You may have a vague awareness of the Housewives brand. There’s a Cheshire version on ITVX currently in its 17th series which has seen huge success in the UK, but how much do you know about the Bravo brand that started it? Whilst there is definitely a fan base in the UK, it pales in comparison to the colossal conglomerate that it represents in the US. The channel, honing its particular brand of reality TV reached huge success in the early 2000s with zeitgeist defining programmes like Queer Eye For The Straight Guy and Project Runway and in 2006 aired for the first time Real Housewives of Orange County, starting what would become a multimillion dollar empire with eleven US and a further 21 international franchises over the next twenty odd years.
Bravo has successfully been a mainstay in a particular niche of US programming launching the notoriety of a multitude of women, most recently Ariana Maddox of Vanderpump Rules (itself a spinoff from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills) who, following the scandal around her long-term partner cheating on her (the aptly coined Scandoval), has levelled the attention into million dollar brand partnerships and a star turn in Chicago on Broadway. With so many programmes in the Bravo world, once in, you will never want for content. And whilst some viewers may only dip in and out for their favourite franchise, many embrace all of them alike, creating a strong community of commentary and podcasts around the shows themselves. So potent is the Bravo brand that there is even a BravoCon convention where fans can listen to panels with and meet the stars of their favourite network.
The Housewives brand itself lives and dies on the women it follows. The drama, histrionic arguments and often complete lack of self awareness are what draws viewers in. Beneath the colourful, over the top, showmanship, these programmes also allow for an inside look into other people’s lives and as a result catch and show moments of vulnerability and hardship that viewers can relate to whether it be divorce, illness, starting or losing businesses or the true nature of navigating changing relationships throughout adult life. The honesty required by the women shown is what retains the audiences and is often cited as the reason a season, or a particular housewife is failing, by hiding too much from the audience or failing to be entirely open.
So where do you even start? Do you go back to the beginning of a series or join in where it is currently airing? As most shows stand alone in their series and there are revolving casts with housewives leaving and being replaced, you can really start whenever, but as so much is based on relationships, the nuance is always in understanding the history that exists, so going back to the beginning is always fun. If you don’t know where to begin, here’s our top 5 rundown of the current Real Housewives series (we’re keeping it to US versions for the sake of whittling it down).
Real Housewives of Miami
Originally launched in 2011, the show recently returned from an eight year hiatus when in 2021 it launched its long-awaited 4th season. The most colourful and vibrant show in terms of outfits and settings, the characters and drama is at all times heightened, delusional and wonderfully camp making it endlessly entertaining. With a cast including Only Fans foot model – ex wife of Chicago Bulls Scottie Pippen – recently dating Scottie’s teammate Michael Jordan’s son 16 years her junior, Larsa Pippen; ex Russian model married to tennis champion Martina Navratilova who owns more than one goat, Julia Lemigova and the iconic Alexia Nepola (once you watch, you’ll see), it’s the antithesis of your beans on toast in your flat that you’re refusing to turn the heating on, in existence.
Real Housewives of Salt Lake City
Also one of the newer franchises but notorious for its season 2 episode which saw the FBI chase down and arrest OG housewife Jen Shah who was later fired from the show and sentenced to six and half years in prison (Season 2, episode 10 if you’re interested). The show is set to the backdrop of Salt Lake City and Mormonism, with several cast members having grown up Mormon and their grappling with their separation from the church and sometimes families. The latest season ended in a cinematic takedown, decked in formal wear on a windswept beach with the discovery and confrontation of an interloper amongst the cast. So impactful was the display, it was even quoted in committee by a US Congressman.
Real Housewives of Atlanta
Consistently one of the best franchises with the wildest characters. Sabotaging each other’s events, dragging them for outfits, this show provides nonsense and real life drama in an always entertaining way. In Season 12 (ep 6) one of the stars Kenya Moore turns up to another cast members wig business launch with a full-on drum line chanting ‘Kenya. Moore. Hair. Care” creating just the sort of unhinged petty mess in which viewers relish. Featuring actual big deal people like ‘No Scrubs’ hitmaker Kandi Burruss, the show has fallen off in the last couple of years, but as such a stalwart heavy hitter, stick with it because when it’s good, it’s great.
Real Housewives of DC
Real Housewives of DC was a one season wonder. It’s just reappeared on Prime (if you get the Hayu add on where all the franchises are available) and it is worth going back for. The fashions are all 2010 awfulness and Michaele Salahi (at the time, she has since divorced) is peak housewives delusion and absolutely hilarious. The series culminates in her and husband crashing a white house dinner and ending up all over the news and in congressional hearings where they only ‘plead the fifth’, a move so controversial that it ended the Housewives of DC at the time but just shows how we’ve evolved to embrace just such criminal activity in shows like Salt Lake City and New Jersey. This show walked so others could run.
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
The show with highest ratings of all and some of the biggest names. The latest season revolved around the possible lesbian affair of one of the key women Kyle Richards (sister to Kathy Hilton and aunt to Paris) with a country singer half her age in the wake of her possible marriage breakdown with Mexican real estate magnet and star of Netlfix’s Buying Beverly Hills, Mauricio Umanksy. Recent seasons have revolved around Las Vegas residency holder, electro dance singer Erika Jayne’s estranged 84 year old husband’s Alzheimer’s that might render him unable to stand trial for his alleged embezzlement of millions of dollars from the clients he represented and whether or not she should give her earrings back to the victims. It’s a wild ride.
Special mention to
Real Housewives of New York
Although not an OG, generally held as one to many who see it as the original in terms of madness. The characters got so wild and over the top that it ended the show in its then iteration in 2021 and the network decided to completely reboot it with all new people to mixed success. The first series of the reboot aired last year to a reasonable reception where audiences seem willing enough to let bed in and see how it does after another season or two. If you want to go back and watch from the start though, it’s definitely a fan favourite.
Real Housewives of New Jersey
Like RHONY, this one became almost instantly iconic. The drama revolves around a fairly tight familial unit of inlaws adding extra elements and expectations of ‘loyalty’ to the mix. The biggest star to come from it is Teresa Giudice who in 2014 was sentenced alongside her husband of the time to 15 months in federal prison for fraud before returning to the show and honestly continuing to flourish ever since.
If you do decide to go ahead and start from the beginning of any franchise, we highly recommend doing so alongside old school reddit for when you NEED to know other people have reacted the same way. There are many boards and communities that live watch and debate shows as they’re on. There is also a bevvy of Bravo based podcasts with back catalogues to sink into:
Watch What Crappens is in our opinion the best (and they have live shows in the UK in May!) with the hilarious Ronnie Karam and Ben Mandelker who take so much joy from the shows and from each other that it will make you love any show more, not to mention them. Before you know it, you will be watching all the different shows just so you can listen to the podcast updates.
The Bravo Docket where two lawyers analyse the abundance of legal dramas and goings on related to the bravo shows which play out on and off the shows, and the realities of what is happening amongst the onscreen bickering.
Everything Iconic with Danny Pellegrino not only breaks down episodes but also has interviews with all your bravo faves and beyond into the wider world of pop culture. One of the biggest podcasts in the US, he has access to lots of people and has become somewhat of a star himself.