It has been a tough year for the Duggar family ever since the scandal surrounding Josh Duggar's molestation in his youth as well as his Ashley Madison account. TLC had to suddenly pull 19 Kids and Counting off the air, even though the show was doing well for the network at the time. There has been talk about a 19 Kids and Counting spinoff, and it looks like the mini-series of Jill and Jessa: Counting On is an attempt to see if the viewing public wants it. With Anna Duggar breaking her silence about Josh on the newest Jill and Jessa episode, the ratings could easily signal TLC to make that spinoff starring Jessa.
TLC has given the Duggar family a new spotlight as Jill and Jessa: Counting On premiered last Sunday, December 13. The purpose of the reality miniseries (only three episodes are planned) is to focus on the two most famous Duggar daughters as they rebuild their lives in the wake of the Josh Duggar sex scandals.
According to The Hollywood Gossip, this Sunday's all-new episode of TLC's Jill and Jessa: Counting On will have something that Duggar family followers have been wanting to see for a while. Anna Duggar will finally speak out on Josh Duggar's many sexual indiscretions and reveal why she stays with her husband. Anna has mostly stayed away from the public eye in the few months following the media blitz that happened with Josh Duggar.
There are many, including those within the Duggar family (such as Jim Bob), that do not like this type of treatment. Having Anna Duggar break her silence is going to be a ratings-booster, and it feels a little exploitive in the light of victims of the scandal.
In fact, a Facebook Page entitled "Take the Pledge to Boycott All Discovery Channels" is encouraging users to protest the return of the Duggars to television by refusing to tune into any properties owned by Discovery Communications, which includes TLC, the Discovery Channel, OWN, and other networks. There are many groups on Facebook and other online groups that are dedicated to making sure that the Duggars do not come back to television.
The issue is the networks often select programming by numbers. So if Jill and Jessa: Counting On gets high enough ratings, TLC will most certainly bring a Duggar spin-off back to the airwaves. In other words, it seems like a spin-off of 19 Kids and Counting is just inevitable if the public demonstrates that it wants it.
Hollywood Take states that there could be a spinoff around Jessa, Ben, and their baby boy Spurgeon. Jessa has been posting quite a bit on her family on social media so that it could be happening. Jill and Jessa have always been fan-favorites, and when 19 Kids and Counting focused on them, the show received its highest ratings.
Considering that Jill is busy with missionary work, a show based on Jessa Duggar sounds like something that just will happen. Whatever your opinion on the Duggars, it is a safe bet that they will return in some spin-off sometime in 2016. If there were a way to bet on this, it would be easy money.
To watch 'Jill and Jessa Counting On' live stream and recap video, click here.
