Gamble with revamped show may be paying off
‘Real Housewives of New York’ cast earns positive reception
On a recent afternoon, the cast of “The Real Housewives of New York City” gathered at a members-only club in Manhattan so exclusive its management didn’t want it named in this story.
The women were there to discuss their hopes for revitalizing the embattled Bravo series. After a season mired in controversies about race, the show returned to Bravo recently featuring six new “housewives” (but none are actual housewives).
Unlike previous iterations of the series, whose casts were overwhelmingly white, the “RHONY” reboot reflects the cosmopolitan, multicultural city in which it is set. The new cast is younger by about two decades and more diverse in every way.
“RHONY” is attempting to do something that no other “Housewives” show has ever done — start over, midstream. The reboot, whether it fails or succeeds, will provide a valuable case study for Bravo: Can a reality franchise that has been around nearly two decades remain relevant in a transformed cultural climate?
“Real Housewives” fans can be an unforgiving bunch, but the initial reception to the revamped “RHONY” has been surprisingly positive, given the controversy that preceded it.
“It’s going to bring a new audience in,” said Jenna Lyons, who is easily the best known of the new housewives. “I think it’ll be interesting to see what happens in the next couple of years as you bring younger, savvier, social viewers, who are used to things shifting more
quickly. I think it’ll push the show, in any iteration, into slightly different places.”
The rest of the cast is less famous — at least for now — but each seems to have the dramatic instincts and compelling personal stories necessary for reality TV.
Erin Lichy was raised in an Israeli family in Manhattan and talks graphically about her brisk sex life. Brynn Whitfield, who is biracial and grew up in the Midwest, is a one-liner machine and mischiefmaker. Ubah Hassan, a model and hot sauce entrepreneur originally from Somalia, is the kooky one who claims to enjoy Halal porn and is obsessed with bananas. Sai De Silva is a digital content creator who grew up in modest circumstances in Brooklyn and has Puerto Rican, Cuban and Brazilian heritage. Rounding out the cast is Jessel Taank, a fashion publicist and a Brit of Indian descent, who has young twin boys and made headlines
by throwing up at the show’s premiere party.
The new women of “RHONY” range in age from their mid 30s to their mid 50s; some are married with kids, others are single and don’t even have pets or houseplants. They’re also cut from a slightly different cloth than longtime New York housewives like Ramona Singer, Sonja Morgan or Luann de Lesseps — more influencers and aspiring girl bosses than striving socialites or eccentric divorcees.
“We are what New York represents right here and right now,” said De Silva. The Brooklyn native was first approached about starring in “RHONY” a few years ago but opted to sign up only when the show made a fresh start.
These housewives aren’t exactly breaking the “RHONY” mold so much as reshaping it slightly for a kinder, more progressive era while reinjecting the show with some fun and frivolity.
The first batch of episodes offers a promising mix of absurd disputes — including a tiff over dinner reservations at a supposedly passé restaurant and a meltdown over gifted lingerie — along with more substantive conversations about post-partum sex, growing up in poverty and the death of a parent.
“The Real Housewives” empire originated in Orange County, California, but exploded into a massive cultural phenomenon once it expanded to New York, its second location, in 2008. Debuting just ahead of the economic crisis, “RHONY” offered a glimpse into the lives of affluent middle-age women who tended to have more money and ambition than shame.
“I’ve always felt especially close to ‘RHONY,’ of all of the ‘Housewives’ shows,” said Andy Cohen, executive producer of “The Real Housewives,” who is, perhaps not coincidentally, a longtime resident of Manhattan. “People who
live here are really choosing to be engaged in life. It can be tough. You have to be a fighter. It’s not for the faint of heart. And these women are very direct, focused, smart, savvy and business-oriented, far more than many of the other cities that you see in the franchise.”
In contrast to the melting pot of New York, however, the show was almost entirely white — only one woman of color, Jules Wainstein, starred in the first 12 seasons.
“RHONY” finally got a Black housewife, Eboni K. Williams, in Season 13, which filmed in late 2020 and early 2021, against the backdrop of the presidential election and protests over George Floyd’s murder.
Williams, a lawyer and journalist, repeatedly tried to have conversations about racial justice issues with her co-stars, who responded with visible irritation — particularly Singer, who is known for her conservative views. Once Bravo’s most reliable guilty pleasure, “RHONY” had become a cringe-fest.
Ratings for “RHONY” sank to an all-time low, leading Bravo to scuttle plans for a reunion for the first time in the show’s history. The network also conducted an internal investigation into claims that Singer had made racist comments on set. Following months of speculation about the future of the franchise, Bravo announced in March 2022 that it would recast “RHONY” for Season 14, while creating a spinoff featuring several legacy stars.
When it came to finding the next generation of “RHONY” stars, Cohen said that in addition to women from diverse backgrounds, the goal was to pull together “people who are dynamic, fashionable, aspirational, willing to live their lives on camera, with a great sense of humor.”
Most of the women were eager to join the series, recognizing how attitudes about reality TV — and “The Real Housewives” in particular — have shifted over time.
The reboot has not been entirely trouble-free: Cast member Lizzy Savetsky, an Orthodox Jewish influencer, left early into filming the season, citing a “torrent of antisemitic attacks” online. According to another report, Savetsky departed the production after charged conversations with a co-star.
Although no housewives were close friends before filming, they say they now share a genuine bond forged by the cameras. There is even a highly active group text — “much to Bravo’s dismay,” said De Silva.
In the end, the women of “RHONY” are trying to enjoy the ride and not take it too seriously. “It’s not the BBC, you know?” said Whitfield. “It’s Bravo.”