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EXCLUSIVE: Andy Cohen took his Watch What Happens Live clubhouse down to Miami for Bravo Fan Fest, and Deadline caught up with him to get the latest on The Real Housewives franchise.
It was recently confirmed that The Real Housewives of Dubai was put on pause after two seasons, but how temporary or permanent is this pause?
“I mean, a pause is a pause is a pause is a pause. But look, I love Dubai. I love what we built there,” Cohen told Deadline. “We’re looking at what we’re doing with Jersey. We had this Housewives drought [over the] summer, [which] everyone was complaining about, and I think it’s about getting the rollout so that it’s a steady stream and there’s the right amount [of shows].”
The Real Housewives of New Jersey was also put on pause after a dramatic season that divided the cast into Team Teresa Giudice and Team Melissa Gorga. Cohen told us they are not in a rush to decide on the future of RHONJ just yet.
“We are taking our time. We are in no rush. We’re really gratified with what’s on the slate for next year,” Cohen explained. “[For instance], the new Atlanta, which I’m seven episodes in of watching, it’s outstanding. I’m so excited for people to see this, and they’re going to see it early next year.”
He continued, “Miami is in the middle of shooting an absolute blowaway season. We’re coming off of one of the most popular seasons of Orange County that we’ve ever had. I think that’s 16 or 17 years into that series. So things are really good in Housewives world. We’re just being extra careful, because we want everything to succeed.”
A show that was put on pause and completely rebooted was The Real Housewives of New York City, which has been airing its second season on Bravo since the revamp. There have been a lot of comparisons to the previous iteration of the show and we asked Cohen his thoughts on what is creatively working with the current RHONY and what he would change about it.
“I think there are a lot of interesting personal stories with the women in the new New York,” he said. “I think the group dynamic is a little bit of a challenge this season. I think the rap on the group in season one was, ‘Oh, there’s not a lot of history there.’ The interesting thing about them this season is they hang out a lot and they are a cohesive group.”
Cohen explained that “one of the growth areas is that a lot happens off camera, and that’s for a housewife show you need everything to happen on camera.”
“I really believe in this group of women,” he continued. “I think they’re very aspirational. I think they’re fun to watch. I think the clothes and the window into a different kind of New York is all what we wanted it to be.”
Cohen acknowledged that he was a champion of the old RHONY, adding, “We had 13 great seasons, plus a girls trip with that group of women, which is an incredible accomplishment. A lot changed, a lot shifted in [their] world and in life – [for instance], Sonja [Morgan] is now living in Florida, Ramona [Singer] basically lives in Florida. Things have shifted.”
“So with this group of RHONY, we’re kind of looking to the future with them. I loved the original, but this is a new group,” he said.
Regarding producers rebranding the new RHONY and starting it from Season 1 instead of continuing with Season 14, Cohen said, “I think you have a really great IP, and it is The Real Housewives of New York. None of that was ever a consideration. We just felt like, ‘Okay, well, this is the Real Housewives of New York.'”
This week, Deadline reported that Comcast would spin off its cable networks except for Bravo, a vote of confidence about the net’s strong brand and wide mass appeal, which have spawned sold-out live events like BravoCon and Bravo Fan Fest: Miami.
“That’s exactly how I viewed it. I was like, ‘What a tremendous vote of confidence in something that we built.’ And I think it makes really good sense,” he said. “We have an incredible partnership with Peacock and I know just it seems like Peacock is a very sticky home to our programming. It makes sense, given the passion for the Bravo brand that there is a streamer like Peacock that they can feed each other, basically, and so I think that makes great sense, and I’m relieved because I think that the Peacock-Bravo partnership, is really strong. So I’m relieved in that sense, and I’m also gratified that the overlords felt that this was worth being in this portfolio.”
With streaming becoming the preferred way for viewers to consume TV, overnight ratings are way different than when The Real Housewives franchise started. The overnight ratings have become a hot topic among die-hard fans on social media, but how important are these numbers to the network?
“So funny that you say that – I was just fishing around Twitter, and there were fans posting about the overnights for the shows,” Cohen said. “Let me put it to you this way – anytime I ask the folks at Bravo, ‘Hey, let’s talk about those overnights,’ [Bravo will] say, ‘Let’s wait because this is not what we’re measured by at this point.’ I think it’s important to look at the bigger picture, which is that the viewership for this portfolio of shows is really big. They’re just watching it differently.”
