Here's What We Know About TLC's Doubling Down With The Derricos

TLC has become the king of showcasing the chaotic lives of families with multiples upon multiples of kids. Jon & Kate Plus 8 set a specific style of reality TV in motion in 2007 and was succeeded by 19 Kids and Counting, Counting On, Outdaughtered, and Sweet Home Sextuplets. You'd think people might get tired of seeing these mega families, but TLC will soon add another large family to their fold. 

On July 14, 2020, TLC took to Twitter to announce a new show, Doubling Down With The Derricos. "What do you get when you have two kids, then twins, then quintuplets, then twins again and now...TRIPLETS?" the tweet read. "Introducing the Derricos, a family with MULTIPLE multiples!"

If you weren't counting, that's 11 kids and three on the way for Karen and Deon. The Derricos will be the first Black family of multiples on the channel, which — from the responses on Twitter — is primed to bring more eyes to the network and the Derrico family. 

So what more did we learn from the show's two-minute trailer? Quite a bit, actually.

Karen Derrico may be a medical miracle. As Deon Derrico explained in the trailer, "Having four sets of multiples back to back? It's like getting struck by lightning while getting struck by lightning." This fact made an impression on many who viewed the trailer, especially with Karen being an American Black woman. One Twitter user pointed out, "The fact that she is a black women [sic] who survived the healthcare system 6 times is so amazing to me."

The tweet is in alignment with a 2019 press release from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which stated that Black, American Indian, and Alaska Native women are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes — due to racial and ethnic disparities and bias — than white women. 

"It's basically a public health and human rights emergency because it's been estimated that a significant portion of these deaths could be prevented," Director of the Women and Health Initiative at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Dr. Ana Langer, told the American Heart Association. "Basically, Black women are undervalued. They are not monitored as carefully as white women are. When they do present with symptoms, they are often dismissed."

Doubling Down With the Derricos will give viewers a look into Karen and Deon Derrico's life of "sleepless nights, sibling squabbles and a living room full of toe-tripping toys" and their journey through the birth of their set of triplets. According to the official TLC press release, the premiere season will follow Karen's pregnancy from 24 weeks as doctors advise her to spend the remainder of her pregnancy in hospital care bed rest and Deon takes care of all 11 children alone. Yikes. 

"Nothing goes according to plan, and the Derricos are faced with surprise after surprise as they welcome three newborns while working hard to give their other 11 children ranging from 2 to 14 years old, all the love and attention they need," the release read. 

Doubling Down With the Derricos will premiere on TLC on Aug. 11, 2020, which is enough time to get acquainted with other families of multiples for a warm-up.