I’ll admit that I’m not a loyal fan of Little People, Big World on TLC. After all, its regular time slot is up against The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother. However, one of the great things about many of the cable stations, including TLC, is that they re-air the shows at various hours and sometimes even show mini-marathons. That’s how I originally came across the series. I recall it was a rainy Sunday afternoon and I was channel surfing. I hit a marathon of LP, BP and that was that. Now if it’s on at an odd hour and I don’t have a “must watch” show, I catch it.
Yes, it’s another reality show. Matt and Amy Roloff are both little people. They have four children — two teenage twin boys (Zach and Jeremy), one teenage daughter (Molly), and one pre-teen son (Jacob). Of the four children, only Zach has dwarfism. The show often portrays the various challenges of little people. But, after watching so many episodes, I tend to think of it as watching the Roloff family.
For some reason, the dwarfism is playing second fiddle to the personalities for me. I think Matt, a laid-off executive, tends to be overbearing. He also tends to have lots of big dreams. Maybe it should have been called “Little Dad, Big Dreams.” He runs the Roloff Farm, is involved in all kinds of events, remodels his home into something way beyond their needs and so on. I can’t help but think that if they didn’t have the money coming in from the series, they would be bankrupt.
Amy, on the other hand, is a realist. She works outside the house and is a soccer mom kind of gal, too. The cameras have often caught some of her frustrations with Matt’s dreams. She’s not the world’s best housekeeper, but that makes her seem more real in many ways. If I had to have a Roloff adult friend, it would be her. Matt would definitely get on my nerves.
Then there are the kids. Jacob was about the same size as Zach in the early episodes. He’s shot up over a foot taller now. Jeremy has the good looks of every high school jock and is probably very popular. Molly is tall, attractive, and seems typical teenage girl. Then comes Zach — all less than four feet of him. It’s got to be hard, but this kid really has resilience. He’s into sports and, though not as fast as his twin, he goes after the prize.
The show can get a bit schmaltzy at times, but it’s like peeking in on a real family — no immunity challenges, no competitions, no runway models, or celebrities. It’s the everyday lives of the Roloffs, clothes on the floor and dishes in the sink. It makes me happy that no one ever decided to film my family.
Clacked by Jackie Schnoop 
on Dec 05, 2008 @ 16:00 EST5EDT
Well described, my wife and I stumbled on this show back when they did a special about a year before the series began. Now while my wife watches it regularly, I catch it like you do. I like the Roloffs, and think Matt means well. He can definitely be overbearing, but there’s a lot of love in the family and it’s a feel good reality series, which is nice.
I like this show too but do not watch it on a regular basis. I find it by channel surfing, did not know when it airs but will sit on a cold, rainy Saturday or Sunday and watch a marathon of it all day!
Ive been watching this show since it began, great program.
Matt overbearing? i don’t see it. i think he gets frustrated by Amy’s lack of support and constant criticism. you can see it on his face every time she shoots him down ,it’s frustrating to watch. yes he has big dreams and it seems to me he has had the wherewithal to accomplish whatever he sets out to .