Escaping Polygamy

Escaping Polygamy
Genre	Reality Television
Starring	Jessica Christensen Andrea Christensen Shanell DeRieux
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	39
Production
Executive producers	Dee Bagwell Haslam Rob Lundgren
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Original release
Network	Lifetime (TV Network)
Release	December 30, 2014 (2014-12-30) – 2019 (2019)

Escaping Polygamy is an American docudrama television series that premiered on December 30, 2014, on LMN. The show now airs on Lifetime (TV & online), but can also be viewed on Tubi and Court TV, and follows the work of three sisters who left the Davis County Cooperative Society, a polygamous group based in Salt Lake City known externally as the Kingston Group and internally as the Order, ^[1] as they help family and friends break free of polygamy. ^{[2] [3]} They have also helped people escape from the FLDS and AUB churches. The show was originally on A&E, but later moved to Lifetime. The series was renewed for a fourth season on March 4, 2019, and premiered on Lifetime on April 1, 2019. ^[4]

Michelle Mueller, a researcher of religious studies, examined the potential sensationalization of polygamy by the docudrama series. Mueller argues that the show relies on “moral panic” as a motivating factor for viewership through Escaping Polygamy’s references of high-profile cases of abuse within the Kingston Group and other polygamist sects, such as the conviction of David Ortell Kingston for incest and unlawful sexual conduct with his underage niece and jail time for John Daniel Kingston after pleading guilty to beating his daughter when she resisted marrying her uncle. ^{[5] [ unreliable source? ] [6]}

Since the fourth season aired, there has been no official announcement from Lifetime regarding the future of the show.

References

1. "Escaping Polygamy: What is The Order?". Monsters and Critics. July 30, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
2. "The Women of 'Escaping Polygamy': See Their Impressive Lives Today". In Touch Weekly. October 14, 2017. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
3. "'Escaping Polygamy' Star: I Couldn't Get a Job after the Show Aired". Us Weekly. February 7, 2017. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
4. "Lifetime Releases Season 5 of 'Escaping Polygamy' Details". March 6, 2019.
5. Mueller, Michelle (2019). "Escaping the Perils of Sensationalist Television Reduction". The Journal of Alternative Religions. 22: 70.
6. Cart, Julie (June 4, 1999). "Incest Trial Sheds Light on Polygamy in Utah". Los Angeles Times.