Last night, TLC premiered Sister Wives, its new reality series about a man, Kody, his three wives, Meri, Janelle, Christine, and their thirteen children, all happily living in attached houses in Utah. The show, obviously fascinating, is characterized by an aggressive, relentless good cheer: Kody comes across as the happiest surfer dude of a polygamist you will ever meet; the kids are performatively adorable; and the wives insist on their own normalcy. See, in particular, the clip below of them discussing the sexual arrangement — which they’re all fine with and see as an important part of Kody’s happiness. He “rotates on a schedule” — which absolutely does not involve any group-sex situations. The women all have bedrooms and Kody is invited into each of those bed rooms “alone. That’s just how it is. We don’t go weird.” Good to know.
