Have you been missing those wacky Duggars? Never fear, they’rrrrre baaaaaack!
19 Kids & Counting returns at 8 p.m. today on TLC with more adventures of the happy clan from Tontitown. There will be 10 episodes.
It’s hard to believe that this is Season 8 for Jim Bob, Michelle and all the little Duggars. The series debuted in 2008 as 17 Kids & Counting. That changed to 18 Kids in 2009. Some of those little Duggars aren’t so little anymore.
In fact, eldest child Josh got hitched to Anna in 2008 and started a mini-clan of his own. The couple now have three kids - Mackynzie, Michael and Marcus. Note that they have eschewed their parents’ naming tradition to start their own with the letter M instead of J.
Josh and Anna and their kids now live in Washington, where 26-year-old Josh works for the Family Research Council as executive director of the organization’s political and lobbying arm, FRC Action.
Quoted in The Washington Post, Josh said, “I obviously do work for a political organization and I do take specific viewpoints on the issues, [however] you will always hear me going into discourse showing Christian love to everyone I come across. My goal is to respect and love.”
FRC Action’s mission is “to educate the general public and cultural leaders about traditional American values and to promote the philosophy of the Founding Fathers concerning the nature of ordered liberty.”
Meanwhile, what’s happening back in Arkansas?
On Nov. 8, 2011, Michelle announced on NBC’s Today show that she was expecting child No. 20. A month later she and Jim Bob sadly revealed she had miscarried.
The news since then has been happier. Last September the family revealed that Jessa (now 21) was being courted by Ben Seewald of Hot Springs. They met at church.
Josh and Anna famously saved their first kiss for their wedding day. Likewise, Jessa and Ben have agreed not to smooch or even hold hands until they get married. And they always have a chaperone on dates, phone calls and even text messages.
Judging from the accompanying photo (and plenty of others online), courtship doesn’t prohibit a sort of chaste hugging with Ben’s arm around Jessa’s shoulder. Hey - don’t be surprised if Ben hasn’t already popped the question, allowing him quickie hugging privileges.
TLC tells us, “Now that their courtship is official, the Duggar boys put Ben to the test, making sure he’s ready to take care of their sister. Later, the tables are turned when Jessa visits Ben’s hometown and gets hit with some serious questions during a double date with Ben’s parents.”
This entire season will reflect a changing family dynamic as the kids continue to grow up. Other than Josh and Jessa, the adult Duggar children are twins Jana and John-David, who are 24 now, Jill (22), Jinger (20) and Joseph (19).
The ages ratchet down with four more Duggars in their teens, and wind up with little Josie, already 4 years old.
Also this season, the four eldest Duggar girls have written a book, Growing Up Duggar, and the family attends Erin Bates’ highly anticipated wedding.
Michelle will spend time one on one with each of her children, and the whole family visits Josh and Anna in Washington.
Throughout the season, cameras will check in on Josh and Anna as she begins homeschooling her own young family. In addition, two of the Duggars make a special trip to Nepal and the youngest children prepare a surprise dinner theater talent show for Jim Bob and Michelle.
All in all, it appears to be a full season for fans of the family.
Series returns. In other (unrelated) TLC news, 35 new episodes of Sex Sent Me to the ER debut at 8 p.m. April 12. The series exposes “real-life, hilarious stories of what happens when passion turns to panic and leads to the emergency room.”
I’d describe some of the episodes, but they’re a bit too off-color for this space.
April Fool. And finally, it is with great joy that I report that Mystery Science Theater 3000 has returned. Well, sort of.
The beloved cult series ended in 1999. It featured Mike Nelson and robots Crow T. Robot, Tom Servo, and Gypsy showing cheesy old B-movies on Comedy Central and Sci-Fi and cracking wise from the “audience.”
It was a hoot.
The MST3K trio of Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett will be back today at 7 p.m. on National Geographic Channel for a special. Instead of old movies, the lampooned will include Nat Geo’s own programming lineup.
The special, Total Riff Off, will feature three hours of clips from such shows as Honey Badgers, Unlikely Animal Friends, Man v. Monster, Swamp Men and Alpha Dogs.
The event is divided into three hour-long episodes: “Killer Shrimp N’ Friends,” “Demon Bat” and “Guy and a Goose.”
Pop the corn and enjoy. Just remember, honey badger don’t care.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email: mstorey@arkansasonline.com
Style, Pages 30 on 04/01/2014