Loosely based on the reality TV family's defamation, the episode will feature a pregnant 13-year-old daughter of a large family.
- Oct 13, 2015
AceShowbiz - "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" is taking a page out of the Duggars' black book. The long-running NBC series, known for adopting headlines into their storyline, will air an episode inspired by the reality-TV family on November 4 at 9 P.M.
The episode is loosely based on the Duggars whose reputation as a conservative and religious family was tarnished by the eldest son Josh Duggar's sex scandals. "Patrimonial Burden" follows conservative reality TV parents whose attempt to raise their 10 children in a "virtuous" lifestyle is challenged when the pregnancy of their 13-year-old daughter exposes them to the scrutiny of the show's police unit.
"It never ceases to amaze me how stupid some men in power can be, and so we'll be writing about [that]," showrunner Warren Leight told The Hollywood Reporter. "Over the summer, there were some very public stories about religious families with problems at their core, and we might take a look at that."
An episode inspired by the family has been on the cards for a while. Peter Scanavino, who plays Detective Carisi on the show, told reporters on set last month, "I wouldn't mind doing [a Duggar episode] just because I have never been so infuriated with someone's level of hypocrisy, and lying, and then displacement of responsibility onto something else. When I think about [Josh Duggar], it boils my blood, I will say."
The real-life Duggars must deal with the fact that Josh molested girls including two of his own sisters as a teen. His parents managed to cover up the situation until Josh confessed to it and other defaming scandals including infidelity, porn addiction and hypocrisy. Their reality show "19 Kids and Counting" was canceled in July this year.
