After a long, hard day at work, there's nothing quite as relaxing as coming home to your many "wives." Of course, we're referring to *The Real Housewives* franchise.
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02-26, 2025Conceived by the series' notorious host and executive producer Andy Cohen, the reality TV show, despite facing accusations of sexism, racism and substance abuse, and featuring a litany of questionable behavior over its 19-year history, hasn't stopped it from becoming one of the most successful reality TV franchises of all time.
As a society, we simply can't resist watching extremely wealthy, badly behaved adult women do terrible things to each other, and then argue about it on vicious reunion episodes gleefully hosted by Cohen.
But *The Real Housewives* is more than just absurdity. It also includes 2000s nostalgia, unforgettable fashion, and the discussions about politics, gender, class, race, religion, sex and marriage that these women (and their husbands) instigate.
*The Real Housewives of Sydney* (RHOS) is now returning for its third season, and since premiering in 2017, it has given us plenty of this – from Lisa Oldfield describing her son as a "terrorist" in season one, to the "#furghazi" incident in season two.
But beyond RHOS, there's a vast and, frankly, overwhelming empire: there are 31 RH series in total, including 11 American versions and 20 international adaptations. Some are more intense than others. If you want to delve deeper into the world of *The Real Housewives*, we recommend starting with these six – in a very specific order.
1. Beverly Hills
Why Beverly Hills is special: It's a 14-season (and counting) high-wire act of luxury, desperation and tragedy. It doesn't get more Hollywood than this.
Where to start: Season one (sorry!)
Essential episodes: Seasons 1-3, 5-7
As the sixth *Housewives* series, Beverly Hills was able to hit the ground running – by 2010, Bravo knew what made the franchise shine. The movie capital setting also provided instant appeal, as did the celebrities among its cast: Disney child star Kim Richards and Kyle Richards, and Camille Grammer, aka the wife from *Frasier*. (Okay, not exactly A-listers, but still, famous.)
At first, it's petty squabbles and displays of wealth (including Lisa Vanderpump's pet peacock), but beneath the surface lurks a greater darkness. Grammer's marriage falls apart; Taylor Armstrong throws her daughter a $60,000 fourth birthday party while she's in an abusive marriage; and Kyle is furious at the erratic, out-of-control Kim, outing her sister's alcoholism on camera. And that's just season one.
Beverly Hills also has plenty of silliness, including a revolving door of ridiculous cast members – including Lisa Rinna, Denise Richards and Yolanda Hadid (mother of Bella and Gigi). Countless one-liners, memes and pop culture moments have come from this show (even if they probably shouldn't have).
But at the heart of Beverly Hills is Kyle – the only Housewife to remain constant for all 14 seasons – and her fractured family, with Kim and other sister Kathy Hilton (Paris' mum) appearing on and off, and old wounds reopening.
2. New York City
Why New York City is special: The unique degree of madness that the Big Apple inspires.
Where to start: Season three
Essential episodes: Seasons 3-9
Most *Real Housewives* casts need a balance of sane people and table-flippers, but New York is true to its city – it's a place where only the delusionally strong-willed survive.
Launched in 2008 as the second *Housewives* series, New York's 15 seasons can feel overwhelming – don't start with the recent, ill-fated reboot. Season one was conceived as a different show, repackaged as *Housewives* due to the franchise's popularity, and it's a bit rough.
You'll miss some great crazy, including Alex McCord and her Australian husband's desperate attempts to climb the social ladder, but you can skip ahead to season three.
Many icons come and go from the show. Or, in the case of Bethenny Frankel, they come, make millions of dollars, go, come back, leave and then start campaigns to completely overhaul the show.
But (almost) all of these women give the series their all, sometimes displaying astonishing vulnerability.
An exception is the one and only Ramona Singer. She's a bull in a china shop who loves pinot grigio, frequently apologizes for offending people, and is the source of many of the show's most jaw-dropping moments. While other characters experience several lifetimes on the show, Singer barely grows over her 13 pre-reboot seasons – partly by design.
While wine is the fuel that powers the *Housewives* franchise, alcoholism is a through-line in New York. The most amusing antics are tinged with darkness: it's glamorous, yes, but also a little exploitative.
But it's not all "turtle time" (Singer's phrase for a night of revelry). RHONY is also full of sincere, grounded moments. Widow Carole Radziwill and Dorinda Medley share their ongoing grief and love over the years, and it's genuinely moving. As, somehow, is Sonja Morgan's ridiculous but heartfelt dog funeral, the released ashes blowing back onto the guests.
3. Melbourne
Why Melbourne is special: The sheer idea that these people exist in Melbourne, and their commitment to the task of being a *Real Housewife*.
Where to start: Season one
Essential episodes: Seasons 1-3
RHOS is great, but it doesn't hold a candle to RHOMelbourne.
Partly this is because the latter had two more seasons to shine – not only did it premiere earlier, but it continued to churn out episodes while RHOS went into hibernation after audiences couldn't stomach the unbridled chaos of season one.
Partly it's because the rebooted RHOS possibly overcorrected for this prior chaos, offering a palpably more sanitised and sincere second season, in which the drama sometimes felt overly manufactured.
RHOMelbourne, on the other hand, was largely filmed in the golden era of *Real Housewives* in the 2010s, when it felt like authentic drama came first, and ethics came almost dead last. However, RHOMelbourne managed to stay just on the right side of the line that RHOS crossed.
Much of the later RHOMelbourne episodes do feel scripted, but this is easily forgiven because the moments are ironically hilarious.
The Melbourne setting is equally hilarious, and the cast is a *Real Housewives* dream come true – from the meticulous barrister and "ultimate drag queen" Gina Liano (sister of fashion designer Bettina) to Pettifleur Berenger, author of the baffling book *Switch the Bitch*.
While the *Real Housewives* franchise is known for regularly featuring an episode with a psychic who inevitably delivers divisive predictions or advice, RHOMelbourne goes one further and has one in the cast: psychic Jackie Gillies, whose husband used to play drums in the band Silverchair.
4. Dubai
Why Dubai is special: The United Arab Emirates' playground for the rich, the multicultural cast and Chanel Ayan.
Where to start: Season one
Essential episodes: There are only two seasons; they're both worth watching
RHODubai is a newer addition to the franchise, but its two seasons have made a significant impact on the world for two reasons: the cast is impeccable, and the show has no transitional period.
There is only one Emirati on RHODubai – the rest of the cast are expats from the UK, US, Lebanon and Kenya, and only two of the women have close ties.
This means that the drama flows freely from the get-go. It's vicious at times, but not overwhelming.
Points of conflict include age-gap relationships with older women (Caroline Stanbury and her besotted husband Sergio Carrallo), the pursuit of female entrepreneurship, religion and spirituality, Emirati customs and female genital mutilation.
If there's a "villain" (and there often is, even if it's a terrible way to describe real people), it's Caroline Brooks. Whether she's unfairly edited or a victim of "frankenbiting" is unclear.
But if there's a hero, it's Chanel Ayan, who is worth watching the show for alone. The Kenyan-born Somali model/businesswoman counts Rihanna as a fan, and is also one of the best and funniest *Real Housewives* of all time.
5. Salt Lake City
Why Salt Lake City is special: The spectre of Mormonism and Jen Shah's multi-season arc of being arrested for fraud and going to prison.
Where to start: Season two (season one is a good primer)
Essential episodes: Seasons 2-5
In its very first episode, RHOSLC briefly shone at its full potential when Mary Cosby (a Pentecostal First Lady) established that she didn't like Housewife Jen Shah because "she smells like hospital".
This is exactly the kind of absurd one-liner that SLC thrives on. Thankfully, the show is easily able to poke fun at how ridiculous its feuds are, displaying them in camp flashback sequences with heavy reverb. For anyone familiar with *Housewives* tropes, this is *Housewives*.
Mormonism and religion loom large over the show. Cousins Heather Gay and Whitney Rose have both left the church after divorce and ostracization, while Lisa Barlow remains a Mormon, despite owning a tequila company, among other apparent contradictions. Add in Cosby's church – which former members have called a cult, although Cosby denies this – and her "arranged marriage" to her step-grandfather, and SLC is operating on another level.
And this is before you even mention Jen Shah, who was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison for wire fraud, a telemarketing scheme that targeted the elderly.
In season two, Shah was arrested mid-filming by Homeland Security. She actively maintained her innocence until the very last moment, and as the evidence mounted, the event split the cast.
There were concerns that the show might fall apart after Shah's departure, but a series of expert casting choices have kept things fun, fresh and absurd. Special mention must go to one-season Housewife Monica Garcia, who had spent years harassing her future castmates through an anonymous Instagram account. The resulting confrontation – including a NIDA-level monologue from Gay – is perfection.
6. Potomac
Why Potomac is special: The almost entirely Black cast and their takes on race, racism and colorism, followed closely by Monique's pet parrot, T'Challa.
Where to start: Season three
Essential episodes: Seasons 3-6
It's okay if you've never heard of Potomac.
You'll learn everything you need to know about this exclusive Maryland community from RHOP (one of the most overlooked in the *Real Housewives* franchise). Basically, it's a wealthy but sleepy town bordering Washington, DC.
What RHOP's cast – made up entirely of Black Housewives, ranging in age from 27 to 61 – lacks in name recognition, it makes up for in spades, although it does take a while to heat up.
Season one features conservative Karen Huger spending a lot of time proselytizing about etiquette, but by the end of season two, the self-proclaimed Grande Dame of Potomac has moved on.
The real drama starts in season three; if wading through that many episodes to get to this point feels tiring, just start here.
Reality television doesn't get much better – or crazier – than season five, episode 13, when Monique Samuels appears to enter a violent fugue state and refuses to let go of Candiace Dillard Bassett's hair extensions.
This is also part of the reason why RHOP isn't for *Real Housewives* newbies.
Only connoisseurs will appreciate its take on classic *Real Housewives* tropes – from power struggles between queens to girls' trips gone wrong – and recognize the ways in which RHOP reinvents *Real Housewives*.
*The Real Housewives of Sydney* season three is streaming now on Binge. Find more of the *Real Housewives* universe on Hayu.
