The Duggars have how many children? Oh, that’s right. There are 19 of them now, all from the same parents.
“19 Kids and Counting”
Tuesdays at 9 p.m.
TLC
After the last few seasons, the Duggar family shows America why the phrase “and Counting” is prominently featured in the title: The 42-year-old Michelle Duggar has had two children since the show started back in 2006. And it doesn’t look like she’ll be stopping anytime soon.
After the massive success of “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” TLC took America’s obsession with families that have massive amounts of children and amplified it. “19 Kids and Counting” follows the Duggar family of Tonitown, Ark., consisting of father Jim Bob, mother Michelle and their 19 children: Joshua, Jana, John-David, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, Joy-Anna, Jedidiah, Jeremiah, Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, Johannah, Jennifer, Jordyn-Grace and Josie. They are an uber-conservative Baptist family that is morally opposed to birth control and therefore, keep popping out the kids.
Exactly how does the family manage that many children? According to Michelle, the older kids help supervise the younger kids. The Duggar parents also have strict rules about the use of computers and television. (But apparently starring on a show is acceptable.) All of this, as Jim Bob and Michelle put it, makes for a happy family. In fact, they are so happy it’s annoying. Everyone is always smiling and it seems like the parents have never had a fight in their lives.
In past seasons, the series’s main focus has been on normal (albeit oversized) family-type activities like taking vacations in their giant mobile home and celebrating Christmas. This season’s premiere, however, focuses on the newest Duggar baby, Josie, who was born almost four months early. The family has relocated to Little Rock, Ark. to be near Josie while she is in the hospital.
While the show focuses heavily on the children, there is a lack of actual entertainment. The “19 Kids” family does pretty much what all families do, only on a bigger scale. Nothing is surprising because everyone has lived it in their own lives. And because the parents never fight (maybe that’s the secret to a happy marriage, Jon and Kate) it’s a retread of “Leave it to Beaver” suburbia. Moreover, many of the events featured on “19 Kids” seem scripted, defeating the purpose of watching a family live its “normal life.”
Basically, the only thing that “19 Kids and Counting” leaves its audience with is one question: How long until Michelle Duggar is pregnant again? Give it a few weeks.