17 KIDS AND COUNTING Follows the Duggars—America’s Favorite Brood—in Their First-Ever Television Series
Jim Bob, Michelle and All the Children Welcome Viewers into Their Family with 17 KIDS AND COUNTING, Premiering Monday, September 29, at 10 and 10:30 PM (ET/PT) With Two Back-to-Back Episodes on TLC
September 8, 2008
(Silver Spring, MD)—It’s official: The Duggars are a true pop culture phenomenon. With their regular appearances on national talk shows, their countless press clippings and their enormous online following, this 19¬member family from Arkansas has all of America talking. However, while millions of people know of the Duggars, few are familiar with the individual personalities and unique experiences that make the family who they are. Audiences will get the definitive view into this one¬of¬a¬kind world on Monday, September 29, at 10 and 10:30 PM (ET/PT) when TLC presents the all¬new series, 17 KIDS AND COUNTING.
The patriarch and matriarch of this large—and still growing—group are former high school sweethearts, Jim Bob and Michelle. With values rooted in their strong personal faith, Jim Bob and Michelle firmly believe that every child is a gift to be cherished. After more than 20 years of marriage, the couple has received 17 gifts—ten boys, seven girls—with number 18 on the way. With only two sets of twins among the 17 children, Michelle has been pregnant for nearly 12 of her life. Another vital piece of Duggar trivia is that each child’s name begins with a “J”—Joshua, Jana, John¬David, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, Joy¬Anna, Jeremiah, Jedidiah, Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, Johannah and baby Jennifer.
The premiere episode of 17 KIDS AND COUNTING takes culture shock to the next level, as the family journeys to New York City for a Mother’s Day surprise. Viewers will see that hailing cabs in the Big Apple for 19 people is quite the feat. Later, the series introduces viewers to the latest business venture for the always entrepreneurial family—the Duggar Used Car Lot. Finally, this family that is known for births also has a wedding to plan with the engagement of eldest son Josh. Viewers will follow the couple from courtship to the altar and have the chance to learn about dating “Duggar style,” where hand¬holding is a luxury that only the engaged can enjoy.
17 KIDS AND COUNTING is produced for TLC by Figure 8 Films. For TLC, Alon Orstein is executive producer. For Figure 8 Films, Kirk Streb is executive producer and Sean Overbeeke is writer, director and producer.
TLC's innovative docu–series and reality¬based programming include favorites What Not to Wear, Jon & Kate Plus 8, Little People Big World and LA Ink. The channel introduced Miss America Reality Check in 2007, which helped drive the Miss America Pageant to its highest rating in years. TLC defined home design with Trading Spaces and continues to renovate the genre with series such as Holmes on Homes. TLC's daytime lineup includes the Emmy Award¬winning A Baby Story as well as Take Home Chef, featuring one of People Magazine's Sexiest Men, Curtis Stone. The channel is available in more than 96 million homes in the US, nearly 8 million homes in Canada and through the website TLC. TLC is part of Discovery Communications.