‘Real Housewives of New York’ First Thoughts
I just watched the first episode of the all new Real Housewives of New York, and I have thoughts. This new version of the iconic show features all new ladies after Bravo put RHONY on pause. For those unaware, season 13 of the show was a disaster. Unfortunately, many blame Eboni K Williams, the show’s first black cast member, but if we’re being honest, perhaps that version of the show had run its course.
As someone who watched the earlier seasons of the Real Housewives of New York, I was uninterested in this new version. The ladies didn’t seem entertaining, many seemed too inexperienced, and perhaps I was holding on to my love of Luann, Sonja, and Bethenny(when she was still on the show). However, I am pleasantly impressed by the debut. No, it’s not old school RHONY, but maybe that makes it feel like a breath of fresh air.
Is this what the Real Housewives of Atlanta needs in order to succeed? Perhaps, but I’m uncertain if I’m ready to accept that. Here are some random thoughts about the brand new RHONY.
The New RHONY is a well rounded show
Of course, it’s hard to fully gauge the viability of a show from a single episode. The premiere was excellent, but the future offerings could be total duds. However, what the new Real Housewives of New York has going for itself is that it’s a well rounded show. So what does that mean? The problem with other Housewives shows these days is that they don’t seem to have a focus. Take the most recent season of RHOA as an example. The ladies seem to get together to argue about personal things. So far this season, there is no ongoing storyline, the shade isn’t fun and lighthearted, and it’s overall not very entertaining.
However, these women all have things going on. Some of them are parents, some are professionals, and some embody both of these identities. This provides much needed balance and helps show the modern New York. Of course, the RHOA ladies have things happening, but it seems the producers are using the same old production methods for the show. Some housewives shows have gotten far too dark regarding the storylines. While this can create engaging television, many fans miss the lighter side of these shows, which the new RHONY perfectly showcases.
The prime example of this from the first episode is an argument over cheese. This argument sounds incredibly stupid and maybe out of touch, but it works for the show. People can watch this for an hour and laugh without becoming too invested. However, the season is sure to have heavier storylines in the future, which is another part of the needed balance.
The new Real Housewives of New York has a diverse cast
What really makes this new version of the show great is that the cast is diverse without feeling forced. There’s racial diversity, the show has its first openly queer woman, and these women all represent overall different types of people. They come from different backgrounds and have differing points of view. Perhaps the biggest problem with the old RHONY is that the show was never diverse. Sure, the ladies bumped heads, but most would agree that the older version didn’t provide a real sense of New York.
One of the questions I have is what took so long for queer representation on a Housewives show. Before, gay people featured were only friends of some of the ladies and mostly used as decorations. This is the case especially with Atlanta, where the city has a wide array of LGBTQ+ people, but they have never been portrayed seriously on the show.
We can’t forget that Sonja Morgan described herself as bisexual in the old RHONY. However, like with Atlanta, this always felt inauthentic. That’s not to take away from anyone’s experience, but the show never showed Sonja as a bisexual woman, and it was more so a talking point. Bravo has always been a network with a huge gay following, so it’s weird that this has never been a focus in the programming.
Does the reboot work?
One of the reasons I gave the new RHONY the side eye was its premiere date. It rubbed me the wrong way that Bravo put it on right after RHOA. As a longtime fan of Atlanta, it felt like a set up to show why it also needed to be rebooted. This would be the case because if the ratings were higher than what Atlanta earned, it would be easy for the network and ratings focused fans to say the show needs a brand new cast. This decision felt strategic.
However, I must say that I think a reboot may be just what the doctor ordered for many of these shows. Of course, ratings are down for all shows and networks, but the Housewives shows seem to be declining faster. Using Atlanta as an example again, fans still watch it, but we are never excited to watch. Many of the episodes this season have felt like watching paint dry. There have been some high moments, but I believe this configuration of ladies might be on its metaphorical last leg.
I’ll continue watching the new RHONY in hopes that this level of quality is sustainable. If you haven’t watched the first episode, it’s a great start to what the network calls a brand new show. Like most premiere episodes, it’s not the most interesting because the cast members are being introduced for the first time. However, they all seem to bring enough to the show to promise an entertaining show.
