The nice, normal Jones multiples family returns to TLC.
TLC loves to focus on families made up of multiples as evidenced by the success of their shows that follow the Duggars and the Gosselins. However, those two shows attract attention merely for the freakish, ever-expanding size of the Duggar brood and the narcissistic behavior exhibited by Kate Gosselin (which ultimately sank her gravy train show). On the flip side at TLC is Quints by Surprise, the sweet, half-hour glimpse into the world of Ethan and Casey Jones, their “surprise” quintuplets and their eldest daughter, Eliot.
In its third season premiere, Quints by Surprise shows the five babies moving past the terrible twos and coming into their own individual personalities as they celebrate their third year of life. Ethan and Casey are lifelong sweethearts and now harried but never mean parents that are ready and willing to help their little ones get on with life’s milestones like moving into their own beds and graduating from mobile seats at the dinner table to real chairs.
Living in a very nice custom home in Austin, TX, the Jones have the space to accommodate their en mass growth spurts but it’s clear that it still takes a massive amount of time and patience to endeavor the additions that come fast and furious in their household. Title cards explain the family spends about $1250 a month just on feeding the growing babies and Casey has to do 14 loads of laundry a week just to keep up with all their dirty clothes. Ethan has become the de facto builder of the family assembling everything including the new beds, which takes an entire day. It’s not exactly riveting TV but certainly relatable. Later he’s tasked with building a new dining table and then, via a sneak attack by Casey, to build individual desks for each tyke. As he half-jokingly laments, the building is never done yet he makes it clear in word and deed that he loves bonding with all his kids during the process as they help tighten up dowels or hold pieces for him to screw into the furniture.
Unlike the Gosselin parents who pulled focus from their kids for their own petty issues, the Jones’ are a very mellow couple who stay away from launching any harpy remarks or biting commentary about one another. In keeping with their vibe, the premiere episode is really just about getting through a typical day and enjoying the kid’s reactions to the entire changing of the sleeping guard. The only crying pretty much comes from some kid-sized meltdowns, primarily from Brooklyn or Jack, which are then quickly handled by mom or dad with time-outs or required apologies. There’s nothing overly dramatic happening, and it all may be a tad bit boring if you really want to be honest, but at least it’s not exploitive. Quints by Surprise is truly a slice-of-life family show and much like watching your family or friend’s home movies about their kids, it can be as fun or tedious as the moment being captured. But there’s something sweet about just stopping by to watch a normal multiple family that’s not being over-produced and packaged. Hopefully it remains the innocent family reality show on TV for some time.
This review originally appeared on TV Geek Army.