After a rocky summer of subpar shows, Bravo has officially lost the plot. Can the cable network redeem itself?
With the new seasons of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City and The Real Housewives of Potomac, Bravo can definitely bounce back from a dreadful summer.
What started as a promising summer in the Bravoverse devolved into a wasteland of missed opportunities and terrible scheduling decisions.
The Real Housewives of Miami premiered its seventh season in early June. The Real Housewives of OC debuted in July. By August, both shows were stuffed into a two-hour programming window that no one asked for.
Bravo usually lumps some of its popular shows with lower performing or new shows, to boost ratings for the latter. Unfortunately, RHOM and RHOC fell flat and the seasons aren’t done yet.
From the clearly contrived storylines, emotionally draining arguments, RHOM and RHOC missed the mark. Also, the constant “gang ups” — where the group isolates and bullies one housewife — have run its course.
How did we get here? Bravo canceled or “paused” a bunch of shows including RHONJ, RHONY, Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard, The Real Housewives of Dubai, and Vanderpump Rules. Fewer shows means less programming, especially during the summer when some Bravo shows film.
The Valley, a freshmen reality spinoff of Vanderpump Rules, premiered season 2 in April and wrapped in June. Also in June, Bravo also tested the waters with a new series: NEXT Gen: NYC. The Housewives spinoff stars Rylie Burruss and Ariana Biermann, daughters of RHOA alums Kandi Burruss and Kim Zolciak.
King’s Court, a spinoff of Peacock’s Queen’s Court, also premiered on Bravo this summer. Needless to say, it’s a terrible show and a huge waste of the coveted Sunday time slot.
Luckily, Below Deck continues to anchor Monday nights. But Bravo is basically dead for the rest of week. RHOM and RHOC airing back to back on Thursdays feels like beating a dead horse.
And there’s still no official return dates for RHONJ or RHONY.
Bravo isn’t what it used the be and as a longtime viewers, it’s hard to adjust. The Housewives franchise feels like its on life support. And most of the other shows aren’t worth watching.
Five years ago, Bravo was so committed to content that they filmed reunions over Zoom. Today, the network is fully dependent on rage bait and microaggressions in hopes of decent ratings and social media impressions. It’s exhausting to watch and yet another way Bravo continues to let fans down.
Yes, Bravo dropped the ball this summer, but they can pick it back up in the fourth quarter. RHOM and RHOC wrap in October and the next few months looks promising. RHOSLC returns Sept. 16 and RHOP will premiere Oct. 5.
Season 9 