The Real Housewives
| The Real Housewives | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Reality television |
| Created by |
|
| Starring | List of cast members |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Running time | 41–45 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | Bravo |
| Picture format | |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows |
The Real Housewives is an American media franchise that consists of several reality television series broadcast on Bravo. The shows document the lives of several affluent housewives residing in varying regions throughout the United States. The first series, The Real Housewives of Orange County, premiered on March 21, 2006; its success resulted in spin-off series located in New York City, Atlanta, New Jersey, D.C., Beverly Hills, Miami, Potomac, Dallas and Salt Lake City. The subsequent installments have proven similarly successful, and have resulted in numerous spin-off series of their own. International versions are also broadcast by several television channels worldwide.
Contents
- 1Conception
- 2American installments
- 3International installments
- 4Spin-offs
- 5Syndication
- 6Game
- 7Parodies
- 8See also
- 9References
- 10External links
Conception[edit]
—A press release by Bravo, describing the concept of The Real Housewives of Orange County.[1]
The Real Housewives was first announced as one of six reality television series ordered by the American television channel Bravo in May 2005.[2] It was inspired by scripted soap operas Desperate Housewives and Peyton Place, and would document the lives of upper-class women who "lead glamorous lives in a picturesque Southern California gated community where the average home has a $1.6 million price tag and residents include CEOs and retired professional athletes."[1] The series was announced as The Real Housewives of Orange County in January 2006, and premiered on March 21 of the same year.[1]
In September 2007, Bravo started the production for the series Manhattan Moms, which would "[follow] an eclectic group of Gotham socialites and their families."[3] The series was later retitled as The Real Housewives of New York City in January 2008, becoming the first spin-off from The Real Housewives franchise. It premiered on March 4, 2008.[4] The second spin-off The Real Housewives of Atlanta was announced in June, and premiered on October 7.[5] [6] The third spin-off The Real Housewives of New Jersey was mentioned in May 2008 before the confirmation of The Real Housewives of Atlanta.[7] It premiered afterwards on May 12, 2009.[8] The Real Housewives of D.C. was announced in October 2009.[9] It premiered on August 5, 2010 and ended on October 21, 2010 after one season.[10] The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was announced in March 2010 and premiered on October 14, 2010.[11][12] In March 2010, Bravo ordered a series titled Miami Social Club, which would serve as a reconstruction of the series Miami Social.[13] The series was later re-titled to The Real Housewives of Miami. It premiered on February 22, 2011 and ended on November 4, 2013 after three seasons.[14][15]
In November 2015, Bravo announced two new The Real Housewives series, The Real Housewives of Potomac and The Real Housewives of Dallas.[16] Prior to being announced, The Real Housewives of Potomac was initially titled Potomac Ensemble during its early production.[17] It premiered on January 17, 2016.[18] While The Real Housewives of Dallas had originally been titled Ladies of Dallas during its early production, a potential spin-off series to Ladies of London.[19] The series premiered on April 11, 2016.[20] In November 2019, The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City was announced.[21]
Future[edit]
On December 2, 2016, executive producer of Bravo's The Real Housewives series Andy Cohen spoke on the future of the franchise, saying if there were to be a new installment to the franchise that it could be set in Nashville, Tennessee. Cohen also stated that an All Star edition would serve as an end-goal for the franchise when ratings begin to drop. He added that it would likely feature eight housewives with "big personalities" from each series on an island together.[22] Later in December 2016, during an interview with Harry Connick Jr., Cohen stated that they look for cities with strong personalities, and agreed that New Orleans fits that criterion.[23][24]
Producers and Andy Cohen cast in Chicago, Greenwich, San Francisco, and Houston but didn't pursue.[25]
Criticism[edit]
The reality series is critiqued as promoting consumerism through programming.[26] It is also seen as perpetuating gender stereotypes by highlighting women as shoppers more so than career women.[26] Their lavish lifestyles have also contributed to the misconception that financial wealth equals happiness.[citation needed] Feminist leader Gloria Steinem has vociferously criticized the "Housewives" franchise for "presenting women as rich, pampered, dependent and hateful towards each other."[27] Steinem summed up her dislike of the show in 2013:
"It is women, all dressed up and inflated and plastic surgeried and false bosomed and incredible amount of money spent, not getting along with each other. Fighting with each other. It is a minstrel show for women. I don't believe it, I have to say. I feel like it's manufactured, that the fights between them are manufactured and they're supposed to go after each other in a kind of conflicting way."[28]
The New York Times ran an article in October 2019 criticizing how the casts of the different Housewives franchises are "segregated" by skin color.[29] Author Tracie Egan Morrissey pointed to Potomac and Atlanta for their almost entirely African American casts, while the other iterations (Beverly Hills, Orange County, Dallas, New York, and New Jersey) are overwhelmingly white and have featured few women of color. Real Housewives of New York has never featured a woman of color as a "Housewife", while the addition of Kary Brittingham to Dallas in 2019 marked the show's first Hispanic cast member. Beverly Hills, with the exception of Season 4's Joyce Giraud, featured "a racially homogeneous cast throughout its run", until the addition of Garcelle Beauvais, also in 2019.[29]
