As the only version of "The Real Housewives of…" series to have maintained its original cast, the "The Real Housewives of New York City" flows like a less−scripted and less classy "Sex and the City" (1998−2004). While "The Real Housewives of Orange County" reserves the rights as the inaugurator of Bravo's hit franchise, "New York" has contributed immensely to increasing its popularity.
The women are, on the whole, less blonde and less tan than their Orange County counterparts, but instead they boast houses in the Hamptons and titles like "the Countess." The cast is made up of Jill Zarin, Ramona Singer, Bethenny Frankel, Alex McCord, Kelly Killoren Bensimon and LuAnn de Lesseps. With job titles varying from author to entrepreneur, the women are more than mere trophy wives. Nevertheless, their jobs allow time for social rendezvous and events — plenty of time for drama. The season premiere illustrated just that.
In the opening episode of the third season, Ramona, an astute businesswoman, decides to take the day off to rent a friend's yacht in the Hamptons. Countess LuAnn, however, snidely remarks that the boat is most definitely not a yacht, and that contrary to Ramona's claim, Ramona's new hair cut does not make her look like Cameron Diaz. LuAnn — author of "Class with the Countess: How to Live with Elegance and Flair" (2009), a book on manners and etiquette — maintains her tone of superiority throughout the episode. LuAnn's fellow castmates are unsympathetic to her then−pending divorce, since she is seemingly more concerned with losing her title than her husband. When Ramona's husband comments that LuAnn is "count−less," LuAnn unsurprisingly expresses her discontent.
As the only other two women on the yacht, Jill and Alex do little to alleviate the drama on board. Though defining her as normal remains a stretch, Alex — though boring without husband Simon van Kempen in tow — does appear to actually get along with everyone. This is virtually unheard of as far as other cities' "Housewives" go. Outside of filming the show, it appears to be unrealistic that she could ever have a genuine friendship with any of the other women.
This could be the main sticking point for the way in which Bravo constructs "The Real Housewives." Five women who are, at best, acquaintances in real life are suddenly placed in situations that encourage them to forge close friendships. No wonder there is so much drama.
Bethenny highlights this distance in the season premiere when she questions LuAnn's anger toward her. Bethenny reminds LuAnn that they are not actually friends, and as a result, anything more than a gift basket as a sympathy gift during LuAnn's divorce would have been unnatural and forced. This issue of sincerity is also predominant in the show's "Atlanta" and "Orange County" counterparts. The friendships appear to be compulsory, and because of this, tensions inevitably ensue. In "The Real Housewives of New Jersey," however, three of the cast members are family. As a result, they stick together regardless of the drama.
While the original premise of the show — to illustrate the lives of actual housewives — is a somewhat interesting one, "Real Housewives" has diverged far from that idea. Perhaps because of their fame on and after the show, the women have moved beyond their roles as simple trophy wives. They have each capitalized on their fame, writing New York Times bestsellers and creating lines of jewelry.
Considering their success and large fortunes, is it really appropriate to refer to them as "real?" The women are now independently rich, their husbands pushed behind the curtain. Ironically, a show that was criticized as being anti−feminist — due to its portrayal of women financially reliant on their spouses — has now transformed itself into a show about independence. Only half of the women are actually married; thus, the term "housewife" is really no longer applicable. Perhaps the show should be renamed "The Fake and Independent Women of New York" — but that probably wouldn't bring in as many viewers.
