Big Love
polygamy
Bill Henrickson leads a quiet suburban life in modern Salt Lake City, Utah, typical by virtually all standards except he has three wives and three families living in continguous households. Bill is attempting to live the American dream times three, fulfill his religious and familial obligations (including an emphasis of those in the bedroom), and establish his identity in a test of wills against his second father-in-law, the prophet Roman. Much of the show's interest lies in the domestic dynamic between his wives Barb (#1), Nicki (#2), and Margene (#3).
See Mormon Film: Key Films of the Fifth Wave
This HBO series received a lion's share of publicity and generally raving national reviews before its premiere in early 2006. Essentially serving as a replacement to the series "Sex and the City" and premiering after the highly popular "The Sopranos," "Big Love" is a slightly veiled platform in favor of deconstructing traditional monogamous definitions of marriage, as the show's creators themselves have stated.
The main characters are overtly not members of the LDS Church, though the show never identifies them as officially Fundamentalist LDS or any other denomination; there are secondary characters who are identified as mainstream Mormons; though some are stereotypical and flat, they are generally sympathetic, as with Heather Tuttle, a friend of the family's teenage daughter, played by Tina Majorino ("Napoleon Dynamite").
The series has been extended to a second season. It was created by Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer and is executive produced by the actor Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman of Playtone.
March 12, 2006
USA
English
HBO
Non-Mormon Production
Bill Paxton - Bill Henrickson; Jeanne Tripplehorn - Barb Henrickson; Chloe Sevigny - Nicki Henrickson; Ginnifer Goodwin - Margene Henrickson; Harry Dean Stanton - Roman; Amanda Seyfried - Sarah Henrickson; Douglas Smith - Ben Henrickson; Bruce Dern - Franklin Henrickson; Tina Majorino - Heather Tuttle
TV: MA
Narrative Film; Significant Mormon Elements
HBO
Television
series of one-hour episodes
Originated on 35mm, distributed video
Polygamy loves company.