There's at least one lesson to be learned from all this: Tread carefully when you're naming a show. Whoever came up with "Jon & Kate Plus 8" is probably wishing by now they'd been a bit less specific.
Television shows are populated by people, who are not always inclined to go along with the script - even when it's a "reality" show.
Stars fight. Get pregnant. Get arrested. And it's up to the production staff to make it work.
"People aren't predictable," says Linda Midgett, who was executive producer of the 2003 Chicago reality series "Starting Over." The idea was to give troubled women a second chance.
"We were constantly adjusting our plans for the show based on what was actually happening on the house," says Midgett.
"One night I got a call at 3 in the morning that one of the women had drunk a bottle of vodka," she remembers. "She was a closet alcoholic, was hiding it in the bathroom under the sink and none of us knew it. We realized, whoa. It sort of explained a lot of her behavior."
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Producers debated what to do. "It's complicated, it's hard," says Midgett. "Ultimately, we had to work that into the show. We sent her off to rehab."
It's a tough call - especially when ratings are at stake. TLC president Eileen O'Neill told the New York Times, "It's hard to walk away from a big number." Last Monday's episode garnered 10.6 million viewers. Basically, the plan is to shift attention away from the divorcing Jon and Kate Gosselin. "We anticipate that the focus will remain on the parent-child relationship," O'Neill said.
It's not just the ratings, either. If the Gosselins should claim that the production company was the cause of their family devastation, they could sue for emotional distress, says Lorrie McNaught, who places insurance for TV and film companies with Aon/Albert G. Ruben.
McNaught advises TLC to tiptoe through the next few months. "As the season goes along and they do interviews with both parents, if [Jon or Kate] mention anything derogatory -- if they're not very careful with the way they edit the footage -- they could end up with a libel or slander suit."
Her company was involved with the 2005 reality show "Breaking Bonaduce," which documented some unexpectedly self-destructive behavior from Danny Bonaduce: binge drinking and then hitting the highway on his scooter, among other things. "He loved the cameras being there," says McNaught. "But his family didn't so much. He fed off it, and the family kind of felt like he was being riled up and acting out even more so than had the cameras not been there." In the end, there was no lawsuit.
It's an interesting time to be kicking off a new series called "Raising Sextuplets." The people behind the WE tv series are quick to point out the differences between the Gosselins and the Masches, an Arizona-based couple who juggle work and family. "We filmed just five days a month," says Kim Martin, Executive Vice President and General Manager of WE tv. "They told us, very clearly, that their No. 1 priority is family and their marriage."
This Thursday will be the fourth of the six-episode series. That's a big difference from "Jon & Kate," which currently has a 40-episode order. Only six have aired so far.
"It works with our schedule perfectly," says mom Jenny Masche, who foresees no family complications from the show. "It's a lot of fun for us."
They're open to more filming, but nothing has been solidified yet. "We're open to it," says Masche. "We'd just keep it the way it is. Nonstressful and nonintrusive."
Other shows haven't been so lucky. Here's a brief history of series that had to get creative when their original concept changed.
"One Day at a Time"The original concept: A feminist, divorced mother raises her two teenage daughters.
The hiccup: During the 1977-78 season, Mackenzie Phillips developed a cocaine problem and was arrested for public drunkenness.
The show's solution: After a six-week vacation to clean herself up - she didn't - she was fired from the show. She returned for some guest star appearances.
The aftermath: The show continues on until 1984 with even better ratings. In 2005, Bonnie Franklin, Mackenzie Phillips, Valerie Bertinelli and Pat Harrington reunited for an hourlong retrospective.
"Ellen"The original concept: A neurotic, single bookstore owner muddles through with the help of quirky friends and family.
The hiccup: In 1997, Ellen DeGeneres announced that she was gay on Time magazine's cover and on Oprah Winfrey's show.
The show's solution: On the famous "Puppy Episode," Ellen's character came out as gay, too - announcing it to guest star Laura Dern, and accidentally announcing it over an airport intercom. ABC placed a parental advisory at the beginning of each episode.
The aftermath: The show was pulled from the schedule the next year. In 2002, DeGeneres launched her well-received daytime talk show. Laura Dern, however, said she couldn't get an acting role for a year after kissing Ellen on TV.
"The Simple Life"
The original concept: Two superficial, socialite BFFs lower themselves to perform menial jobs such as cleaning, farming, and slinging fast food.
The hiccup: After three seasons on MTV, stars Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie had a famous falling-out and refused to speak to each other.
The show's solution: The series moved to E!, and Paris and Nicole were placed with various families separately, to learn about "wifely" duties.
The aftermath: For the final season, the girls had made up and filmed "The Simple Life Goes to Camp." The bonding continued. Years later, Paris dated Benji Madden while Nicole was married to Joel Madden.
"Zoey 101"The original concept: A sweet teen makes friends at boarding school. The idea was that Jamie Lynn Spears would develop as a Nickelodeon singer and personality, the same way sister Britney got her start at Disney.
The hiccup: Jamie Lynn announced that she was pregnant at age 16 by her hometown boyfriend.
The show's solution: The fourth and final season of the show had completed production, and Nickelodeon aired it.
The aftermath: Jamie Lynn returned to Kentwood, Louisiana, to raise her baby, taking a hiatus from show business.
"Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica"The original concept: Freshly married pop stars Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey navigate domesticity.
The hiccup: By the fourth season, the tensions between the two were palpable - bickering, nagging, a root canal, and Jess's disastrous "Dukes of Hazzard" phase.
The show's solution: The fourth season became the last season.
The aftermath: The last episode aired on March 30, 2005. By December, Jessica had filed for divorce.
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