TLC- the modern day “traveling circus”?

It seems as though every time I watch TLC now, they are bombarding me with another show about a family with way too many kids, or another special about someone who weighs 3,000 pounds and has a third arm (okay maybe not that specifically.) Although at first glance I would say that TLC offers a non-hegemonic look at families and people in America, the more I think about it, the more I disagree. I think the shows have gotten somewhat ridiculous and over the top to the point that I don’t think they are doing those people who are considered “different” in this society any justice. In I fact, I would say that TLC is going along with hegemonic norms by portraying little people, or devoutly religious families who pop out a kid every year, as being so odd or different that they become a spectacle, much like the bearded lady or Siamese twins of classic sideshows of the past. Our society likes to look on in awe at lifestyles and people who deviate from the norm—hence the success of shows like Little People, Big World or John & Kate plus 8—but that doesn’t mean they aspire to be like them. What makes TLC so popular is that one can watch the shows and be entertained, but at the same time find comfort in knowing that they are “normal.”