Bravo's The Real Housewives of....

[NothinButAttitude]

Looks like they M2M girls might've ran Phelony off, hence why she ran back to the Titanic (her words) aka RHOA: 

 

[Taoboi]

Payback for her not giving nothing that last season methinks. And was expected.

[Cat]

That's too bad, Dubai was just gaining a little momentum in its weak numbers last week. 

Please register in order to view this content

 Any reason for the pause?

I'm still catching up on last week's Dubai and OC -- I was out of town. After @DaytimeFan's excoriating assessment of the most recent NJ episode, I have zero desire to catch up on the season. Plus Melissa Gorga appears to be on WWHL every week, and that's a hard no for me.

[NothinButAttitude]

I think Bravo isn't showing a new episode of Dubai this week to prolong it a bit further @Cat. I assume they don't have the next show ready to release in place of Dubai, so they are drawing it out as long as possible. 

IDK but I truly believe Housewives as a whole is nearing its end.

NJ is a flop. Dead in the water. They need to wrap it up and move on. 

The upcoming season of Atlanta already sounds like a flop.

BH has been boring to me for a LONG time.

Potomac is already on its first reboot and it'll be a make-or-break season. 

I don't have much hope for SLC even with Mary returning. 

Dubai is solid but doesn't have a solid audience.

Miami (the strongest show) gets treated like a stepchild. 

NY 2.0 is an afterthought. I feel like they're going to suffer the same fate as Dubai.

OC is solid for now. 

[Cat]

This makes me sad to read, because I am still invested in the Real Housewives. I am definitely enjoying Dubai and OC, and looking forward to RHONY 2.0 coming soon, and of course Miami. I am even looking forward to BH and Potomac, even though they are way past their best. (I didn't even finish Potomac proper last season).

While it saddens me to read your comment (bolded), I cannot fault your logic. The RH brand is struggling. I'm not sure Bravo is invested anymore -- it just doesn't have any other safe island on which to land at the moment (unless they want to expand Below Deck to 10 iterations?). There is also a core RH fandom which would abhor mass cancellations and make its anger known to NBC Universal.

I don't know what the future holds, unless one of RH franchises captures the zeitgeist again with some crazy amazing season which becomes Must-See TV. Given that I no longer watch Daytime soaps, I would be sad if the Real Housewives disappeared altogether. 

The problem right now is that NJ and ATL, two of Bravo's biggest ratings juggernauts, are almost in a death spin. People have clocked out of both. NJ last season was still hitting +1 million for a couple of episodes, but fans have switched off this season, and I'm not sure they are coming back. As for ATL, I think its loyal viewers will give the season opener a chance, but if it is lacklustre, they too will take their business elsewhere.

[Taoboi]

I agree with @NothinButAttitude. There is 4 or 5 episodes left now so Bravo is probably stretching it out. And lest we forget they have not filmed the reunion yet. So I expect that this week or next. 

[Gray Bunny]

OC & BH may Y&R and B&B it to the finish line. 

I think RHOBH is still good though. There's always a real-life drama playing out or trying to get downplayed. I think next season's Potomac will definitely be a make-or-break after resting on their laurels for the last few years. I'd have to agree with everything else too. SLC burned itself out too quickly; I can only imagine who's in an alliance with whom this season because it literally changes every year. 

For sure, not taking care of Atlanta and now New Jersey has killed the buzz and momentum of  the Housewives brand. IMO, their saving grace is still Beverly Hills. Yes, OC is strong, but it's never really had the pop culture buzzworthiness as BH/ATL/NJ/OG-RHONY. 

[NothinButAttitude]

@Gray Bunny & @Cat, I think this upcoming season of BH will determine if it remains in the stride it has been. Last season was horrid and a lot of people checked out. Furthermore, I think people are waking up to Kyle's antics and are sick of her sharing the bare minimum while getting to be the face of the show. If Kyle doesn't give much content this season, I see this season being a drag. Same with Dorit too. If she hides aspects of her divorce with PK, people will tune out. 

I used to think BH would be the last show standing, but I currently don't. I think it'll end as it began... with the OC. 

But I do keep getting this vibe that Bravo is intentionally trying to kill all these shows off and rebrand itself. As what? I have no clue. 

[Taoboi]

Oh how I hollered.

 

 

In terms of RHOA, I would say to give Nene the payback so heaven forbid they mend bridges, there's nothing for her to come back to. And RHOA has definitely been treated poorly since Nene tried her lawsuit on Bravo. 

 

NJ is just a case of when you refuse to let your favorites (and not even audience favorites) go. And they are paying for it now to the point they can't even film a reunion properly. And then given that post Teresa posted...it goes back to that theory we said years ago about how Bravo been trying to get rid of their highest paying HWs from the flagshow HW shows to make room for younger...Frons's ABC. hehe. And currently that would be Teresa and Kyle, wouldn't it? 

 

I don't know, either what Bravo has planned. It's not the first time they have tried to overshadow the HWs though. But since the BELOW DECK franchise is also not what it used to, Bravo can't go back to that route again.

I wanta play. lol. 

NJ

Back on the season post-reunion where Jen did the awesome 3 for 1 on Couch Left. But I have no desire to catch up from from reading here and what becomes of Jen.

 

ATL

I honestly want to see if they can pull a BH Season 9 because it's the makings of that season. A fan favorite's dramatic exit. Some side stories. And a return of a vet to cook up some drama. I was hoping that Kenya was at least filming separately a la LVP. But it doesn't seem like it. Unlike Production is going to squeeze in scenes. And of course...will Kenya BE at the reunion? I am at least intrigued. And behind lol.

 

BH

Outside of clips...no desire to catch up. Unless Kyle gets the takedown she richly deserves.

 

POTOMAC

Agree with the rest of you. Definitely a make-or-break season for them. Have yet to watch the reunion. And not sure how to pivot from Candiace's leaving, but sending off the Roommate to force Gizelle to work was a good start. 

 

SLC

Had their best season ever but haters had to hate so Monica is gone. Happy if it is true that Mary is FT, but I'm not sure if I will watch or tap out like I did for Season 3. 

 

DUBAI 

Having a good season, but you wouldn't know it given how Bravo treats it. A BETTER time slot would be a GREAT start. 

 

MIAMI.

THE crown jewel now (sorry, BH), but you wouldn't know it given how Bravo treats it. 

 

NuNY

While I liked it...it is worrying that we have heard NOTHING from those ladies. Not even about the alleged new castmate. I mean...isn't Eric Fuller known for leaking storylines? 

 

OC.

2nd only to RHOM at this point. And I'm so behind. But with nothing reality tv show wise to watch or shows now that I'm thinking about, I'm looking forward to seeing the Tamra return season. But I've always liked OC from the moment I started to watch regularly. 

 

If Bravo don't even try...these shows are as good as dead. 

 

 

[Cheap21]

Dubai should have been paired with OC. I HATE that that show is on Thurday. IMO tahts too late in the week. RH needs to be on Sun, Tues or Wed. I dont know who was in charge of scheduling but they dropped the ball this cycle

[Antoyne]

It’s such a smart idea to have them together on a regular housewives night, so of course they didn’t do it

Please register in order to view this content

. OC is having a great season but I keep forgetting to watch on Thursdays.

[Taoboi]

Sun, Tues, Wed....a time!!!!!!!!!!

[Cat]

I get that vibe too, but it's not universal across Bravo. Andy knows that without RH, his WWHL dies on its feet. My speculation is that after Scandoval, Bravo wanted to go the Millennial route. They allowed Kyle to do her Selling BH show and got rid of Monica from SLC. But while The Valley did decent, VPR had to be put on pause. The Traitors may have been another possibility, but it is RHs and their fans which carry that show. Traitors is what UGT was meant to be. Other Millennial focused shows like nuRHONY haven't done as well (even though i love nuRHONY, Dubai and Miami). So now Bravo is trying to recalibrate again. 

I still have hope for RH. But if BH, Potomac and ATL don't deliver, it is in big trouble. Only OC is carrying the torch right now.

P.S.: I'd give anything to have Dubai on Sunday and OC on Tuesday. And another RH on Monday. 

P.P.S.: I wish I knew how the RH shows were doing on streaming! Those viewing figures are really key now.

Edited July 30, 2024 by Cat

[DaytimeFan]

 

My eyes widened at this comparison and as I let out a cynical chuckle, I could only conclude I found it amusing because it's 100% true. 

I do get the impression that Bravo is looking at the RH franchise as becoming more trouble than it's worth. The downturn in ratings, rising salaries of the OG's (you'll note most have been axed a la Frons era ABC Daytime), and recent litigation spells an unsavory recipe for the future of the franchise as a whole. 

[Taoboi]

I mean that comparison was gold. If the shows were to be axed and there was any left standing...that would be apt. OC has always managed to go from strength to strength while BH is the show that the network is always behind even when it was not the highest ratings HW show.