A beginner’s guide to The Real Housewives: Part Two

Welcome back! Last week, I kicked off my beginner’s guide to The Real Housewives with three franchises for three very different kinds of viewers: the person who wants to be shocked to their core, the person who wants to laugh out loud, and the person who wants their reality TV with the stakes of a prestige drama.

For part two, I’m getting more personal with three of my all-time favorite franchises, which, coincidentally, are all on the East Coast. We have the franchise I consider required viewing for understanding the ancient texts of Housewives, the family drama that has kept me invested for more than a decade, and the brand-new show I have had more fun watching than anything else on TV this year: The Real Housewives of Rhode Island.

I took my RHORI fangirling to new heights last week when I went on The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast to chat with former Bachelor Ben Higgins about his newfound interest in Housewives now that his co-host, Ashley Iaconetti, is a Real Housewife of Rhode Island. We got into why I think RHORI is the perfect entry point for a new viewer, plus my take on the current state of the Bachelor franchise (spoiler: it's lost all cultural relevance) and who I think should be cast as the next Bachelor (spoiler: it’s a hot take...).

At one point, I believe I summed up my RHORI feelings rather succinctly:

Listen to the full episode for all my takes.

Now, back to the task at hand today. Whether you’re a lifelong Housewives fan trying to convert a friend or a newbie wondering where the hell to start after 20 years of content, I think I’ve finally nailed the entry points for every kind of viewer. Here’s the secret: Don’t start at the beginning; start with the franchise that matches what you want out of reality TV.

Pix Plus subscribers get the full breakdown — the week's biggest moment, what's worth sending to the group chat, and Meredith's read on why it matters — Pix Plus subscribers get it all.