Is There A Duggar Spinoff in the Works at TLC?
It seems that the TLC Network is not yet ready to let go of the Duggars completely. Despite the controversy that Josh Duggar has gotten himself into and the ensuing public backlash, the network is reportedly negotiating a spinoff series which will star other prominent members of the Duggar family, namely Duggar daughters Jill and Jessa alongside their spouses.
According to a report in Us Weekly, Jill and her husband Derick Dillard, and Jessa and her husband Ben Seewald are in talks with the network to have their own show. The report says that inside sources are saying that the network is "actively working towards a spinoff."
"They've invested a lot of time in developing these story lines and the last thing they want to do is to throw it all away," the insider said. The network has yet to decide and make any announcement about the fate of the "19 Kids and Counting" show, after it pulled out all episodes off the air when Josh Duggar admitted his wrongdoing.
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With Josh out of the picture in the possible spinoff, the network is banking on the popularity of the Duggar sisters. According to a report in the Huffington Post, the idea for a spinoff is not far-fetched. The Duggars' adult married children, Jill and Jessa, have become stars of the reality show, pulling up the show's ratings whenever their lives are featured. Last year, 4.4 million people were watching Jill's wedding, while Jessa's wedding special was not far behind, with 4.3 million viewers. Peeking into their married lives will also likely bring in lots of viewers.
TLC has not confirmed rumors of these spinoff talks. The network is under a lot of pressure, most especially from the public to decide on the fate of the reality show. After Josh's admission which was followed by his parents' confirmation that they kept the matter from the police, the show was temporarily taken off the air. Major advertisers started withdrawing support for the show. At one point, TLC was even considering continuing without Josh, but even that may seem impossible without advertisers.
Public outrage has been building up. Several petitions on the petition site, Change.org have been put up calling for the show's cancellation.
