You must read Ta-Nehisi Coates comparison of his complicated Baltimore family with the Richardson family on Big Love. It's just good writing.
Douthat says that the show is a sympathetic portrayal of a conservative, religious family life. I don't think it's all that sympathetic this season. We're hearing a lot more of the abuses of conservative, religious life now. Ripped from the headlines, they are talking about forced marriages, abandoned boys, and double standards. Barb's religious Mormon sister is a mean-spirited, hypocrite. Every time the wives say that Bill is their Lord and master, it makes my skin crawl.
While I appreciate Ta-Nehisi's wonderful essay and sympathy towards the Bill character, I see too many differences between modern, complicated family life and polygamy. Still, Big Love is one of the best shows on TV.