Kate Plus 8 (TLC)

KATE PLUS 8 centers on newly single mom Kate Gosselin and her eight kids: twins Mady and Cara, and sextuplets Hannah, Leah, Alexis, Joel, Collin, and Aaden. Fresh from her divorce from Jon, Kate is faced with the daunting tasks of keeping her household running, managing her worldwide notoriety, and being a working mom (she’s a published author and recently competed on Dancing With the Stars). While the bulk of the show’s content centers on birthday parties, family outings, and the kids’ milestones, the fallout from the divorce does come up during Kate’s confessionals on camera.

Whether you love or hate Kate’s polarizing personality, it’s impossible to dismiss her position as a symbol of modern motherhood. She faces the same types of stresses that other moms do, but on a much larger scale because of her family dynamic. Now that she’s divorced, of course, there’s a whole new set of issues to resolve, but an unexpected plus is that Jon’s absence makes for far less bickering. On the downside, Jon's absence also means more camera time for Kate, and she clearly soaks up the extra attention.

There’s really no reason for kids to tune in to this show, since they won’t get anything positive out of watching the Gosselin tots take elaborate trips or zip around in their flashy riding toys. Kate makes harsh comments about Jon during her camera confessionals (she holds her tongue around the kids), and she's sarcastic to the kids themselves . Then there's the issue of her inviting media attention through the show while crying foul on the paparazzi's interest in her family. If you can tolerate Kate’s strong personality, though, the show does feature the occasional heartfelt moment between her and the kids.