mom, who gives us her thoughts on the polygamist lifestyle. And for once, we get to hear intelligent insight about the polygamist lifestyle, rather than a bunch of jibber jabber. Genielle sees each of Kody’s wives as spokes in a wheel. She is quoted as saying that the "more spokes in the wheel, the stronger the wheel is". Interestingly enough, there are a couple spokes on Winn’s wheel as well. Case in point? We also get to meet Janelle’s mom Sheryl. After meeting her, I expected to see the other parents of the other sister wives to start frolicking in the grass. But as it turns out Janelle’s mom is also married to Kody’s father Winn! To make things clear, that would make Janelle and Kody step-siblings. Read more


Janelle of 'Sister Wives' mother is also polygamist married to Kody's dad
Mandy Robinson Oklahoma City TV Examiner Originally published March 21st, 2011
As if 'Sister Wives' was not confusing enough, we now find out that Janelle has another connection to the family. We found out awhile back that she was originally married to Meri's brother. After the divorced, she ended up marrying Kody Brown. Well now that we are watching season 2 of this show more stuff is coming to light. Janelle has mentioned in the past that her family did not agree with her choice of lifestyle and basi