I have a theory that one reason comedies are struggling on television is Bravo. Instead of hanging out with the gang at Central Perk, modern audiences prefer the various friend groups available on reality TV. And, in the early 2010s, Bravo, aping The Real World and Jersey Shore, cast the Friends of reality television on Vanderpump Rules.
The show follows the aspiring actors slinging goat-cheese balls at the various West Hollywood restaurants of Real Housewives’ Lisa Vanderpump. However, Rules takes place primarily outside of work. The cast views their job as temporary, anyway, and spends their time hanging out in their beer-can-lined WeHo apartments. On their hand-me-down couches, plans are made, shit is talked, and alliances are forged. But, unlike the gaudy wealth porn of the Bravo-verse, the staff at SUR is recognizable enough for viewers to see themselves in them, pointing out who in their lives is the Kristen, Katie, or, god help them, Jax.
After several episodes distancing itself from its Real Housewives origins, the series came into its own in season one’s “Vegas With A Vengeance.” The gang heads to the city for Stassi’s birthday, but before they leave, the b-day girl disinvites her ex-boyfriend and regular Vanderpump final boss, Jax Taylor. Like a recently fired George Costanza, he shows up anyway, pretending nothing happened with a monster chip on his shoulder. Yes, the show is filled with high drama, but ultimately, it’s about a group of friends learning to coexist. They may be volatile, but this episode made the cast of Vanderpump Rules a friend group audiences wanted to join weekly for 12 years. [Matt Schimkowitz]