When TLC announced that the Duggars would be returning to television with a full season of Jill & Jessa: Counting On, execs likely assumed they had another hit on their hands.
After all, prior to the Josh Duggar sex scandals that forced its cancelation, 19 Kids and Counting was a reliable ratings juggernaut for ten seasons.
Unfortunately, it seems the folks at TLC underestimated the public’s ongoing outrage over Josh Duggar’s numerous transgressions.
Ratings for Counting On were decent (though they never reached the heights of 19 Kids at its peak), but the show faced a different problem as a result of the ongoing controversy surrounding the Duggar clan.
Advertisers began pulling their support shortly after the first episode aired, with many of them issuing statements publicly condemning TLC and the Duggars.
Now, nearly a month after the show’s first season finale, TLC has yet to renew Counting On, and industry insiders believe the network may have reached the decision that the Duggars are simply not worth the hassle.
Of course, it would be tough to support such a large (and ever-expanding) clan without those sweet reality TV checks rolling in, so the Duggars have enlisted their fans to help them save the family cash cow.
The hashtag “#BringtheDuggarsBack” started popping up on various social media platforms earlier this week, and the campaign to convince TLC to bankroll another season of Counting On was reportedly launched by the Duggars themselves.
It makes sense that Jim Bob and company would be masterminding the whole thing.
After all, is the casual Duggar fan even aware that Counting On is facing cancelation? We doubt it.
Unfortunately for the Duggars, the tag doesn’t seem to be gaining traction.
After several days in circulation, “#BringtheDuggarsBack” has failed to trend on either Twitter or Facebook.
So now it looks like the Duggars may have two major PR problems on their hands:
Angry advertisers – and apathetic fans.
