15 unconventional TV couples that probably shouldn’t have worked

Bill Hendrickson and Barbara Hendrickson, Margene Heffman and Nicolette Grant — Big Love

Perhaps the most nontraditional relationship(s) on the list, the folks on Big Love really knew how to push the boundaries of the contemporary love story. Bill Hendrickson is the patriarch (and I use that word with all its cultural associations attached) of a fundamentalist Mormon family in which he has three wives. Barbara is the first wife, and has been there the longest and thus has the most seniority. Next is Nicolette, and then finally Margene.

Now, it is not for us to judge the conventions or values of another, but I can judge the sheer dynamics of this situation. The most pressing matter would be finding the time and energy to make three wives happy. The show deftly addresses Bill’s struggle, but as a woman, I have to say, it would take an incredible amount of patience and understanding.

It would also take an insane amount of money to maintain three separate households, in which none of the wives work outside the home. Because Bill is a very conservative Mormon, he prefers to have his wives stay at home, but consequently he must do all the providing for these three wives and their children. I’m not sure there is enough hardware in the world to make that a reality.

This would also create an inconvenient reality for the women, since they would never have time alone. There would be no sneaking a 4 p.m. glass of Chardonnay or a secret Amazon purchase. You have eyes everywhere. You would have to make the other women your buddies just to keep the peace, and that sounds even more exhausting than maintaining three marriages.