Bravo: The rise and fall of The Real Housewives phenomenon

Bravo’s Real Housewives formula has been the golden goose egg of reality television for more than a decade now, but will the changing world influence the kind of shows we enjoy?  It seems like it is likely happening right before our eyes.  If you ask fans about how they felt watching many of the shows on in late 2020, they probably didn’t love them.

There has been a shift in how we enjoy TV during the pandemic.  While we used to enjoy watching the ladies argue during a fancy dinner party, now we find ourselves annoyed.  Annoyed at the fact that most of us are not having dinner parties, and annoyed that the people on television don’t seem to be taking the virus seriously.  But then there’s also a group of viewers who resonate with people like Kelly Dodd, who doesn’t believe in wearing masks or social distancing.

It has made the conversations about these shows less fun and more about our personal feelings being reflected on television stars over what is actually happening on the show.  It takes you out of the drama and reminds you that we are, in fact, still dealing with the pandemic as we watch the show.

In addition to that, Andy Cohen commented on the most recent Real Housewives of Orange County reunion that he received a lot of direct messages from fans over concerning behavior off the show (see tweet above).  Since last year, Bravo has done a lot of firing of Bravo-lebrities for off-show behavior, including racist tweets and comments on podcasts.  And that doesn’t just apply to the official housewives, cast members from Vanderpump Rules were also victims of their own bad behavior.

Is it time for a shift in how we enjoy The Real Housewives on our televisions?

So is this the start of something new on Bravo, or will they stick with what they know and potentially be left behind?  We don’t know yet, but it doesn’t seem like they have fully adapted to the post-2020 world.  It doesn’t really matter where you land politically or on the debate of masks, the shows have changed for all of us.  Will it be enjoyable again to watch our favorite shows, or has the world changed too much for that?

In terms of social media, would it be better if there was a ban on Bravo stars posting their opinions on social media?  It certainly does seep into the show and how viewers feel about some of their favorite stars.  At some point, we just can’t ignore things that happen off-screen simply because they were off-screen.

It is nice to see some accountability from the network, but people like Lisa Vanderpump and Andy often walk back their statements after some time has passed.  Will we ever be able to get back to mindless television enjoyment?  That’s to be determined.

For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.

The Real Housewives will be back on Bravo every Sunday and Wednesday night!