'Candidly Nicole' Brings Richie Back to TV

Nicole Richie was a key part of the reality TV revolution, and her new show for VH1, Candidly Nicole , is her return to the platform that made her famous. But in the meantime, Richie has started her own clothing, shoe, and accessory brands, had two kids, and married Good Charlotte singer Joel Madden. She's kept the same great sense of humor about herself, and made huge improvements to her personal style — her violet hair is a step up from some of the unfortunate blond extensions she sported in The Simple Life.

Candidly Nicole was picked up by VH1, based on Richie's web series of the same name, where she would share anecdotes, try new trends, and get advice from the occasional celebrity guest.

It's fun because it seemed genuinely off-the-cuff, like a look into what Richie was really like after so many years thinking of her as simply Paris Hilton’s friend. But the trailers for the full half-hour of Candidly Nicole show that Richie is maybe a liiiittle too overeager to prove that she's charming. While the set up for the show is just like the web series, with Richie sardonically commenting on the latest beauty and style trends and convincing her assistants and family to go along on her weird adventures, what seemed like genuine self-deprecation in a four-minute webisode seems a little forced in a full show.

That being said, it is edited down to just the quippiest moments from Nicole, where the web series was at its best when she was playing off of other people. It's the same contrast of surrounding humorous Nicole with serious people that made The Simple Life a guilty pleasure watch. If the VH1 series can manage that balance, Candidly Nicole will be seriously fun.

But Nicole has grown up a lot since her appearances back in The Simple Life days. While she’s still a handbag addict and more likely than not checks her hair between each shot, she seems a lot more down to Earth now that she’s had some time to mature. Plus, while she’s still friendly with Paris, Richie won't be playing the sidekick anymore.

The best way to show how different Richie is by contrasting her new persona on Candidly Nicole with The Simple Life Nicole from the early 2000s.

Old Nicole judged women who expressed their sexuality

New Nicole propositions her assistant just for the fun of it and would never slut-shame.

Old Nicole had no idea what chores were

While New Nicole probably doesn’t spend that much time washing dishes or vacuuming either, now she owns her own business and has two kids, so "ironing" and "dinner" are definitely in her vocabulary.

You Wouldn't Want to mess with Old Nicole

Actually, same goes for the New Nicole.

Sassy Nicole is the best Nicole, and hopefully we'll see plenty of her during Candidly Nicole.

Images: Giphy