Oprah on 'Sister Wives': 'Most fascinated with the relationship the women have with each other'

"Sister Wives" is a new reality show on TLC that showcases the life of a polygamous family living in Utah. Kody Brown is the head of the family and has had three wives, Meri, Janelle and Christine, for 16 years. Over the course of the show, the family added fourth wife Robyn. Altogether the family now has 16 children.

The family has come under investigation for bigamy since the show began airing in September. If convicted of felony bigamy, Kody could face up to 20 years in prison and each wife could face up to five years.

"It's scary," Kody tells Oprah. "I didn't [expect it]."

Kody only has a legal marriage license with Meri, his first wife, and he wasn't expecting the state to recognize the other relationships. "We weren't looking for the state to do that," he says. "This is strictly a family unit, [and] we didn't feel like we needed that."

"The [polygamist] society tends to be fairly closed," Kody says. "We figured that just by being an example of that, by showing our lives, we'd actually help the society be more transparent, have other people in the lifestyle feel safer about being transparent."

Along with local law enforcement, there are others who aren't happy about the show. Meri's former employer terminated her position in the mental health industry after the show debuted.

"They felt that they needed to protect the company, I think," Meri says. "It actually makes me really sad because I loved my job. It breaks my heart, definitely. ... But I understand where they're coming from."

Oprah observes that the most fascinating aspect of the show is the sisterhood between the wives. "We're most fascinated with the relationship the women have with each other," Oprah says. "In being in the same family, you have to sort of develop a sister relationship or friendship in order to all get along," she says.
 
"It's definitely a very bonding experience," Meri says. "We're sisters in that sense, and we're very close."

Janell adds that when you marry into a polygamous family, you aren't just marrying the husband, you're marrying the family. "That's what I wanted," she says.

Oprah comments that she thinks this is true for all married people. "I think that's the mistake a lot of people make when they marry into a monogamous traditional family," Oprah says. "You think you're just getting the person you're marrying, but you really are marrying their family -- especially if that person has children."

"Sister Wives" airs Sunday nights at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.