This ‘Real Housewives’ Franchise Is Too Good for a Reboot

The Real Housewives of Orange County has always been seen as the franchise that started it all for Housewives on Bravo. They were the first ones created and showcased what it would be like to follow different women and their families through their everyday lives. As years have gone by, RHOC has always stayed at the top because of its cast, and even if they were going through changes, they would still manage to make the show entertaining for viewers, and the show never forgets its essence of old-school drama. Many Housewives franchises have evolved, and RHOC has not stayed behind during its new eras. Every cast member who has had the opportunity to be a part of this franchise has understood the assignment of being in a fan-favorite show and understanding what viewers need, which is seeing the ladies continue being themselves unapologetically. RHOC did have to go through a time in which no one knew how the show could move forward, as the COVID season was not received well by viewers, and it was at that time, Tamra Judge and Vicki Gunvalson were removed from the show. Having RHOC without some of its strongest cast members was something that no one could have expected, and it showed how badly received it was. Still, even with seasons that were not so great, there was no conversation about a reboot.

With so many housewives shows, it can be hard to keep the momentum going and be their entity without becoming boring and overrated. This recently happened to one of the most beloved franchises, The Real Housewives of New York City, in which, in the last season before the reboot, there were so many negative aspects of the show that it had been decided to reboot the whole show. There were many arguments within the cast, and Ramona Singer’s comments also made the show be looked over. As a franchise, RHONY was one that viewers always knew would bring fun and drama, but during its last season, a shift in the cast showed how the franchise had lost its spark. It all started once Bethenny Frankel and Dorinda Medley did not return to the show, and its essence was lost. With franchises as beloved as RHOC, getting a cast right will show there is no need for a reboot, and it has shown that once Tamra Judge and Heather Dubrow came back, the show was what everyone loved. Also, finding a newbie that can keep the vets on their toes, like Jennifer Pedranti and Katie Ginella, shows how it can all still work.

The Real Housewives of Orange County

A look at five families living in a protected Southern California enclave, and the real-life housewives who reside in one of the wealthiest planned communities in the country.

Release Date

March 21, 2006

Creator

Scott Dunlop

Cast

Tamra Judge , Vicki Gunvalson , Shannon Storms Beador , Heather Dubrow

Seasons

18

The COVID Season Would Make or Break RHOC

The COVID season of many shows, especially reality TV, was hard for the cast and viewers. Everyone had to pivot how they interacted with each other. With a show like The Real Housewives, it can become difficult to keep different storylines going when there needs to be a safety factor around them. With The Real Housewives of Orange County, this was the first person after Tamra Judge and Vicki Gunvalson had been fired, so no one knew how a season could be good without them. There was still hope because Shannon Storms Beador was allowed to shine on her own without her “Tres Amigas,” proving that she could be center orange. Since this became the first season without two of the “Tres Amigas,” this showed everyone how authentic Shannon has been. She spoke to Entertainment Weekly about being without them for the first time, “There were a lot of untruths said about me by both of those women, and I know that they’re untruths, but I choose not to go back and forth in the press because that’s not the person I am. So, it’s been sad to know that friendships I thought were genuine, valid, and authentic aren’t. So that’s been a tough pill for me to swallow.” At the time, she wasn’t on the best terms with them, so without them, she also allowed her friendships with the other ladies to grow because she had always focused on Tamra and Vicki.

This season was steamrolling from the previous season, with Shannon against Kelly Dodd at the center. Since last season, they have been going at each other the whole time. Also, it became everyone against Braunwyn Windham-Burke, who was one of the ones that the OG of the OC did not ever like. This season even struggled with the newbie Elizabeth Lynn Vargas because she did not have an opportunity to mesh well with the cast since the pandemic happened. There were already too many negative factors going against this season, and even though the pandemic also did not help, the cast was not meshing well, and changes needed to be made, but the OC ladies would not go down the reboot path.

Reboots Are A Hit Or Miss

There have been two different ways in which shows have been rebooted. The first can be shown after season 4 of The Real Housewives of New York City, where Aviva Drescher, Heather Thomson, and Carole Radzwill were introduced as the newbies with veterans Luann De Lesseps, Ramona Singer, and Sonja Morgan. These reboots have worked because viewers can get the best of both worlds. On the one hand, they will meet new people to see how they live their everyday lives; on the other hand, viewers can continue following the stories of the women they already love. Still, this version of a reboot has been shown to work not only on RHONY but also on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, when Lisa Rinna, Eileen Davidson, and Yolanda Foster were introduced. These franchises showed they could preserve and still have the essence that made many viewers fall in love with them in the first place.

The other reboot version involves wiping the slate clean and introducing a new cast, which is what happened to The Real Housewives of New York City for their 14th season. This was very hard news for many loyal RHONY fans because the cast they knew and loved was gone for good, and there wasn’t a form of closure for them. Luckily, the new RHONY cast was liked, and even though some of the arguments seen on their first season might not have been as entertaining as old school RHONY, with the help of Jessel Taank and Brynn Whitfield, the season was able to be good since they were the shining stars of the season. Thanks to the two of them, they showed how the reboot works, but viewers still dream of the old days.

RHOC Mixes Old School and New School

To show how a reboot is not necessary, something that has worked is finding a cast that shows the old-school vibe but also brings a new era into the show. The Real Housewives of Orange County have demonstrated that, thanks to their faith in Shannon Beador, she has become a key component that mixes the season’s rookies and veterans. Shannon has not had an easy journey on the show, but she has been the only one to have become close to Tamra Judge and Vicki Gunvalson, enough to have the three call each other the “Tres Amigas.” Not only has Shannon been able to be close with some of the most important OGs of the show, but the growth of her relationship with Emily Simpson and Gina Kirschenheiter has also been great to see since she did not like the two of them a lot during their first seasons.

The show has been through many changes in the cast since Tamra and Vicki left, but it has always strived to keep the OC essence that viewers have loved for years. It has been shown to work as Tamra and Heather Dubrow were able to come back and bring exactly what was missing to the show: the confrontations and drama that have made RHOC the great franchise it has been. Not only that, but Bravo finally found a newbie that could go toe-to-toe with Tamra Judge in Jennifer Pedranti, since Tamra brought her in, but she now has no relationship with her. Viewers are looking forward to Season 18 as it is also the 100th season of The Real Housewives franchise, and it has brought back vet Alexis Bellino for the old-school vibes and the drama thanks to her boyfriend, John Jannsen.

The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 18 premieres Thursday, July 11, on Bravo and is streaming now on Peacock.

Watch on Peacock