{"id":73998,"date":"2025-08-17T01:47:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T01:47:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/73998\/"},"modified":"2025-08-17T01:47:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-17T01:47:12","slug":"prison-revenge-porn-and-blush-pink-villas-your-ultimate-guide-to-the-real-housewives-franchise-television","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/73998\/","title":{"rendered":"Prison, revenge porn and blush-pink villas: your ultimate guide to the Real Housewives franchise | Television"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether you\u2019re a devout worshipper at the altar of The Real Housewives (like me), or simply aware of it by osmosis, there\u2019s no denying it\u2019s one of reality TV\u2019s most wildly successful franchises. Since it debuted in 2006 with a peek into Orange county\u2019s elite, the franchise now spans more than a dozen US cities<\/a> and has extended internationally from Sydney to Dubai. Now, nearly 20 years later, London is calling<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Despite its title, the show isn\u2019t really about marriage (most of the women aren\u2019t married, and those who are usually at some point during their tenure experience a messy divorce). What the franchise captures is something far more compelling: a specific sort of midlife reinvention<\/a>. We watch as women (mostly over the age of 40) navigate divorce, grief, success, self-discovery and the pursuit of fame. As the former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Brandi Glanville put it: \u201cAndy Cohen [the show\u2019s executive producer] is the only man in Hollywood who hires women over 40.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the most enduring qualities of the Real Housewives is that it doesn\u2019t produce throwaway reality stars \u2013 it creates cultural icons. Unlike much of reality television, which sees contestants flare up and burn out within a season (or even a few episodes), the Housewives universe invites long-term investment. We follow these women for years (and in the case of Beverly Hills, Atlanta<\/a> or the OC, for well over a decade) as friendships fracture (always with a healthy amount of drama), marriages begin and end and children grow up (and we can now watch the housewives\u2019 offspring on the spin-off Next Gen NYC). In a genre built on instant gratification and rapid turnover, Housewives rewards patience. It feels less like disposable content and more like weekly event television \u2013 something to savour and return to, season after season (and rewatch obsessively).<\/p>\n

\u2018Bitchy opulence\u2019 \u2026 The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Photograph: Distributor: Bravo Supplier:AETN\/Nicole Weingart\/Bravo<\/p>\n

This is how Real Housewives cultivates community. I\u2019ve lost count of how many times I\u2019ve been at a work event or awkward dinner where the mere mention of the women lights people up \u2013 suddenly, you\u2019re not strangers, you\u2019re part of a devoted tribe, debating whether the new New York cast are any good (spoiler: they will never be the same), or reeling from the news that the self-appointed grand dame of Potomac herself, Karen Huger, has been sentenced to prison. Once you\u2019re in, you\u2019re in. And once you\u2019ve found your franchise, there\u2019s no going back.<\/p>\n

That being said, the Real Housewives ecosystem holds a mammoth vault of episodes and choosing where to start can feel as daunting as it is exciting. The good news is that you can quite literally start anywhere. Each city offers something different, depending on what mood you\u2019re in. Beverly Hill<\/a>s serves bitchy opulence (think Lisa Vanderpump\u2019s blush-pink Villa Rosa). The original New York cast was truly wild \u2013 Ramona Singer\u2019s wide-eyed expressions are permanently etched in my memory, and Countess Luann\u2019s song Money Can\u2019t Buy You Class remains a certified banger. Atlanta will have you howling with laughter, delivering some of the best lines in the entire franchise.<\/p>\n

Then there is The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, which has already cemented its place as one of the franchise\u2019s greatest hits, despite being a newer addition. Largely because the show is based in Utah (the home of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), it landed a scandal right out of the gate, complete with federal indictments. One of the housewives, Jen Shah<\/a>, became the centre of national attention following her 2021 arrest and subsequent guilty plea for wire fraud. Forever surrounded by numerous assistants (doing God knows what), Shah projected a lifestyle many suspected was funded by more than just her show salary. The drama drew high-profile fans such as Rihanna. There was also the infamous \u201cHow did Heather get a black eye?\u201d mystery. Heather Gay, one of the RHOSLC wives and author of the New York Times bestseller Bad Mormon, later revealed it was allegedly caused by Shah, who is now serving time alongside Elizabeth Holmes<\/a> (of Theranos fame), and paparazzi have even captured shots of them together in prison.<\/p>\n

\u2018The best lines in the entire franchise\u2019 \u2026 The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Photograph: Bravo\/NBCU Photo Bank\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Most recently, the show has offered some moments that will tug on even the coldest of heartstrings \u2013 particularly involving Mary Cosby (who, yes, famously married her step-grandfather). This season, Cosby\u2019s usually reserved demeanour gave way to vulnerability as her son\u2019s visible struggle with drug addiction unfolded on screen in a way that substance issues had never before been spoken about within the network.<\/p>\n

My personal greatest love has to be The Real Housewives of Atlanta. It is a masterclass in shade and comedic brilliance. Just look at Phaedra Parks, who serves the coldest reads with the unflappable poise of a lawyer and embalmer (yes, she\u2019s both). Kim Zolciak, the only white woman in the original cast, insisted on wearing weaves. Then there\u2019s Kenya Moore, who was the perfect villain \u2013 eventually getting booted due to season 16\u2019s revenge porn debacle \u2013 in which she used her haircare launch to allegedly project explicit footage purporting to be of another cast member. Atlanta also introduced the world to NeNe Leakes \u2013 one of the rare Housewives to cross over into mainstream entertainment, landing a recurring role on Glee, a stint on The New Normal and Broadway roles in Cinderella and Chicago. She had, and has, actual star power.<\/p>\n

And what to expect from The Real Housewives of London<\/a>? Six women from the city\u2019s wealthiest circles (with genuinely pre-existing relationships). Making a return to reality TV is the Ladies of London alum Juliet Angus, the fashion-savvy American who\u2019s already generating excitement among longtime fans. She\u2019s joined by the skincare CEO Amanda Cronin, who may be stepping into the villain role \u2013 if the teaser is anything to go by. In one scene, she\u2019s seen yelling: \u201cGo back to Paddington!\u201d and edging close to one of the other wives, though she has described herself as \u201cthe light in every room\u201d.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s the party planner and former pageant queen Juliet Mayhew, and Karen Loderick-Pierce, whose early love of fashion came from her grandfather (part of the Windrush generation), who used to send her clothes from London to Jamaica. Early teasers hint she may emerge as the show\u2019s confessional queen.<\/p>\n

Rounding out the group is Panthea Parker, who describes the show as \u201cstiff upper lip meets crazy Housewives\u201d. She can apparently drop \u00a3140,000 on a single shopping spree without batting a false eyelash. And finally, there\u2019s Nessie Welschinger, a financier turned baker and self-professed tiger mum. The trailer teases high society and even higher drama.<\/p>\n

The same is true of the extensions to the franchise: the (three-part!) reunions and spin-off shows.<\/p>\n

Circle of strife \u2026 The Real Housewives of London. Photograph: Angus Pigott\/PR<\/p>\n

One of the longest-standing cast members of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Kandi Burruss \u2013 formerly of the R&B group Xscape (she also co-wrote Bills Bills Bills for Destiny\u2019s Child) \u2013 has Kandi & the Gang (featuring her family and restaurant). Meanwhile Zolciak, another original Atlanta housewife, headlined her own spin-off, Don\u2019t Be Tardy, which chronicled her home life with her husband, Kroy Biermann, and their blended family in a more domestic, sitcom-style format.<\/p>\n

It would be remiss not to mention \u201cScandoval\u201d from Vanderpump Rules<\/a>, one of Lisa Vanderpump\u2019s spin-offs, which was quite possibly Bravo\u2019s most viral betrayal to date. Tom Sandoval, a longtime cast member, was caught cheating on his long-term partner, Ariana Madix, with their co-star Raquel Leviss. The drama played out across social media platforms like Instagram, (then) Twitter and dedicated Vanderpump Rules subreddits, on which fans recalled exactly where they were the moment \u201cScandoval broke\u201d, often noting the precise day and time it dropped. Viewers also debated timelines and theories about how long Sandoval and Leviss had been seeing each other before the reveal, fuelling endless speculation and discussion online. The controversy elevated Madix to almost \u201cgod-like\u201d status with brand deals aplenty. It was reality TV at its operatic best.<\/p>\n

In addition to the spin-offs, the last couple of years have seen frankly drastic makeovers across the franchise. New York ushered in its influencer era \u2013 a complete recast featuring younger women with strong social media presences \u2013 and has been renewed, cancelled and reportedly renewed (and cancelled) again. Atlanta has welcomed a completely new cast \u2013 bringing back OG Porsha Williams and finally elevating her bestie (at least until they appeared on the show together) and longtime \u201cfriend of the show\u201d Shamea Morton to full-time cast member with her own intro and storyline. Orange County has blended returning originals such as Shannon Beador and Tamra Judge with newer voices \u2013 with some hitting and failing to land.<\/p>\n

The Real Housewives of London offers those still hungry for yet another universe to lose themselves in \u2013 this time, with a completely clean slate. Whether it becomes an instant fan favourite remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: even for those who\u2019ve never sat through a full episode, these women are firmly embedded in the cultural mainstream and thankfully, they\u2019re not going anywhere. The joy of Housewives is that no matter where you begin, it\u2019s never long before you\u2019re all in.<\/p>\n

The Real Housewives of London is on Hayu in the UK on 18 August<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Whether you\u2019re a devout worshipper at the altar of The Real Housewives (like me), or simply aware of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":73999,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[64,63,134,427],"class_list":{"0":"post-73998","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-tv"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73998"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73998\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}