Vicarious Kin
Suddenly TV is bursting with reality-based shows featuring large, happy families. What’s up with that? The Los Angeles Times gives mostly positive overviews of the hits — TLC’s “Little People, Big World,” Discovery Health’s “Then Came Six” and seven others. “Decades ago, the average American family was much bigger than today’s,” the paper reports, “and their TV counterparts reflected that lifestyle in shows like ‘Eight Is Enough’ and ‘The Cosby Show.’ In 1976, 59% of women ages 40 to 44 had three or more children, according to census data.” Now, of course, small families are the norm — yet, marvels the Times, “viewers still seem fascinated by huge families.” Eileen O’ Neill, president of TLC, told the Times: “We all are part of some family structure and connect in some way to watching a super-sized version of it.”
