By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Little people have become popular subject matter on reality TV the past ten years.
Here's a sampling: TLC's "Little People, Big World" (2006-present), TLC's "Little Couple" (2009-present), Animal Planet's "Pit Boss" (2010-2013), TLC's "7 Little Johnstons," who live in Forsyth County (2013-present).
And Lifetime has aired three different incarnations of "Little Women" to date. The fourth debuts on January 27 out of Atlanta with six new ladies revealing their lives to the world.
Eric Detwiler, an executive producer for all the "Little Women" shows, said it took about a year to find this cast for the eight-episode first season, shot last summer and fall in metro Atlanta. "We wanted to make sure this lives up to the bar we set in 'Little Women LA,' " he said. "I like the fact they all have complex personal relationships with their love interests, with their parents, with their children. Four of the six have kids. That makes a difference."
All six knew each other before the show as shot. "It's a small world in little people world," he said.
The women are all in their 20s, younger in general than those on the other "Little Women" shows. And they're ready to party!
Two are really close friends - Emily Fernandez and Brianna Barlup. As dancers, they go by nicknames "Left Cheek" and "Right Cheek" respectively. And they are frequently mistaken as sisters. They get hired by nightclubs and strip clubs to dance - but are not strippers.
Identical twins Andrea and Amanda Salinas arrive in Atlanta from Dallas and immediately compete with Emily and Brianna for attention at clubs. Jealousy reigns. There is plenty of verbal battling at Opera nightclub in Midtown during the first episode, which also features Rickey Smiley's crew member Miss Juicy.
"We've known them for years," said Emily. "We have a history. It's rocky." While she doesn't think the twins have bad intentions, she sees them as a bit immature.
Detwiler says Emily is great for the show since she "is the most outspoken girl in the group. She has a very strong personality."
Emily herself admits she loses control at times. A single mom with a boyfriend, she has a five year old daughter. Does she worry about what she does on the show for posterity sake? "My daughter is only five," said Emily. "I don't think the show will be replaying that much in 10 years. But if she digs it up, she'll understand I was young and my mama was crazy!"
Ashley "Minnie" Ross fashions herself as the "Mama Bear" of the crew. She is keeping a secret that will come out during season one. Her best friend Tiffany "Monie" Cashette just quit her job as a telephone services rep and is seeking new opportunities. But quitting puts her in a financial bind.
"They are real women," Detwiler said. "They have relatable issues. And they have challenges average-sized people don't have."
He thinks all these reality shows have made people more accepting of little people compared to a decade ago. "But they will always still be in a sense a minority," he said. "They still face discrimination on a daily basis because of their size."
UPDATE: Lifetime released a ratings review on Thursday:
Little Women: Atlanta, Lifetime's newest edition of its hit Little Women docu-series franchise, roped in 1.3 million Total Viewers in its series premiere last night, while also scoring the network's best non-fiction series premiere in four years with Adults 25-54 (741,000, a +7% jump vs. its Little Women: LA lead-in) and Women 25-54 (556,000, +6%), according to Nielsen Fast Cable Ratings. Among Total Viewers, Adults 18-49 (705,000, +7% vs lead-in) and Women 18-49 (518,000, +5%), Little Women: Atlanta's 10pm debut is Lifetime's strongest series premiere since Little Women: Terra's Little Family last April.
TV PREVIEW
"Little Women Atlanta," 10 p.m. Wednesdays, starting January 27, Lifetime
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