Real Housewives of Dallas: Is this going to be a thing or nah?

Bravo is bringing back Real Housewives of Dallas for a rebooted second season, but will it work this time or nah?

The ‘Ladies of the Lone Star’ are back for a second season, but a lot seems to be on the line. After a first season that was alright but not a smash, what happens when the show returns in August is going to be critical to the future of this wing of the Real Housewives franchise.

Bravo is essentially rebooting the show after one season, describing it as “a whole new rodeo”. There are two new housewives and a whole batch of fresh drama from the offseason — but will it work this time?

Historically, we’ll lean towards yes. First seasons of shows — whether it’s reality or legit scripted — usually never gel with the rest of the run. Breaking Bad‘s first season is a different mold than the final season. The FOX series Gotham was so-so in its first season but just wrapped up a hugely successful third season that was critically well accepted and has produced a loyal following. Kurt Sutter has said Sons of Anarchy likely would have been canceled after one season had it been on any other network but FX stood by long enough for the show to gain footing with an audience. Even shows like Game of Thrones took time to build an audience and truly hit its groove.

That’s the goal here for Real Housewives of Dallas. Bravo just needs to let the show find itself and the audience will follow suit. No one said it’s easy, and some show have a harder time than others but time is always valuable.

Such a thing is easier said than done. After just one season, detractors have gone for the throat of a show in its infancy.

For starters, RHOD isn’t even really in Dallas. Most of the housewives are settled in suburbs outside of the city limits. A quick consultation of people from Dallas revealed that they’re not fans of the show since they’re just using the Dallas name to rebrand a show that already exists. There’s also the rumors (which were clearly false) from a year ago about Bravo thinking about canceling the show.

It’s an uphill battle, to say the least.

Personally, I’m rooting for RHOD to be a hit. Something Andy Cohen said has stuck with me, relating the show to early Housewives. The Dallas crew feels like a throwback to the originals and there’s nothing wrong with going back to the old mold. It’s all about the housewives, and once you nail that you’ve hit pay dirt.

Nothing is ever promised in the world of television, especially the cutthroat world of reality television. There’s room for RHOD to exist, though, and we’re going to find out on August 14th whether things are going to work out or not.