Bravo is celebrating 20 years of “The Real Housewives” franchise, and one of the network’s top executives says the way people view reality television has changed dramatically.
Frances Berwick, Chairman of Bravo and Peacock Unscripted, recently appeared on Marie Claire’s “Nice Talk” podcast to discuss the network’s transformation and why shows like “The Real Housewives” and “Summer House” are no longer considered guilty pleasures.
Speaking with Marie Claire editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike, Frances explained that reality television has moved well beyond its former reputation.
“I think a few years ago, people solidly put a show like ‘The Real Housewives,’ ‘Summer House,’ any of these shows into the guilty pleasure bucket, and now I think it’s, like, fully mainstream,” she said.
Frances believes viewers have become more comfortable acknowledging that they enjoy unscripted television.
“It’s not just having a moment; it’s just people are appreciating that this actually is really great entertainment, and there are often learnings from it, and it opens people’s minds,” she explained.
Her comments come as Bravo continues expanding its reality television audience, with events like BravoCon bringing fans together and an entire community of content creators covering the network’s stars.
Bravo’s Frances Berwick Reveals How the Network Became a Reality TV Powerhouse
Frances has witnessed Bravo’s transformation firsthand.
She joined the network in 1996, when its programming focused primarily on independent movies, foreign-language films and the arts.
“We had a lot of independent movies and foreign-language films and arts programs,” she recalled.
However, the network soon recognized that its original programming approach wasn’t ideal for commercial television.
“We realized pretty early on … watching a full-length opera or ballet doesn’t really work very well on commercial television,” Frances said.
Bravo began experimenting with documentary-style programming that examined people’s lives and relationships.
One of its early successes was “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” which premiered in 2003.
Frances said she never specifically planned to build a career in reality television, but she quickly became interested in the format.
“I don’t think I ever set out to say I want to be in unscripted, but I just loved it,” she explained.
“I really love watching people closely, getting inside their lives, understanding what makes people tick, and it’s that warts-and-all, close-up, fly-on-the-wall storytelling and the soap opera of people’s lives that I think really resonates.”
“Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” helped set a new direction for Bravo before “The Real Housewives” franchise launched in 2006.
Frances also discussed reality television’s impact beyond entertainment.
She pointed to the original “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” as an example of a program that introduced audiences to people and experiences they might not have encountered before.
“Just as back in the day, 20 years ago—or more than 20 years ago … [viewers] had not seen a representation in a reality show of real gay people on television and it sort of broke those barriers, I hope that’s what we continue to do by showing real people living their lives and opening up perspectives,” she said.
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