Real Housewives of New York’s Erin Lichy is hopeful about the future of the franchise and, if it was her choice, would like to have three of her castmates back on the show.  

The Context  

Lichy joined the Real Housewives of New York (RHONY) when it was rebooted with an entirely new cast for the 14th season and has appeared on the last two seasons of the show. NBC made the decision to completely re-cast the show after a negative reaction to the 13th season, marking the first time they decided to start the show’s cast from scratch.  

After two seasons, rumors started to spread in May that the show had been canceled, something Bravo denied. Executive producer Andy Cohen later confirmed that the show was just between seasons and the network was meeting with potential new housewives for an upcoming season.  

What To Know  

Lichy, who published her book, She’s a Host, between Housewives seasons, told Newsweek that she sees a future for RHONY. If she were to pick the cast, she said she’d like to see three of her castmates—Jessel Taank, Sai da Silva and Jenna Lyons—on the show with her.  

While she’d also like to have Ubah Hassan on the show, Lichy said she thinks Uba has “moved on with her life” and wouldn’t be interested.  

RHONY received some criticism for not having the same synergy as other franchises, with former Housewife Bethenny Frankel joking that “30 people in the country” watched the reboot. She called for Bravo to bring back the original cast. Cohen defended the reboot, telling Deadline that he believed in the new cast, calling them “aspirational” and saying that Bravo was “kind of looking to the future” with the reboot.  

Lichy told Newsweek that it “takes awhile” for a new cast to gel and people should think of RHONY as essentially a new show. She called the comparisons to the original a “problem” and noted that the reboot is different from other franchises. Going into the show, the cast each had businesses and “real careers,” whereas a lot of women on the show started out as housewives.  

Housewives from several franchises have said that joining the show is an experience no one can entirely prepare a person for and that someone who hasn’t been on a show can’t understand. Lichy described it as something unlike any other business venture she’s done and said she thinks her devotion to her friends has gotten misconstrued on the show.  

“I have had friends since I was 2 years old, so I am a girl’s girl and I’m a really good friend,” Lichy said. “It’s really important to me.”  

Lichy conceded that there are always going to be people who watch the show and think a situation should have been handled differently. But, she said, she doesn’t want to be portrayed as a bad friend when that’s a part of her that she truly values.  

What People Are Saying  

Erin Lichy told Newsweek: “I trust that [Bravo] will do exactly what’s right for the show.”  

Andy Cohen, on Sirius XM’s The Andy Cohen Show, in September: “Is Ubah coming back? We will see.” 

What Happens Next  

Cohen confirmed that RHONY will have another season and has teased that there are several cast members in place but has not elaborated on who will be joining the show.