Here’s Why I Think The RHONY Reboot Isn’t Working

The end of Bravo's The Real Housewives of New York's Season 13 was a dark day for longtime fans. The series was clearly not working after the connection among its cast members lost its way. The addition of new faces (and the elimination of familiar faces) rubbed fans the wrong way and the commonalities between Housewives were few and far between. Things took a turn when the season had a record-low viewership, as reported by Variety. The season was so bad that Bravo didn't even hold a reunion — one of the most long-awaited moments of any season.

In 2022, Executive Producer and host Andy Cohen told the publication about NBC's plan for a new version of RHONY. "You know that we're at a crossroads for RHONY. We've spent a lot of time figuring out where to go. And the plan that we've come up with, I think, is a real gift to the fans," he shared. This included “rebooting and recasting” the series. I was sad to say goodbye to longtime Housewives who were the faces of the series, but excited about a new, diverse cast. Unfortunately, something isn't working with the reboot.

The Real Housewives Of New York Feels Inauthentic And Forced

Season 14 saw exciting new personalities on The Real Housewives of New York. The women were diverse, powerful, interesting, and showed different aspects of New York's vast burrows. While fans liked the choices of cast members, especially famed fashion designer Jenna Lyons and influencer Sai De Silva, it became clear the cast didn't know each other outside of filming, unlike the original cast.

RHONY Recap - Brynn and Rebecca laughing on camera — Rebecca Minkoff and Brynn Whitfield RHONY

While entertaining and fresh, the drama shown in Season 14 felt petty and dull. Arguments about charcuterie boards, cheap lingerie, and poor party manners flooded the season. We all laughed at the quips and connections between the women, but something was missing. Knowing it was the first season of the reboot, we all gave the network a chance to get its feet wet. That is, until Season 15 hit.

The Stars Of The RHONY Reboot	Seasons
Sai De Silva	14-15
Erin Lichy	14-15
Jessel Taank	14-15
Jenna Lyons	14-15
Ubah Hassan	14-15
Brynn Whitfield	14-15
Racquel Chevremont	15

Launching in October 2024, Season 15 had the same faces but added famous fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff as a friend of the series. With bigger names attached, I hoped Bravo knocked the second season of the reboot out of the park. Unfortunately, the same problems persist.

As of this article's publishing, the season is ongoing. However, I'm already getting bored of the group's antics. Things took a nosedive when a major storyline that was shown in the trailer turned out to be a fake prank.

The Season 15 trailer showed a massive pregnancy storyline involving Rebecca. While married to Gavin Bellour, it was alluded she was pregnant with another man's baby after a wild night out. We all waited to see what transpired between Rebecca and this mystery man, but as it turned out, it was all for show — a prank.

Erin Lichy and Rebecca joined forces to create fake drama around a one-night stand pregnancy. After building the storyline, I was shocked when Erin and Rebecca walked away arm in arm smiling, saying, "That was good!" after lying to their friends.

As it turned out, it was all a ruse.

Season Average Viewership for Seasons 14 and 15

TV Deets shared that the season average for Season 14 was 506,000.
While Season 15 is still going on, the current season average is just 380,000.

I was already getting sleepy at the wheel while watching Season 15, but after the fake pregnancy announcement, I was wide awake. Falsifying drama and misleading fans is a great way to lose the fandom. It's also a devastating blow to the franchise. RHONY didn't become the successful franchise that it was because of pranks and fake affairs. It was successful because of the connection the women had with each other and the real problems they faced in business and at home.

Seeing how giddy the women were at fooling everyone to believe their lies furthered the point that the RHONY reboot isn't working.

Fans Miss The Dynamic Of Old Real Housewives Of New York

As problematic and dated as the former cast of The Real Housewives of New York was, I miss their shenanigans. The women were friends and powerful forces in New York City before joining the series. The connection or familiarity of each other created a stronger background for the series than the current cast.

RHONY cast sitting and talking in S13 — Eboni, Luann and Ramona on RHONY

While it was evident the Covid-19 pandemic and racial tensions plagued the cast's later seasons, their earlier times together made memorable television.

The Stars Of The Old RHONY	Seasons
Luann de Lesseps	1-13
Bethenny Frankel	1-3, 7-11
Ramona Singer	1-13
Sonja Morgan	3-13
Dorinda Medley	4, 7-12

I miss seeing Luann de Lesseps practicing her cabaret while searching for her next fling. Sonja Morgan wandering around her iconic Upper East Side townhouse is ingrained in my memory. Dorinda drunkenly slurring her words at the women in both excitement and horror is music to my ears. More importantly, the fun and hard times they shared together could not be duplicated with a reboot created of women who didn't have the same depth.

What made The Real Housewives an interesting franchise to start with was the niche casting. The women were middle-aged or older, well-off, successful, and unapologetic. Most cast members of reality TV shows were lost souls in their 20's. The Real Housewives showed a new side to age and how fabulous it can be. I miss that aspect of RHONY since the reboot consists of a younger cast.

While it's obvious Bravo had to freshen up the former cast, the reboot isn't working — and the prank solidified it.

According to Reality Blurb, on a November 2024 episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, TV personality Jeff Lewis explained why the prank was such a bad idea. "I think it’s a bad move. I think it’s self-producing. I think that you lose trust in your audience. I think it’s a bad move. I don’t like pranks." Surprisingly, Andy Cohen agreed.

I’m not a fan of a prank, I’m gonna be honest.

With viewership for Season 15 down and the original cast of RHONY moving on in their careers, I'm more intrigued about Housewives like Luann, Bethenny Frankel, Sonja, and Dorinda are up to in their next phase of life.

You can stream all episodes of The Real Housewives of New York City on Peacock.