As mandated by their contract, The Real Housewives are adding ten approved spinoff shows to Bravo’s fall lineup, the first of which is entitled “The Real Housewives of Suburbia.” This most recent series is another reality show following the lives of homemakers, this time set in middle-class America.
“We ran out of the hot cities—Orange County, Atlanta, and New York City—right away,” explained former head of development for Bravo, Andy Cohen.
“From there, it’s been a stretch to find the kind of luxury demonstrated on the original seven shows. So, we decided to go in a completely different direction,” he continued.
Producers intend to draw in even more of their usual demographic—middle-aged women living in middle-class American neighborhoods, by showing them the type of drama that hits closest to home. The trailer for the series revealed a day in the life of housewives Barbara Smith, Donna Goelie, Pam Bhabha, Eleanor Lister, and Linda Swenten.
“Today I’m driving my daughter to tennis camp,” shared Goelie, with a polite amount of smiling.
“That’s so funny because I’m driving my son to soccer camp right down the street,” added Lister.
The two women reportedly chatted in the parking lot for a few minutes, and then Goelie went and had tea with her mother in a nearby town.
Cohen explained that this is the type of action that can surprise an audience, citing an upcoming episode where a neighbor’s dog urinates in Bhabha’s front garden as further proof of fascinating, yet low-key entertainment.
“I was upset for a while, about the dog pissing on my lawn, but then I just went back to cooking some dinners for the week. I freeze the stuff, and then just take it out when I need it,” voiced Bhabha.
A focus group consisting of Real Housewives’ key audiences positively reviewed the pilot, but reportedly would like to see more of Smith’s friend Barb from college “because she seems nice.”