Everything you need to know about 'The Real Housewives' Series

Introduction

There have been 12 American episodes of the global reality television franchise The Real Housewives, and there have been 19 episodes overall. The majority of the series chronicles the private and professional life of a group of wealthy ladies who live in or near a particular city.

Two episodes of the American franchise are shown on Peacock in addition to Bravo, which airs the majority of the episodes. The Real Housewives of Orange County marked the start of the American franchise on March 21, 2006.

Several networks carry the international franchise. The Real Housewives of Athens launched the global franchise on March 4, 2011. The Real Housewives of Cheshire, which has broadcast 14 seasons, has been the longest-running member of the franchise. The American franchise has produced 23 spin-offs, with Vanderpump Rules being the most popular and has its share of spin-offs.

History

The Real Housewives was one of six reality television programs Bravo, an American television network, had commissioned as of May 1, 2005. The show would focus on the lives of affluent ladies who enjoy glamorous lifestyles in a lovely gated neighborhood in Southern California, where the average home costs $1.6 million and occupants include CEOs and retired professional sportsmen.

It was influenced by written soap operas like Peyton Place and Desperate Housewives. Due to the success of the American brand, several spin-offs were created, the most well-known of which, Vanderpump Rules, has been on television for nine seasons.

1 The real housewives of Orange Country

The Real Housewives of Orange County was the name given to the program in January 2006. Bravo broadcast the first season from March 21 through May 9, 2006. Kimberly Bryant, Jo De La Rosa, Vicki Gunvalson, Jeana Keough, and Lauri Waring made up the initial cast. Two spin-offs were produced as a result of the show's popularity.

2 The real housewives of New York City

The network started making the program Manhattan Moms in September 2007.  The Real Housewives of New York City was the new name given to the program in January 2008, making it the second entry in the franchise.

Bravo broadcast the first season from March 4 through May 27, 2008. Luann de Lesseps, Bethenny Frankel, Alex McCord, Ramona Singer, and Jill Zarin made up the original cast. Because of the show's popularity, two spin-offs have been produced: Bethenny Ever After and Bethenny & Fredrik.

3 The real housewives of Atlanta

The Real Housewives of Atlanta, the third entry in the series, was unveiled in June 2008. Bravo broadcast the first season from October 7 through November 25, 2008. NeNe Leakes, DeShawn Snow, Shereé Whitfield, Lisa Wu, and Kim Zolciak made up the original cast.

Don't Be Tardy, The Kandi Factory, I Dream of NeNe: The Wedding, Kandi's Wedding, Kandi's Ski Trip, Xscape: Still Kickin' It, Kandi Koated Nights, Porsha's Having a Baby, Porsha's Family Matters, and Kandi & the Gang are eleven spin-offs that have resulted from the success of the show.

4 The real housewives of New Jersey

Before the announcement of the Atlanta episode, the fourth episode of the franchise, The Real Housewives of New Jersey, was made in May 2008. Bravo broadcast the first season from May 12 to July 8, 2009.

Dina Manzo, Teresa Giudice, Jacqueline Laurita, Caroline Manzo, and Danielle Staub made up the original cast.Three spin-offs, Boys to Manzo, Manzo'd with Children, and Teresa Checks In were produced due to the show's popularity.

5 The real housewives of DC

The Real Housewives of D.C., the franchise's fifth episode, was unveiled in October 2009. Bravo broadcasted the season from August 5 through October 21, 2010. Mary Amons, Lynda Erkiletian, Cat Ommanney, Michaele Salahi, and Stacie Scott Turner made up the cast.

The cast member Salahi and her husband successfully entered the White House for a state dinner while being filmed for the show, causing controversy. The show was discontinued after one season, making history as the first franchise to be canceled.

6 The real housewives of Beverly Hills

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, the franchise's sixth entry, was unveiled in March 2010. Bravo broadcast the first season from October 14, 2010, through February 15, 2011.

Taylor Armstrong, Camille Grammer, Adrienne Maloof, Kim Richards, Kyle Richards, and Lisa Vanderpump made up the initial cast. Due to the show's popularity, two spin-offs were created: Vanderpump Rules and Vanderpump Dogs.

7 The real housewives of  Miami

Miami Social Club, a show that would act as a recreation of Miami Social, was ordered by the network in March 2010.  Later, the program's name was changed to The Real Housewives of Miami, making it the eighth entry in the series.

Bravo broadcast the first season from February 22 through April 5, 2011. Lea Black, Adriana de Moura, Alexia Nepola, Marysol Patton, Larsa Pippen, and Cristy Rice made up the initial cast. A spin-off, Havana Elsa, was created as a result of the show's popularity.

Andy Cohen, the franchise's executive producer, revealed in November 2020 that he was attempting to convince the streaming service Peacock to renew the program for a fourth season.

8 The real housewives of Potomac

Miami Social Club, a show that would act as a recreation of Miami Social, was ordered by the network in March 2010.  Later, the program's name was changed to The Real Housewives of Miami, making it the eighth entry in the series.

The show's early production went by the name Potomac Ensemble before it was officially unveiled. The eighth episode of the series, The Real Housewives of Potomac, was unveiled in November 2015.

Bravo broadcast the first season from January 17 through April 17, 2016. Gizelle Bryant, Ashley Darby, Robyn Dixon, Karen Huger, Charrisse Jackson-Jordan, and Katie Rost made up the initial cast. The program's success led to the creation of Karen's Grande Dame Reunion, a spin-off.

9 The real housewives of Dallas

Charrisse Jackson-Jordan, Katie Rost, and Karen Huger.

The program had the working title Ladies of Dallas in its early stages of development as a potential spin-off of Ladies of London before it was officially revealed.

The Real Housewives of Dallas, the ninth film in the series, was unveiled in November 2015.

Bravo broadcast the first season from April 11 through June 19 of that year.

Cary Deuber, Tiffany Hendra, Stephanie Hollman, LeeAnne Locken, and Brandi Redmond made up the initial cast.

The network declared on August 17, 2021, that they have no immediate intentions to extend the program for a sixth season, putting it on indefinite suspension.

10 The real housewives of Salt Lake City

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, the tenth entry in the series, was revealed in November 2019. From November 11, 2020, through February 24, 2021, his debut season of television broadcast on Bravo. Lisa Barlow, Mary Cosby, Heather Gay, Meredith Marks, Whitney Rose, and Jen Shah made up the original cast.

11 The real housewives of Dubai

The Real Housewives of Dubai, the eleventh entry in the series, was unveiled on November 1, 2021.  The program marks the franchise's first worldwide original installment on the network. The season began airing on Bravo on June 1, 2022, and is still airing now. Nina Ali, Chanel Ayan, Caroline Brooks, Sara Al Madani, Lesa Milan, and Caroline Stanbury make up the cast.

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Format and Recurring Elements

Each series focuses on the social dynamics and daily lives of a core group of five to seven women in a specific city or region. The majority of the cast members are typically affluent, middle-aged women.

Actors' social relationships with one another, as well as their personal and professional life, may be shown in scenes. The actors may appear in any configuration in individual scenes (including solo ones), but the producers try to include at least one "tent-pole" event per episode that unites the entire cast.  Around 25 episodes make up a season on average.

Opening Credits with Taglines

The franchise's opening credits, which feature snippets and green screen footage of each housewife in turn and each delivering a "tagline"—a quick remark relating to some facet of their personality or story—are a highly identifiable and frequently imitated staple.

For instance, Lisa Vanderpump, who operates a dog rescue group, utilized the tagline "I'm passionate about dogs, just not crazy about bitches" for season six of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

For a given season, housewives record several taglines; some of these may be written by the housewife herself, while others may be produced by producers. The network ultimately decides which tagline will be used. 

The credits come to a close with a title card that features a lineup of the whole cast holding an item relevant to the setting of the show in their outstretched hands. The cast of Atlanta holds peaches, the housewives of Orange County hold oranges, and the ladies of Beverly Hills wield huge diamonds, as examples.

Each object is frequently used as a symbolic reference for being a cast member on each respective show. For instance, if a long-time guest on a franchise is finally cast to appear full time, her cast mates may say she has "finally earned her peach." This allusion originated with the opening credits of Desperate Housewives, which featured the show's main actresses holding apples.

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Reunion Episodes

The cast of a Real Housewives television series gathers for a "reunion" at the end of each season to go over what happened. After the majority of the season has aired and the women have had a chance to see the episodes, the reunion is often shot.  

Reunions are often edited into two or three one-hour programs after being filmed in a single day for about 10 hours. Usually, Housewives receive two special payments for their involvement in each season of the show; the second payment is made to the Housewives after the reunion episode has been filmed.  

When Adrienne Maloof skipped the season three reunion of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in 2013, a precedent was established that barring specific instances like attendance at an alcohol treatment center, the Housewife's employment as a cast member on the show is terminated if she is a no-show.

The ensemble is situated on couches on each side of a host (Andy Cohen in the case of the American editions), who quizzes the cast on the season's events and occasionally takes questions from viewers.

The more closely a Housewife is seated to the host, the more significant a role she plays in the season's drama and plot. In 2016, entertainment blogs began to analyze the significance of reunion seating arrangements.

Slice noted that Housewives placed to the "end places," or the ones that were the furthest away from the host suggested that their tenure on Real Housewives was almost certainly coming to an end. For family reunions, housewives typically don formal attire like evening or cocktail dresses.

The Housewives also had the opportunity to review film snippets of significant moments from the season, with their emotions being displayed picture-in-picture to the audience while they responded to questions. Part-time cast members of "Friends of the Housewives" usually only show up for a portion of the reunion.

Many, but not all, episodes of the U.S. Real Housewives feature a reunion scene where the Housewives' husbands join their wives on stage and share their opinions on what transpired while the season was being shot.

The Real Housewives of Orange County was the first program to introduce such a section, and many production companies now view spouse participation as routine fare on reunion day.