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Before Sister Wives, there was Big Love. The Emmy-nominated HBO drama about a fundamentalist Mormon family living a polygamist lifestyle aired from 2006 to 2011. In fact, when TLC introduced viewers to the Brown family in 2010, many dubbed their show “the real-life Big Love.” And the Browns did admit that there were some similarities between themselves and the fictional Henrickson clan. But the show also got some aspects of living plural marriage wrong, they said. 

Kody Brown said he could relate to Bill from ‘Big Love,’ but his family was ‘more interesting’ 

Kody Brown of 'Sister Wives' poses for a photo with his four wives, Robyn, Meri, Christine, and Janelle
(L-R) Robyn Brown, Meri Brown, Kody Brown, Christine Brown, and Janelle Brown from ‘Sister Wives’ | Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Before the series premiere of Sister Wives in 2010, Kody Brown and his four wives – Meri Brown, Christine Brown, Janelle Brown, and Robyn Brown – chatted with TV Guide about their new show. They also shared their take on the acclaimed HBO drama, which starred Bill Paxton as Bill Henrickson, the head of a polygamist family in Salt Lake City. Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloë Sevigny, and Ginnifer Goodwin played his three wives, Barb, Nicki, and Margene. 

Kody said he felt a certain kinship with Bill, who was constantly struggling to balance the needs of his three wives and his multiple children. 

“I can relate to Bill as the guy you see and go, ‘Oh man, you’re in Hell. This is hard.’ I’ve been there,” he said. “But that show is completely soap opera. I think we’re more interesting.”

The ‘Sister Wives’ stars said some parts of ‘Big Love’ were familiar

The Browns went on to say that some aspects of the Henrickson family’s lifestyle were familiar. On Big Love, one of Bill and Barb’s children decided polygamy was not right for her. Back in 2010, the Browns confirmed that they’d be dealing with similar issues with their own children. 

“You’re going to see that on our show,” Meri said. 

So far, none of the Brown children (so far) have decided on plural marriage. 

Meri also joked that she could relate to a Big Love storyline where Margene introduced Bill to a potential fourth wife. “Janelle says I’m in mergers and acquisitions, but that’s not my role,” she said. “It just so happened that we met Janelle through my family, and Christine through her sister. Kody and I met Robyn at the same time.”

However, other aspects of Big Love raised some eyebrows among the Browns. Christine called the flirtation between Margene and one of Barb and Bill’s children “sick and wrong.” And Kody said it was “unrealistic” when Bill was intimate with his future fourth wife ahead of their marriage. 

“I saw that episode and it bugged the hell out of Meri and me,” he said. 

Another polygamist family inspired ‘Big Love’

Related

‘Sister Wives’: Christine Brown Publicly Denounces Polygamy — “I Will Be a Monogamist From Here On Out’

These days, the Browns are probably the best-known polygamists in America. But it was actually another polygamist family that supposedly inspired Big Love: the Darger family. Over the years, the Dargers – husband Joe and his wives Alina, Vicki, and Valerie – have been prominent advocates for decriminalizing polygamy in Utah (which eventually happened in 2020). They’re also friends with the Browns. 

When Big Love star Bill Paxton died in 2017, the Dargers praised him and the show for shifting public perceptions of polygamy. 

“Paxton made the most difficult role believable and in the process altered the social narrative if ever so slightly,” they wrote on Facebook (via The Salt Lake Tribune). “Big Love remains a popular and well-regarded [TV show], and opinions about plural families have become more enlightened.”

Sister Wives airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on TLC. Episodes also stream on discovery+.

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