In the middle of the drama—if not on camera or in the gossip pages—was Bill Hayes, whose company was tasked with cobbling together the footage that was shot before filming was halted. To Hayes and Figure 8, the drama surrounding Jon and Kate has mostly been a distraction. The extramarital comings and goings have never been a big part of the show, which sets Jon and Kate apart from programming in VH1’s “Celebreality” lineup, where infidelities and betrayals have been front-and-center from the beginning. Jon and Kate, the series, was about a big family trying to make their lives work. Hayes and his team worked to ensure that the show had a narrow focus. It was meant to be about the quotidian challenges of changing diapers—lots of them.
At 8pm, the night begins with Two Sisters, One heart. A one-hour special about the inspiring true story of conjoined twins Emma and Taylor Bailey.
At 9pm, the Duggars bring Baby Duggar home in 18 Kids and Counting. At 9:30pm, newlyweds Josh and Anna are settling in as the new Duggars on the block.
At 10pm, Joined For Life: Abby and Brittany Turn 16. Conjoined twins Abby and Brittany Hensel are busy with schoolwork, sports, social activities and, yes, testing for their drivers license.
Two Sisters, One heart will be on again at 11pm.
(click on image to see the full article)
Congratulations to Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar who announced they are expecting their 19th child on the Today show.
Canadian company LiveHive Systems measure how much viewers are socially engaging with a program while they watch. Jon & Kate placed 3rd on the list with a rating of 8.2. Full article available here.
Expecting and giving birth to multiples is dangerous business. Along with the rewards come great risks. This is the story of three families who walk down the road of multiple births and encounter the fear, the great sorrow, and the immense joy that can come with that journey. Premieres on August 30th, 8pm EDT on TLC.
It went from being this simple, guilty pleasure — look at all those kids! — to something that felt deeper, and more universally relevant. Even if their marital problems were fabricated for ratings, Damien and I ended up talking for hours: about why Jon felt the need to act out (resentment about staying home?); about Kate relishing the successful career that was taking her away from her kids for a book tour and speaking engagements.
Sure, Kate can be mean, but I empathized with the mom who had found her calling and was being criticized for being satisfied by something besides her children. We think of moms as being the untouchable of the two in terms of protecting their time with the kids. But is that fair? Isn’t Kate traveling in order to provide for her children? If Jon was the one on the road, would he be as criticized?
Meanwhile in Jon, I saw a mostly mellow, dedicated dad who had given up his career and his identity to be at home while his wife basked in the glow of fans who probably gave her most of the credit for raising the kids. His experience seemed to reflect the rapid pace of change for today’s fathers. Many of our own dads rarely changed diapers, but here was Jon, running a household with eight children, beloved by his kids and present at all hours of the day. This is not an easy transition to make in a culture where moms are idolized as nurturers and dads rarely take more than a few days off for paternity leave.
Link to the New York Times article.
How cable’s megafamily reality shows captivate parents and push our social buttons.
You can find the article here.
This is the official blog for Figure 8 Films and Advanced Medical Production.
We are a television production company that works out of Carrboro, NC.
