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Frances Berwick, Chairman, Bravo & Peacock Unscripted, has been location from nan commencement of The Real Housewives franchise, which is celebrating 20 years pinch Season 20 of nan show that started it all, The Real Housewives of Orange County.
At nan premiere of RHOC Season 20, Berwick shared her thoughts connected being portion of specified a momentous event
“Just feels incredibly gratifying and nosy and joyous,” she told Deadline. “The truth that it’s still making group really happy to watch nan show, that they emotion being portion of this Real Housewives community, it conscionable makes you consciousness good.”
For Berwick, going backmost to 2006, erstwhile RHOC primitively premiered connected Bravo, they knew they had produced thing typical aft nan first play ended.
“The viewership had gone up pinch each episode,” she recalled. “We were like, ‘Oh my God… we’re going to do a Season 2.’ We had not thought that we would beryllium franchising it, and it was only really arsenic we started to spot different casts for illustration ‘Manhattan Moms’ that we thought this could beryllium a Real Housewives show too. They don’t person to beryllium housewives. This is benignant of for illustration a modern mentation of what a Real Housewife is.”
“Manhattan Moms” would yet beryllium known as The Real Housewives of New York City, and Berwick recalled nan statement connected whether extending The Real Housewives franchise arsenic if nan show wasn’t good, “It could harm The Real Housewives of Orange County.
“We were rather thoughtful astir it, but past it felt for illustration this could beryllium a bully thing,” she added. “And since Orange County had resonated, possibly this was a bully measurement to benignant of pull a different assemblage alternatively than nan aforesaid assemblage and grow it.”
Right aft RHONY, Berwick said that “around nan aforesaid clip we saw nan formed for Atlanta” and they “fell successful emotion pinch them,” adding, “Ultimately, it was each astir nan cast. There were truthful galore women who had astonishing stories to show who had these unthinkable bonds and friendships and were going done each sorts of life challenges and dealing pinch different things successful their life. It conscionable felt for illustration a earthy extension.”
The Real Housewives franchise is not going anyplace anytime soon. Earlier this year, Bravo extended nan franchise erstwhile again pinch The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, which quickly earned a 2nd play pursuing beardown viewership. As for nan OG of nan franchise, Berwick says, “When you spot Season 20, you’ll consciousness for illustration you cognize this tin past a while because it’s specified a operation of… We person a caller summation to nan formed pinch Carmela Garcia, and we person Vicki [Gunvalson], who is successful Season 1, and past galore of nan others who’ve joined america successful between, and location are still caller stories and caller relationships.”
While speaking pinch Berwick, we couldn’t fto her spell earlier getting immoderate penetration connected nan early of nan Summer House spinoff, In nan City.
“Usually we hold till we decorativeness nan season,” Berwick said connected nan anticipation of a Season 2 renewal for In nan City. “We’re not that acold disconnected from nan extremity of nan season, and we’ve sewage nan Watch What Happens Live reunions, truthful we’re excited.”
Watch Frances Berwick talk Real Housewives in nan video below.
