Has the Golden Era of the ‘Real Housewives’ Franchise Come and Gone?

Since the beginning of the new decade, countless stars on a myriad of different Real Housewives franchises have decided to leave the show.

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Those include women like “Real Housewives of Atlanta” stars Nene Leakes, Cynthia Bailey, Sheree Whitfield, Kandi Burruss, Kenya Moore Marlo Hampton and Eva Marcille. It also includes women like Candiace Dillard-Bassett, Robyn Dixon, Monique Samuels of the “Real Housewives of Potomac.” And we can’t forget the departures of Eboni K. Williams, Annemarie Wiley, of “Real Housewives of New York” and “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” fame, respectively. (And those are just the Black women.)

In the years following, numerous franchises have also seen record low viewership, like the ever-popular “RHOA” that Deadline reported suffered a ratings decline and slip in views earlier this year. The popular New York franchise, which was the second iteration to come on TV back in 2007, has also seen a steady decline in ratings and viewership over the years.

With all this going on, it begs the question of whether the golden age of the “Real Housewives” are truly over? As it’s been well reported, the impetus for the show derived from ABC’s popular fictional dramedy, “Desperate Housewives” that aired from 2004 to 2012. The show was meant to be an inside look at the lavish lives the wives of ball players, famous celebs, musicians and more led. But over the years, the glitz and glam began playing second fiddle to the cattiness and in-fighting that ended up drawing in viewers who became third-party witness to the mess of more affluent women. And what’s worse, is that half the drama over the years seemed to come across as either grossly manufactured or so nonsensical and minute that it served no purpose other than a filler plot point to get through the duration of the season.

And while the drama in the collective series’ has given mainstream culture more than its fair share of escapism, innumerable memes/gifs, and pop culture references and quotes (“who gon’ check me, boo?” is going to live in my head rent-free forever)—what’s become abundantly clear through both numerical data and word-of-mouth chatter on social media is that the franchise just isn’t hitting the same anymore. Whether that’s due to its parent company Bravo not being as good with picking the right women for the show or the direction each iteration wound up taking, what’s become evident is that the shows are not reaching the same peaks of relevancy and popularity as they once were and fans are starting to sound off about it.

“I want Bravo to remember why the real housewives became the pop culture phenomenon it is. They also have to abandon the mission of blending social awareness with detached from reality wealthy women. It’s not consistent and betrays the whole purpose of the show. Let the girls be authentically stupid, unhinged, delusional and wrapped up in their own world. It’s what pulled us all in! Relatability is gnawing away at the brand,” said one user on X/Twitter.

When one user on X/Twitter commented that they didn’t think the franchise would be around much longer, another added: “Not only that. Housewives aren’t as wealthy as they were before (due to numerous factors) one of the girls from RHOP had the same SHEIN dress as me. It’s losing its wow factor.”

Added another: “Bravo has lost the plot. Housewives started out as real groups of friends and or acquaintances who at a minimum had a like for each other. It is now putting women into groups who have no connection or don’t even like each other, and making them interract for a paycheck.”

Whatever the remedy is for the problem, Bravo had better figure it out soon. I, and other viewers miss the days of good, ole shady clapbacks, looks at luxurious homes, and the feeling of truly getting sucked into a world that looked so much different than our own and admiring these women who had made a name for themselves outside of their notable partners. If the golden era for the “Housewives” are truly over, then it at least needs to go out with a bang before we drop our collective peaches and champagne glasses.