As we reported yesterday, the Duggars are returning to TLC next month with a full order of episodes for Jill and Jessa: Counting On, the limited-run spinoff series that debuted on the network last year.
As you might guess from the title, the show will focus on sisters Jill Dillard and Jessa Seewald – both of them new moms – and the challenges they face as they start families of their own and rebuild their lives in the wake of the Josh Duggar sex scandals.
Of course, as the show’s first trailer (above) indicates, Jill and Jessa will be joined by some of their older siblings, including fan favorites Jana and Jinger Duggar.
No surprise there. After all, it’s the incredible size of the Duggar brood that made the family famous in the first place.
What is somewhat surprising, however, is the fact Jill and Jessa’s parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, are nowhere to be found in the preview.
That may be the network’s way of playing it safe, as Jim Bob and Michelle remain controversial figures, having been heavily criticized for allegedly helping hide Josh’s sex crimes from authorities.
Now, however, several sources are reporting that the show will serve as a “Trojan horse” of sorts to help Michelle and Jim Bob gradually make their way back into the public’s good graces.
Before the initial run of Counting On was green lit, Jim Bob reportedly shot down the idea because he refused to allow his children to star in a show that didn’t feature the entire Duggar clan.
So it’s not far-fetched to think that producers promised him that Jill and Jessa would simply be opening the door so that the entire family could eventually return to TV in a full-time capacity.
Well, almost the entire family.
We can’t see audiences embracing Josh with open arms any time soon.
