The Real Housewives is an American reality television franchise that began on March 21, 2006, with The Real Housewives of Orange County. Each installment of the franchise documents the personal and professional lives of a group of affluent women residing in or around a certain city or geographic region. 11 different series have been produced in the United States, with another 21 international adaptations. (Though one U.S. production, The Real Housewives of Dubai, is set outside of the U.S.) The American series are primarily broadcast on Bravo, with one installment broadcast on Peacock.
The first international adaptation, The Real Housewives of Athens, premiered on March 4, 2011. The longest-running international adaptation is The Real Housewives of Cheshire, which has aired 15 seasons. The first Afrikaans version, The Real Housewives of Pretoria, premiered on October 13, 2022, in South Africa. [1]
The American franchise has led to 27 spin-off series in all; the most successful, Vanderpump Rules, has itself had a number of spin-offs.
