The Real Housewives is an American media franchise consisting of several reality television series
broadcast on Bravo; they document the lives of several affluent housewives residing in
varying regions throughout the United States.
The first version The Real Housewives of Orange County premiered in 2006; its success resulted
in spin-off series located in New York City and Atlanta in 2008; New Jersey in 2009; Washington,
D.C. and Beverly Hills in 2010; and Miami in 2011.
The subsequent installments have proven similarly successful, and have resulted in several spin-off
series of their own.
As of February 2014, The Real Housewives of Atlanta is the highest-rated installment of
The Real Housewives franchise, and is additionally the most-watched series airing on Bravo.
International versions are broadcast by several television channels worldwide; the first version
The Real Housewives of Athens premiered in 2011, and was followed by "Me'usharot in 2011,
The Real Housewives of Vancouver in 2012, Les Vraies Housewives in 2013, and The Real
Housewives of Melbourne in 2014.
Conception
The Real Housewives was first announced as one of six reality television series ordered
by the American television channel Bravo in May 2005.
It was inspired by the scripted soap operas Desperate Housewives and Peyton Place, and
would document the lives of upper-class women who "lead glamorous lives in a picturesque
Southern California gated community where the average home has a $1.6 million price
tag and residents include CEOs and retired professional athletes."
The series was renamed The Real Housewives of Orange County in January 2006, and was
premiered on March 21.
In September 2007, Bravo confirmed the production of the series Manhattan Moms, which would
"[follow] an eclectic group of Gotham socialites and their families."
However, it was renamed The Real Housewives of New York City in January 2008, becoming
the first spin-off from The Real Housewives franchise; it premiered on March 4.
The third spin-off The Real Housewives of Atlanta was announced in June, and was premiered
on October 7.
The fourth spin-off The Real Housewives of New Jersey was mentioned in May 2008 before
the confirmation of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, although it premiered afterwards
on May 12, 2009.
The Real Housewives of D.C. was introduced as the fifth spin-off in October 2009, and
was premiered on August 5, 2010.
Domestic installments International installments
Spin-offs Syndication
The first four series entered weekday broadcast syndication in the majority of United States
markets on September 13, 2010, with episodes of The Real Housewives of Orange County.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta started airing episodes in the syndicated time slot on October
25, 2010; The Real Housewives of New York on November 29, 2010; and The Real Housewives
of New Jersey on January 17, 2011.
More episodes of Orange County and an encore of Atlanta finished off the season.
Game
In July 2012, Bravo released a social networking video game version of The Real Housewives
of New York City titled Real Housewives: The Game.
The game, now discontinued, was accessed as a Facebook application.
Every week, after a new episode aired on TV, a new story was available on the game.
References
External links The Real Housewives of Orange County
The Real Housewives of New York City The Real Housewives of Atlanta
The Real Housewives of New Jersey The Real Housewives of D.C.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills The Real Housewives of Miami