All The Real Housewives Shows, Ranked By How Desperately They Need A Reboot

Housewives come and go within Bravo’s Real Housewives universe faster than Lisa Vanderpump adopts new animals. But Bravo took its most drastic measure yet in 2022 by revamping The Real Housewives of New York City entirely, replacing all its stars with a new cast and moving some of them to a separate RHONY Legacy installment of Ultimate Girls Trip. Naturally, this divided Bravo fans, with some worrying about how a new crop would fare compared to their tried-and-true favorites. However, the reboot is working — at least so far.

Twitter raved about the RHONY reboot premiere episode in July 2023, praising how the new show is full of light-hearted drama that makes for an easy, stress-free watch. Feedback has stayed positive throughout the season, prompting fans to speculate which Housewives city may get the reboot treatment next.

While every city has undergone a slight refresh at some point, the initial success of the totally reworked RHONY could inspire the network to follow suit with other shows (especially those with Housewives that carry a hefty salary). This approach is welcome for some cities — but you also can’t fix what’s not broken. Here’s the definitive (i.e. subjective) ranking of all remaining Housewives shows, from casts that should remain untouched to cities that should find a whole new group of ladies — and the ones that only need a little facelift to flourish again.

8. Orange County: Don’t Reboot!

Two years ago, Orange County would’ve been first in line for a reboot due to a streak of one-season-wonder castings and controversial Housewives who divided fans. Now, the first Real Housewives show is experiencing a new golden age. In two seasons, RHOC has gradually reclaimed its title as one of Bravo’s most fun and riveting watches without sacrificing an ounce of drama, thanks to the returns of veterans Heather Dubrow and Tamra Judge. The OC is proof that sometimes, bringing back fan favorites rather than new blood is the best way to revive a show. Maybe the show will bring back the OG of the OC next.

7. Potomac: If You Dare Touch It...

Potomac is the only Housewives city to have four cast members last its first seven seasons, and for good reason. It’s mastered the balance of artful shade, juicy scandals, genuine family stories, and jaw-dropping fights that make a great Housewives show — wrapped up in Emmy-worthy editing. If rumors are true, those OGs — Gizelle Bryant, Karen Huger, Ashley Darby, and Robyn Dixon — will all return for Season 8 with the rest of the Season 7 cast, cementing RHOP as one of Bravo’s strongest shows.

6. Miami: We Have One Request

After eight years off the air, RHOM returned with a vengeance in 2021 and proved Miami was hotter than ever. Peacock struck gold with a perfect blend of familiar Housewives from the show’s first three seasons, like Alexia Echevarria and Lisa Hochstein, and new additions, including Nicole Martin and Guerdy Abraira. Together, they bring unique stories and perspectives — like Julia Lemigova being the first Housewife with a wife. The formula is so successful that RHOM is moving back to Bravo for Season 6, which will see the same cast return for the third season in a row, a rarity in the Housewives franchise. The only thing they should do is promote OG Adriana de Moura from Friend to full-time Housewife again. (She sings the theme song, for crying out loud!)

5. Salt Lake City: Just Add More!

With Jen Shah in prison for the next five years and only four full-time Housewives left after Season 3, Bravo had the perfect chance to start from scratch again in Utah. Thank Andy Cohen, they didn’t. The ever-shifting dynamics between Lisa Barlow, Meredith Marks, and Bad Weather (Heather Gay and Whitney Rose) are enough to anchor RHOSLC — still, you can’t make a show with just four Housewives. With inevitable but unknown new cast members potentially heralding a new era of the show, at least we still have four OGs to ground the upcoming fourth season.

4. Dubai: Give It A Small Makeover

Dubai has all the makings of a perfect Housewives city on paper: It’s glamorous, uber-rich, and a little controversial. But the pace of the first season moved too slowly to reach its full potential. While it always takes more than one season to make a great Housewives show, a slight makeover is necessary for RHODubai. The show has natural stars in frenemies Chanel Ayan and Caroline Stanbury and their friends Lesa Milan and Caroline Brooks. All they need are some spitfire mutual friends to spark some action, and more Arab Dubai locals to present a more accurate picture of the city’s history and culture.

3. Beverly Hills: It Needs A Little Surgery

If Beverly Hills is the capital of plastic surgery, its Housewives show should take advantage. RHOBH’s high Season 12 ratings didn’t align with audience reactions, with some fans complaining about some Wives’ long pattern of targeting one castmate over a mundane issue (Puppygate, Denise and Brandi, Kathy Hilton in Aspen) and driving it into the ground. That said, most new cast members, like Garcelle Beauvais, Sutton Stracke, and Crystal Kung Minkoff, have become fan favorites, while OG Kyle Richards’ life gets more intriguing by the minute, proving that a retooled mix of old and new is the ideal solution. Bravo is on the right track by putting Lisa Rinna on pause, but they may need to make a few more touch-ups if Season 13 continues to feel draining.

2. Atlanta: Bring In New Peaches

After the new RHONY premiere was a success, some fans started calling for RHOA to be rebooted — and they may be right. While Season 14 was a nice refresh, the new season shows that something isn’t gelling with the current mix of veterans who aren’t as invested in the show and new additions who give mixed results. Additionally, so many former ATL Housewives are going through such significant life changes — NeNe Leakes grieving her husband, Cynthia Bailey getting divorced, Kim Zolciak filing then calling off her divorce, Porsha Williams tying the knot — that it’s a crime for them not to be on camera. All of these faces could revive the show, but if they’re not willing to return (or Bravo won’t budge after NeNe’s lawsuit), then it may be time to see what new blood Hotlanta has to offer.

1. New Jersey: Reboot!

Hot take: It’s time to throw the sprinkle cookies in the garbage. Fans are reaching their breaking point with RHONJ’s never-ending feud between Teresa Giudice, her brother Joe Gorga, and sister-in-law Melissa. Season 13 was an exhausting watch, no matter whose side you were on. However, because the reunion brought in record ratings, Bravo is reportedly leaving the cast untouched for Season 14. Frankly, this is the wrong move, and since fans are so divided on which Housewife is in the right, it may be time to ditch everyone involved.

It’s hard to imagine New Jersey without Giudice, one of the franchise’s only two OG Housewives that still remains on her show and hasn’t missed a season. But the only thing that sounds worse is another season of the Gorgas fighting with her. The castings of Jennifer Aydin in Season 9 and Season 13 newbies Danielle Cabral, Rachel Fuda, and Jenn Fessler prove how New Jersey can thrive with fresh blood and new family drama to unpack. If Bravo refuses to pick a side, they need to wipe the slate clean and focus on the next generation of Jersey Housewives — and give Giudice a spin-off.