Why Are "The Real Housewives" a Thing?

I would like to admit something: I like watching The Real Housewives franchise. Mainly Beverly Hills and New Jersey, but am learning to enjoy the New York ladies. For years, I refused to watch these shows as well as others like them (looking at you Kardashians). I have now resigned myself to the fact that I am a Housewives fan. But why are they even a thing?

The Real Housewives franchise started in 2005, inspired by fictional soap operas like Peyton Place and Desperate Housewives. Starting in Orange County, the franchise now spans the country and the world. Currently there are seven active series installments airing in the United States, with two previous installments having been cancelled. The main series also has spin-offs like Vanderpump Rules and Manzo'd with Children.

The franchise follows the lives of typically well-to-do women and their families. While they are called housewives, a number of the ladies have careers outside of the home, and were known before their involvement in the franchise such as Kim Fields, Lisa Rinna, Bethany Frankel, and Kim Richards just to name a few. Some series put more emphasis on the women more than their families, while others, such as New Jersey, put an extra emphasis on the families.

Though it is deemed a reality show, and frankly seems more real than shows like The Hills, one wonders how many of the situations are staged and how many are authentic. For example, most seasons see the ladies taking at least one big trip per season, with the trips sometimes being labelled as "last minute". One wonders how last minute a glamorous vacation to Dubai ccan be. Also, it seems that most seasons end with all the ladies at an event, putting a nice end to the seasons. And it has been said by at least one housewife that the ladies sometimes hold off on "big events" so that they can be filmed. And there is also this story from Radar Online citing a legal case stating the show is at least partially staged.

I don't know if this says something about me or not, but my favorite episodes are the ones where there is a fight or a big confrontation, which is usually why I can't wait for the reunion episodes which always seem to devolve into screaming matches at some point. But like with most episodes of this franchise, it makes you wonder how much is genuine and how much is staged.

Notice that I didn't say fake. I do believe that these women are living their lives and that the events and details of their lives are real. But it is quite obvious that what plays out on camera is exaggerated or played up for the camers. Would some of these fights, such as Teresa Guidice flipping the table during her argument with Danielle Staub, be as bombastic without the cameras there? Probably not. Would the fight still happen? Probably.

So why is this franchise so long lasting and popular? As a daytime soap watcher, it's obvious that the franchise's framework is at least partially based on soap operas. And while daytime soaps aren't as as popular as they used to be, the general framework of a soap opera is. Just look at primetime series such as Scandal, Mad Men, and This is Us. You're watching people live their lives and the melodramatic situations they get into, with some comedy thrown in for good measure. A lot of these shows' popularity can be attributed to the items they borrow from daytime soaps, And so while audiences have tuned out of daytime soaps in large numbers, they have moved their viewing habits to shows that borrow from the soaps, and so I don't think people stopped liking what daytime soaps did with their stories, I just think that primetime shows and reality shows do daytime stories with a little bit more class and they are allowed to push the envelope more.

Also, I think that the idea of these rich and fabulous people living their lives and sometimes getting into these situations that can be very similar to the viewer's own situations, such as dealing with a child's illness or dealing with the end of a marriage,  helps a viewer relate and attach to these real life people, and therefore drives up the popularity of the franchise.

Lastly, I think that while some may call the shows trashy, there is a certain elegance about these women, and viewers watch these shows so they can fantasize about living a glamorous lifestyle of their own. Now, obviously, some of that is played up for the cameras, and I doubt every single one of these women is posh and sophisticated all the time, but that's what television has been so good at for years; giving viewers an escape from reality, even if it is watching a reality show.

There are obviously other reasons why the franchise is popular, and I don't think there's any one reason that stands out more than others. The franchise is a guilty pleasure of mine, and I don't mind admitting that. Will I be sad to see the franchise end eventually? Probably not. Am I going to enjoy it while it lasts? Hell yeah!