The apples are falling from the Bravo tree.
A new season of “The Real Housewives of New York City” premieres tonight — and nobody wants it to be a hit more than Bravo.
This is the second season of “RHONY” since the network made the historic decision in 2022 to reboot the franchise after the lackluster Season 13, which didn’t even have a reunion.
Last year, Erin Lichy, Jenna Lyons, Sai De Silva, Jessel Taank, Brynn Whitfield and Ubah Hassan were introduced as the new leads of the Big Apple franchise, replacing iconic OGs Ramona Singer, Luann de Lesseps, Sonja Morgan and Dorinda Medley, among others.
There was so much anticipation for “RHONY” Season 14 — and the fan response was a mixed bag.
Some viewers enjoyed watching the new cast’s low-stakes drama like Sai being hangry, Jenna refusing to fly coach and Jessel’s husband traveling to Vietnam just to eat a sandwich.
“As far as the new RHONY goes, we were excited for the first season,” Steel Russell and Shooter Magooter, hosts of the “BravBros” podcast, exclusively told The Post. “We urged a lot of our listeners to give it a chance and go into it with an open mind. It’s not going to be the original ‘RHONY,’ so don’t expect the original ‘RHONY.’
“We thought the cast did a solid job. There is certainly room for improvement, but all in all it was a solid first season. The group seemed very conscious of not wanting to overstep and make amends and that was apparent at the reunion, they all wanted to make peace,” said Russell and Magooter. “So, we are very excited to see what they can do in Season 2. The cast functions very well together, it’s a very likable group.”
The BravBros hosts continued: “As far as the OGs of ‘RHONY’ go, they are icons. And will forever be icons. But for all the people out there that refuse to watch new ‘RHONY’ because ‘it’s not the real cast’ … We always say, if you loved the old cast, then why did you stop watching? They don’t need to reboot successful shows, so if you wanted the OGs you shouldn’t have stopped watching the OGs. How about giving the new guard a chance and see what they can do without comparing them to Ramona and Dorinda or Sonja and Luann? We’re here for it and we are very much looking forward to the second season with the new cast.”
Mary Mahoney and Courtney Frain, hosts of the “Two Judgey Girls” podcast, told The Post that after “mixed reviews” of “RHONY” Season 14, they think the new cast has “hit their stride off-camera” just in time for the new season.
“The scope of reality television has shifted and, at the end of the day, the viewers want to see the women show raw reactions, triumphs, the good and the bad, all without it feeling self-produced,” they said. “The key to being a good reality star is vulnerability. The Bravo audience is smart. If these women show us their real lives, we will buy in.
“And while we will always be true to the original women of ‘RHONY,’ we have the ‘Ultimate Girls Trip’! Get those ladies back to Colombia ASAP. There is always room for both new and old housewives in our books!”
“AllAboutTRH” podcast hosts Roxanne Bahri and Shantel Butras exclusively told The Post the franchise isn’t the same without the OGs.
“We do like the new dynamic the ladies bring but think it’s important to keep the OG aspect alive and think it would be even more successful with some of the OGs in the mix!” they said. “Nothing was better than vintage ‘Real Housewives.’”
When the reboot premiered in July 2023, executive producer Andy Cohen acknowledged the network took a massive risk in reshaping the franchise that has been on the air since 2008.
“This is going back to the original formula in that it is a ‘Housewives’ show and it very much feels like that,” the TV host told the Hollywood Reporter at the time. “We’re rolling dice here and I think we’ve got a team of people between Bravo, myself and Shed Media who’ve been doing this for a very long time so, we did not take this lightly.”
A lot is riding on “RHONY” Season 15. With closer bonds between the cast and the additions of Racquel Chevremont and Rebecca Minkoff, the show seems poised for an epic return.
Let’s hope so — because the reaction to the season could have a direct impact on another “Real Housewives” franchise.
If “RHONY” 15 is a hit, Bravo may very well hit the reset button on “The Real Housewives of New Jersey.” The Garden State show led by feuding sisters-in-law Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga is facing a major cast shake-up after another divided and toxic season.
Cohen also already hinted that Bravo might implement its reboot strategy on “RHONJ.”
“We’re going to do something different,” he said on his radio show in July. “Maybe just all fresh faces? Maybe. We’ll see.”
But if “RHONY” Season 15 struggles to capture viewers’ attention, Bravo might then think twice about going the reboot route with “RHONJ” and any other struggling franchises.
Luckily for hopeful fans, Cohen is very optimistic about the “RHONY” reboot’s sophomore season.
“The season is really dramatic,” he told “Entertainment Tonight” in August. “I think what you’re gonna find this season is we got a really cohesive group. I mean, this group has lived as a unit for the last several years, so, I think people are gonna love seeing how the dynamics have shifted within the group.”
Let’s hope he’s right. After all, nobody likes a rotten apple.
“The Real Housewives of New York City” will air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST on Bravo and stream on Peacock the next day.
