The Real Housewives Empire

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.