I’m back people! After a few months of juggling school and
choirs and a conference and a social life, things are slowing down…but only
slightly. So since I have a little bit of time, I thought I would make a blog
post. This is not the typical recap, and if it’s boring I apologize, bit I wanted
to put some things out there. I just wanted to give my thoughts and opinions on
what is going on with the beloved Real Housewives empire.
It’s no secret that I love the Real Housewives. I own
probably 20 seasons of Real Housewives DVDs as well as two books. I even try to
plan things around my TV schedule. I have gotten many other people hooked on
it…even a few straight males, although they would never admit it…
Domestically, we have 5 “thriving” series, one cancelled
series, and one series on life support…
Real Housewives of
Orange County:
This is the original series in the franchise. Nine seasons
have completed airing. In my opinion, this is the gold standard for the Real
Housewives franchise. It is consistently entertaining and dramatic. I foresee
this series continuing for quite a while if the producers continue on the
current path.
Real Housewives of
New York City:
Season 3 was by far the best of this series. I’m not saying
that Bethenny made the show, but rather I think it was the chemistry amongst
the collective group. Season 4 turned from dramatic and entertaining to dark
and unpleasant. I distinctly remember getting heartburn while I was watching
the reunion. Bravo then had a mass firing, and I was optimistic for the new
women on season 5. I genuinely liked the three new housewives, Heather, Carole,
and (to a lesser extent) Aviva, but the show was just boring. Then there was a
two year break between seasons, and season 6 was even worse. The producers need
to figure something out, or I feel the show will continue to lose viewers.
Real Housewives of
Atlanta:
Atlanta has become the most popular in the franchise. Their
seasons are always a great combination of drama and comedy. These housewives
are skilled “readers”, so a lot of times the drama and comedy are intertwined.
I am concerned about the current season, however. I know we’re only two
episodes in, but I have a feeling this season will be darker. With our resident
Greek chorus, Phaedra Parks, dealing with Apollo going to jail and the
dissolving of their marriage, her storyline will not lend itself to light
hearted bitchiness and one-liners. But we shall see…
Real Housewives of
New Jersey:
This series is in limbo, in my opinion. The season that just
ended was horrific, and it was cut short for some unknown reason. Rumor has it
they are cramming in another season of filming before Teresa “goes away” for a
little while. I think this is a terrible idea. With the deplorable season we
just witnessed, the producers need to take a step back and re-evaluate the
show. If you recall, they did the same thing between seasons 3 and 4. As soon
as season 3 finished, season 4 started filming. And as a result of rushed
production and forced storylines and the dragging out of Teresa and Joe’s
sibling rivalry, we got a lackluster season. You would think the producers
would have learned their lesson. One more bad season, and I may just stop
watching… Ok I’m full of shit… I’ll keep watching as long as they’re on the
air, but I’ll complain loudly about it…
Real Housewives of
Beverly Hills:
Beverly Hills is another popular series of the franchise. The
cast was rather stagnant for a couple of years, but last season they added two
new housewives, Carlton and Joyce, whom they fired as soon as the season
wrapped. In general, I have thought the seasons have been very entertaining.
But I’m dubious about the new season, which is set to premier tonight. The two
new housewives are both actresses, and soap-opera actresses at that. This
raises major red flags to me. Soap-opera style acting is forced and over the
top; in no way is it realistic. I am afraid these two ladies, no matter how
fabulous they are, may fall into the trap of forcing drama and overreacting, as
exhibited by the clip of Lisa Rinna throwing a glass. Also, this season has
been hyped to be a great season. I have learned from experience that this
typically means Bravo is concerned with the quality, so they oversell in order
to get people to watch. This always backfires. With high praise and
expectations, the viewers are expecting something amazing, and very rarely do
they deliver, whereas the seasons that have not been over-advertised have been
the best ones.
Real Housewives of
Miami:
What can I say about this show? I am one of the few loyal
fans who actually found this series to be entertaining. Season 1 was a trial,
and it was a little boring, but they revamped the show, and I thought season 2
was great. Even season 3 was more entertaining than the last season of RHONJ.
But ratings and viewership never increased. So now the show is on life-support,
and no one wants to put money or effort into a sinking ship. As much as it
pains me to say, I think Bravo needs to officially announce that they are
pulling the plug on this series. They’re prolonging my suffering…
Real Housewives of
DC:
This is a controversial topic. From what I have read,
viewers either loved or hated this series. I personally loved it. Washington
DC, in theory, should be a perfect place for high class and powerful women who
partake in clandestine scandalous behavior to be filmed for reality TV, all
with an international and political backdrop. I understand that the crashing of
the Presidential State Dinner usurped the show, but the simple solution would
have been to fire the crazy one and recast for the next season. It has worked
before. I don’t think I will ever understand the decision to cancel the show.
Internationally, there are three confirmed shows that share
the franchise title as well as two shows that, as far as I know, are still
rumored.
Real Housewives of
Vancouver:
This was the first non-US version of the show. I absolutely
adored this series. Both seasons were great. Right now, the show is listed as
“on hiatus”, but it has been that way for quite a while. At this point I doubt
it will come back, as sad as that is for me to say… I also never understood why
Bravo never aired it on the American channel. Surely they have the rights to
the name of the franchise, so they technically own the show, so why not let the
American fans of the franchise see it? I’m almost positive it would have been a
hit here, and I think one of the production companies that works with one of
the other series could have rescued the show and made it a series for Bravo for
its third season. This is still not outside of the realm of possibility, but
that window is closing fast…
Real Housewives of
Melbourne is about to premier season 2 in Australia. Bravo aired season 1
on Sundays this late summer/early fall, and from what I have read, it was met
with very good ratings, especially considering it was on mid-day on Sundays. I
hope Bravo decides to air season 2 at some point.
Real Housewives of
Cheshire is in production and set to premier some time in 2015. Also, there
are rumors floating around for a Real
Housewives of Johannesburg and maybe even a second series elsewhere in
Australia. As a few of the American series are hitting rough times and are on
the verge of sinking, the international versions are really taking off. Let’s
hope our American ladies can get back on the right track and restore the
franchise to its glory.
I’m hoping on Thursday to start recapping. Let me know if
you have any preferences of which show you would like me to write about.
