On election night, instead of waiting around for the news anchors of MSNBC to confirm America’s authoritarian tilt, I flipped to Bravo to seek escapist comfort via a new episode of “The Real Housewives of New York.”
I know this is a controversial statement to offer in certain fan circles, but I thought the previous season of “RHONY,” which introduced an entirely new cast, was fine.
As much as I miss the original cast of women on “RHONY,” I can also see why the network opted for a reboot. No fan of the franchise will ever forget how Season 13 became a chaotic mess amid racial tensions between veteran cast members and newbie Eboni K. Williams. It was so bad that Bravo didn’t even bother shooting a reunion. However, a more honest assessment of “RHONY” should reveal that the show was at a crossroads even before Season 13.
Respectfully, there should only be so many times we watch someone of a certain age get drunk and defecate on the floor before we try something new. There was not much more story to tell with those cast members, at least not in that form anymore.
Yet nostalgia is a hard thing to let go of, so a lot of fans have been disappointed by not only the failure to produce “RHONY: Legacy,” a new show that was supposed to follow the original cast members, but also what has been produced in its place.
Initially, I felt some of the online pile-on was reflective of an impatient fan base unwilling to let go of the old show. Give the women more time to breathe, I thought. Let them find their groove.
Now, multiple episodes into the second season of the rebooted “RHONY,” I must admit how much of a struggle it is to watch. I have read more generous assessments of the state of the show, but I am tired of trying to like a show that is putting little effort into being good and interesting.
I had hoped Tuesday night’s episode would help me flee the anxiety-inducing cable news coverage of the election. But, as “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Mary Cosby has said before, it put me to sleep. I was bored and annoyed, like some of my Bravo-watching friends.
We’re six episodes into this show and not much has happened at all.
For what it’s worth, I don’t fault any individual cast member.
Although Sai De Silva appears to be taking the internet comments calling her mean or some variation of evil too seriously, earlier this season we watched her and her aunt bury part of her mom’s ashes around a newly planted tree. Nothing is…
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