Passing Judgment and Constitutional Amendments: Big Love’s Commentary on Monogamy, Polygamy, and Same-Sex Marriage

• In Event: Framing Family Roles and Structures: on Television and in the White House

Abstract

Television’s Big Love centers upon a modern polygamist family. Through an examination of the show’s characters and themes, it can be shown that the text extends judgment to monogamous and normative relationships while displaying the issues of this polygamous family. In turn, the show can be viewed as a commentary on the prejudices faced by non-normative family units. This essay specifically aligns its thematic elements with the current politics surrounding Proposition 8.

Authors

• Courtney Doyle, Northern Kentucky University

• Jimmie Manning, Northern Kentucky University