
The Real Housewives: a reality TV show defined by its showy displays of wealth, martini-charged arguments and the odd federal charge. On this basis, it understandably hasn’t been a hit with TV critics or feminists (Gloria Steinem lambasted it for portraying women as “rich, pampered, dependent and hateful towards each other”).
Steinem’s critique may have more than a ring of truth, but The Real Housewives franchise is still an endlessly capitivating world of entertainment: just ask its legions of fans, who have tuned in to watch the drama-filled lives of its wealthy female stars since its beginnings in 2006.