These series about wealthy, middle-aged women dealing with personal dramas now span the globe. Here’s why they have acquired such a passionate fanbase –despite the troubles they now face.
It’s a Saturday afternoon and a big, airport-hangar-like event space in south-east London is buzzing with activity. Around 1,000 people have gathered excitedly for the reality TV streaming service Hayu’s FanFest, a convention in which avid viewers of famous reality shows will get to meet-and-greet the stars and watch live panel talks.
Most of the fans are here for one main reason though: The Real Housewives franchise. The multiple series that fall under the Real Housewives umbrella follow the lives of groups of wealthy women, living in cities all over the US and beyond, as they deal with both the day-to-day realities of their lives, but also the tabloid dramas that often emerge through the series itself. Throughout the show, and amid scenes of the women at various alcohol-and-argument filled social events, or discussing said events with each other, they also offer individual confessionals to camera.
