Matt and Amy Roloff Thought Their Show Wouldn't Last More Than Two Seasons

In a sit-down interview, Amy Roloff admitted that she didn't believe "Little People, Big World" would ever get past a second season. She has an idea of why it did though.

Matt, 57, and Amy, 55, of the Roloff family spoke to US Weekly about their surprise at how longstanding their reality show turned out to be. Matt revealed that it all began as a documentary for TLC.

Of course, the show, which is now in season 14, is so much more. Both of them had their theories as to why people wanted their family to be, as Amy put it "in someone else's living room!"

Expressing her awe that they were still on tv, she said:

“I was thinking we’d be lucky to get past season 2. I think we’ve been on TV for 16 years! It’s been a long time, and I’m very thankful, though, that our show has lasted the longevity."

Matt then chimed in with the term "Compromise TV," which he explained referred to how there was "somebody for everybody – any age groups, grandpas, grandmas, young kids."

He added:

"Whether it’s the relationship between Amy and I, or the babies, or the marriages, or the bulldozers and Track Hoes, we’ve got the big farm that has the beautiful backdrop.”

Amy looked at it from a standpoint of how genuine her family was.

She explained:

“For the most part, we keep it real. My kids are real. They’re grounded. I don’t think, for the most part, we haven’t got our heads into a different space just because we have the opportunity to share a story."

She addressed how people would sometimes say that the show is scripted based on the parts used in the final cut aired on tv. She went on, "I say, ‘No, it didn’t feel like the three hours that I was in.’ "

Reality television is known for being extra dramatic and sometimes fake to attract viewers and gain ratings. For the couple's son Zach Roloff, though, the drama is very real and very draining.

On an episode aired in April, the 28-year-old revealed that he tends to avoid getting involved with his parents' relationship issues as they just went through their divorce.

Speaking directly to the camera, he said:

"The farm has drama attached to it, and my mom and dad are drama. I've learned that as I get older, it can be very emotionally draining to get wrapped up in their roller coaster."

Zach said he tries to "stay out of [his] mom and dad's thought processes with the farm." I don't wanna get caught in the middle of it. It's their deal." At the same time, he hopes that the farm is not sold.

According to him, it would be a "sad, sad day" if the family sells the farm that he grew up on. But Zach feels his father doesn't include others in his decision-making very much, so there's little he might be able to do.

In the meanwhile, Zach is enjoying time with his wife Tori and his one-year-old baby boy, Jackson. He described his son as being "way ahead" of where he was at the same age.

His mother Amy is also focusing on the good things, having just celebrated the Easter holidays by sharing a sweet message with her fans. “Christ the Lord is Risen Today... Allelujah. Happy Easter,” she wrote.

She posted it alongside a photo of a white Lily flower and included several purple emoticons. The show "Little People, Big World" can be watched on TLC on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET.