Let’s face it: The Real Housewives franchise is an absolute behemoth. With 10 different American cities and thousands of hours worth of episodes, the Housewives Cinematic Universe (or HCU), led by evil genius/mastermind Andy Cohen, seems impossible to penetrate—unless you’ve been riding the train since the mid-aughts, when The Real Housewives of Orange County first burst onto the scene and forever changed the landscape of reality television.

But as the Real Housewives franchise continues to seep into every corner of popular culture, from Page Six to the White House, it’s only natural for even neophytes to want a way in. And as we find ourselves with more time than ever to binge-watch from the comfort of our homes, there’s no time like the present to learn how to tell your Bethennys from your LVPs.

As such, the Housewives experts at V.F. have created this helpful guide for those who want to become fluent in Real Housewife. Rather than take you through every nook and cranny of the HCU, the purpose of this guide is to help introduce franchise newcomers to each separate series, from the O.G. O.C. to Salt Lake City and beyond. Think of this list not as a feast, but a tasting menu designed to get you acquainted with each city and familiar with the characters that are currently on the franchise—though we’ll never forget MVPs like Nene Leakes, Vicki Gunvalson, and Jill Zarin.

If you’re looking for a specific franchise—we’ve got you covered! Click below and travel directly to whichever Housewife city is calling your name, first-class of course. So put on your most glamorous evening gown, prepare your pithy bon mots, pour yourself a Skinnygirl Margarita, and get ready for a crash course in Housewives History.

The franchise’s first iteration premiered in 2006, and focuses on the lives of a handful of women living in the affluent neighborhoods of Orange County in Southern California. Following the success of MTV’s reality series Laguna Beach and inspired by scripted soaps like Desperate Housewives and Peyton Place, O.C. dived into the lives of “real-life ‘desperate’ housewives,” depicting their daily lives and interactions alongside confessional interviews in a docu-soap style. It’s the longest-running franchise and inspired two spin-offs; its 16th season is currently airing. For the historically inclined, season one, episode one, is the place to start—but if you’re looking to get right to the drama, season seven is also a great jumping-off point.

Orange County is where it all started. The pilot episode, subtly titled "Meet the Wives," kicked off what would become a small media empire, spawning a total of 10 installments in the United States (The Real Housewives of Dubai, slated for later this year, will be number 11 as well as Bravo’s first international one). The show has been at the center of arguments about consumerism and race; Gloria Steinem called it a “minstrel show for women,” while Roxane Gay said it “allow(s) women to be their truest selves.” It is not an understatement, perhaps, to say that Housewives has fundamentally changed reality television.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. O.C.’s debut episode is something of a Lynchian-lite documentary about the lavish yet surprisingly mundane lifestyles of five women living in Southern California. “Life is different in a gated community,” speaks a faceless voice at the episode’s opening, alluding to the kind of mid-aughts cultural rubbernecking that inspired shows like The Simple Life and Wife Swap. O.C. digs at something essential to America itself—California and convertibles, bootstrapping and boob jobs—making it an illuminating snapshot of culture and classism. If you find it hard to follow who is who, worry not; the pacing of the show eventually gets ironed out, and only a handful of faces from the first episode consistently reappear in the show’s sprawling 16 seasons (save for Vicki Gunvalson, famously the longest-tenured cast member across any franchise until her departure after 13 seasons).

A Housewife’s first season is always a fascinating watch. At some point, they’ll either find their footing and take a stand amidst the fervor, or they’ll be eaten alive by the established populace (it’s usually some combination of both). Heather Dubrow arrived on O.C. poised and confident—much to the ire of some of the cast. But her shining moment comes at the end of season seven at a party celebrating her finally taking her husband’s last name after years of marriage. Would that it were so simple: Sarah Winchester, a friend of Housewife Gretchen Rossi, inexplicably decides to eat a fondant bow from Heather’s cake, and conflama ensues.

The elegance with which Heather directs the fallout from the cake debacle solidifies her position as an O.C. staple (who, after a short break, is back for more in the most current season). Plus, the season is topped off with yet another Tamra and Vicki brawl. C’est l’O.C.!

Vicki and Tamra Judge have a legacy of sparring, but their most recognizable spat came during the season nine reunion. Burned into the memories of Vine users everywhere is Tamra shouting, “That’s my opinion!” during a discussion about Vicki’s boyfriend, Brooks Ayers, who had been secretly recorded threatening to “beat [Vicki’s] ass,” according to tapes obtained by a gossip website. What could have become a meaningful discussion about domestic violence quickly devolves once Tamra—attempting to be a voice of reason—gets too loud. Across 12 seasons together, their fire-and-ice dynamic is a cornerstone of O.C.

Ten seasons into the franchise, Vicki has hit a comfortable stride. Death, divorce—what hadn’t she endured? What about a cancer scare, which is alleged to be fake by—who else—a psychic? Such is the narrative of her boyfriend, Brooks, who goes so far as to forge medical documents to back up his diagnosis.

The other Housewives supported Vicki throughout the ordeal—that is, of course, until Tamra’s psychic friend Scott claims he “doesn’t see” cancer. In this episode, that revelation kicks off a flurry of questioning from the other Housewives and puts newcomer Meghan King head-to-head with the O.C. O.G. at—where else?—a sex party.

If you’re looking to jump right into O.C.—and don’t want to invest in all 16 seasons—your best bet is to start with the two-part season 15 reunion. Braunwyn Windham-Burke is public enemy number one, taking shots from the entire case after a contentious season produced in the midst of COVID. Her alcoholism and recent coming out, plus Kelly Dodd’s dismissal of masks, the pandemic, and the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests (see: the photo of her wearing a “Drunk Wives Matter” hat), fill out the majority of the special’s two parts.

It’s a typical (if exhausting) exercise in watching a group of wealthy, centrist elites argue over “wokeness” and privilege in a way that doesn’t result in any clear solution or mutual understanding, and crystalizes the same problem that’s plagued recent seasons of Beverly Hills and New York City. But if resolution is what you’re looking for, why are you watching Housewives in the first place?

Housewife Hack: If you don’t want to commit to an entire season, watching a Housewives reunion is a great way to get an overview of a given season’s central points. It’s not the completionist’s route, but a worthwhile strategy nonetheless.

The Real Housewives of New York City is less a spin-off of Orange County than its freewheeling and entrepreneurial younger sister. Much like the city in which it’s set (most of the time), RHONY has a chaotic spirit that manifests in its cast members’ business pursuits, romantic misadventures, and dinner parties. And with over a decade of such drama, finding the best place to begin might seem overwhelming. If any of the episodes below appeal to you, we recommend starting with season seven—the show really finds its groove with Bethenny Frankel’s return and Dorinda Medley’s official introduction—before going back to watch the first three from the beginning.

There was no reason the women of RHONY should have considered Ramona Singer’s invitation to a pseudo-bachelorette party a harbinger of the Bravopocalypse. And yet…

Scary Island, as this infamous vacation would come to be known, is arguably the Housewives getaway to watch. It’s arguably the episode to watch! The fights that break out on this trip invoke everything from the devil to Kelly Bensimon’s “friend Gwyneth,” and the best part is that viewers do not need to watch a single prior episode to understand what is happening. Everything is laid bare. And while there are five cast members along for most of the trip, Kelly’s feud with Bethenny is the perfect anchor for all the drama that unfolds.

You see, Kelly, for some reason, is intent on antagonizing a grieving, pregnant Bethenny, and also seems to be paranoid that the Skinnygirl entrepreneur is going to kill her in her sleep. (“When has Bethenny tried to kill you?” doomed-to-fail peacemaker Alex McCord asks at one point, her eyes narrowed in confusion.) Ramona sips her wine in disbelief, Kelly runs to get jelly beans, and Sonja Morgan is left trying to stop a nervous breakdown in its tracks.

Just do yourself this favor: Skip to the very end of RHONY’s sixth season and watch Aviva Drescher slam her prosthetic leg on a table—before throwing it across the room—to prove a point in an argument.

The episode starts in media res (with a Dorinda meltdown, no less!), but don’t let that scare you off. “Don’t Be All, Like, Uncool” fires on all cylinders. While in Turks and Caicos, Heather Thomson wakes to find a strange man sleeping in the room attached to hers. She storms around in search of answers, confidant Carole Radziwill in tow, and the rest of the women—from Dorinda to Sonja—each point her in someone else’s direction. It’s early, they were out late, and no one wants to deal with such hysterics. Luann de Lesseps is finally dragged from bed to answer for her sins, and her laissez-faire response is legacy-defining.

The annual Berkshires trip is RHONY’s de facto holiday special. In this installment, we’re treated to a fight between Bethenny and Luann over—wait for it—the name of the Skinnygirl brand. It spirals out through their hair, their significant others, and who’s the real “girl’s girl” between them. Luann, slut-shamed by Bethenny, seeks comfort in Jules Wainstein (who says her father is grievously ill, by the way) and makes fun of the birthday cake Dorinda’s mother bought in a strange attempt to deflect. This, it seems, is the last straw for “the hostess with the mostest.” Dorinda lashes out, yelling at the women that she tried her best, that she “made it nice,” and that everyone can just go home. There’s a reason these vacations have been dubbed “the Berserkshires.” Happy holidays!

“It’s about Tom.” With those three words, Bethenny drops a bomb that reverberates throughout the cast. Luann’s fiancé, Tom D’Agostino, has allegedly been caught with another woman, and rather than tell her friend right away, Bethenny opts not to disrupt their trip, instead withholding the information until the last possible moment. (Tom also has history with Sonja, but we won’t get into that here.) Most of the episode is split in two, with Luann enjoying her vacation while Bethenny suffers under the burden of her own knowledge. (“I have to tell her,” she confesses to Sonja. “I just don’t know when.”) It’s cinematic perfection. The when ends up being the final morning of the trip; Bethenny, looking like she wants to die, breaks the news and births a meme.

Surprise! We’re leaving Manhattan again. The ladies head to the Hamptons, and Ramona hosts a dinner party that goes about as well as you’d expect. Dorinda is fed up with rumors Sonja has been spreading, Carole is losing her mind over the 2016 election (relatable), and Bethenny is, well, being Bethenny. Though the drama in this episode is fairly standard as far as RHONY goes, these episodes are notable for two reasons: newcomer Tinsley Mortimer’s presence and Dorinda emphatically telling Sex and the City scribe Candace Bushnell how she’s doing. (Spoiler: “Not well, bitch!”)

Welcome, everyone, to the Luann show. We’ve finally made it. “Life Is Not a Cabaret” starts with Barbara Kavovit, Luann’s friend, confessing to the other women that she feels out of place on their Miami trip. They’re receptive, but Luann herself isn’t there. She’s at an AA meeting and has brought Sonja along for support. It’s…probably not her best decision. Sonja has a poolside meltdown afterward because of how the personal stories affected her, and the women have to get their truffle fries to go. Again, Luann disappears, as she’s decided it’s the perfect time for a dip in the ocean. The women take the opportunity to bond over their grievances, and we’re treated to a picture-perfect parallel as Luann is off admiring her own cabaret poster. Sonja and Luann argue, Ramona and Luann sit in awkward silence, and, later, Bethenny has an apparent panic attack while she and Luann argue. It’s a Housewives tour de force if ever there was one.

Housewife Hack: Watch the Scary Island episodes. Just do it.

The Real Housewives of Atlanta has been among Bravo’s highest-rated Housewives series for years, and for good reason. Since its inception in 2008, RHOA has consistently brought more devastating reads, more salacious lewks, and more laughs per minute than arguably any other franchise. Also, RHOA was the first Housewives series to feature a majority Black cast and to shine a light on the Black female experience, opening up the HCU to a new audience, hungry for drama.

In its 13 seasons on air, RHOA has become a bona fide cultural phenomenon, creating reality stars and meme-queens like NeNe Leakes and Porsha Williams, and giving second acts to icons like singer-songwriter Kandi Burruss and model Cynthia Bailey. If you happen to find yourself hungry for more Atlanta peaches after devouring this list, twirl right into season five, where you’ll meet Porsha and the polarizing Kenya Moore.

On the Housewives, basically anyone is expendable. By that same token, anyone can come back at any time. Shereé Whitfield, an O.G. Real Housewife of Atlanta, has joined and left the show twice, and is returning for a third time as a full-time cast member for the upcoming season 14. Shereé is many things—a mother, a businesswoman, a fashion designer—but first and foremost she is a boss. We learned this quickly on RHOA when she went toe-to-toe with a combative party planner, Anthony Shorter, who was dropping the ball on Shereé’s imminent divorce party (only on the Housewives!) Miss Whitfield’s delivery of a seminal line, “Who gon’ check me, boo?” instantly made her a Housewives icon and a force to be reckoned with. Two episodes later, she’d demonstrate this again by snatching castmate Kim Zolciak-Bierman’s wig in a fit of rage.

Basically, Shereé really is that girl, and the franchise is lucky that she’s returned. But just because she’s back, don’t expect her line of She by Shereé joggers to hit stores any time soon—they should be arriving in “September/Spring/Summer.”

We know what you’ve probably heard: The Real Housewives of Atlanta is the franchise NeNe Leakes built. While that is undeniably true, NeNe is no longer on the show—so your best way in is to get to know Kenya “Miss USA, Not Miss America” Moore, who bursts onto the scene in season five and immediately begins to twirl her way into stirring the pot. To understand all there is to love (and love to hate) about Kenya, drop in on her first major fight with recently departed Atlanta Housewife Porsha as she explains exactly who she is and why she would grow to become an indispensable part of RHOA. “I am fabulous. Gone With The Wind fabulous. Okay?” she says before twirling out of frame and off to her room. A reality television star is born.

It’s not often that we see Kandi Burruss—the hardest working, most talented Real Housewife in showbiz—lose her cool, but when she does, boy oh boy is it a sight to behold. Kandi has been a staple of Atlanta since season two, delivering gems like writing Kim Zolciak’s hit single “Tardy for the Party” as well as family drama—the constant battle between her mother, Mama Joyce Jones, and her husband, Todd Tucker, has spurred multiple spinoffs.

There’s plenty of drama to spare at NeNe’s couples’ pajama party, but Kandi going head-to-head with Cynthia Bailey’s then husband, Peter Thomas, who makes the crucial mistake of coming for Todd, is the most important takeaway from this truly explosive episode. Kandi starts the night calm, cool, and collected amid all the drama, but when Peter calls her and Todd “strange,” she is not one to be messed with. And more importantly, she’s ride-or-die for her man.

It’s rare to catch a Housewife in an elaborate lie in real time. But the epic four-part season nine reunion gave us just that Phaedra Parks and #Lesbiangate. (Yes, they could have workshopped that name.) Like Shereé before her, Phaedra is also many things—a Southern belle, an attorney at law, a mortician, a fitness instructor. But first and foremost she is a craven manipulator, willing to do or say almost anything to get what she wants.

Apparently, what Phaedra wanted in season nine was to cause a rift of epic proportions between Porsha, her bestie and “sidekick,” and queen bee Kandi. This, shockingly, involved telling Porsha that Kandi and her husband, Todd, had once attempted to drug and sexually assault her. When it became clear during part three of the reunion that Phaedra had concocted the whole thing, Kandi freaked out, Porsha broke down, and Phaedra simply sat on the couch, wheels spinning, wondering how she was gonna get herself out of this one.

Unsurprisingly, Phaedra was dismissed from the franchise soon after this debacle, having crossed so many lines that Andy Cohen couldn’t justify bringing her back for the sake of good television. The aftermath of Phaedra’s Great Lie was felt for many seasons, as Kandi and Porsha struggled to come back from allegations that would forever tarnish their friendship. Bonus: You also get a taste of the home improvement war between Château Shereé and Moore Manor.

Did you hear that? Why, that can only be the tap, tap, tap of Kenya Moore and her literal drum line disrupting Marlo’s wig-line launch party!

Yes, you read that right. During a feud over their respective hair products, the one true villainess of RHOA decided to crash Marlo Hampton’s event with a literal marching band and was promptly asked to leave. Kenya chose a formidable foe in fan-favorite Marlo, who began on the series as a friend of NeNe Leakes and has risen to the ranks of an absolutely crucial cast member due to her incredible style and unbelievable reads. Finally (finally!), Marlo has been bumped up to a full-time cast member ahead of season 14. We simply can’t wait to see what other drama unfolds between these two longtime frenemies now that Marlo has secured her peach.

If there’s one thing that Atlanta Housewives can do with the best of them, it’s throw down. They demonstrate their ability to get absolutely buckwild at Cynthia Bailey’s bachelorette party in Isle of Palms, South Carolina, where Kenya seems to allege that Porsha and her friend Tanya Sam bumped uglies with Bolo, the very well-endowed stripper, after the cameras stopped rolling.

Kenya—who at the time was going through a contentious separation from her estranged husband Marc Daly—cannot let go of the fact that she may have heard some canoodling going on early in the morning, and proceeds to get to the bottom of who may have been hooking up with Bolo. She tackles the issue with such force that Tanya reportedly ceased filming the rest of the season as a result, and is never seen or heard from again. The “Who Banged Bolo” drama is Atlanta Housewives at its finest—raucous and fun, but with incredibly high stakes. Bonus: We get to see Porsha interact with friend Falynn Guobadia—which is fun because mere months after this trip, Falynn and her husband, Simon Guobadia, would announce their separation. Porsha herself will get engaged to him one month later. The Atlanta Housewives sure love mess!

Housewife Hack: YouTube “Best of NeNe Leakes,” and prepare to have the time of your life.

Although it’s just a quick trip over the George Washington Bridge, The Real Housewives of New Jersey can’t be more different from its sister series RHONY. Premiering in 2009, the fourth installment in the franchise was more or less The Sopranos come to life—complete with warring Italian families and literal prison sentences. The Jersey girls are still kicking, with the series’ 12th season set to hit Bravo on February 1. For those looking to spend more time in the Garden State after perusing this list, you can jump in at season nine when new Housewives Jennifer Aydin and Jackie Goldschneider join the fray, rounding out the current dynamic cast of Melissa Gorga, Dolores Catania, Margaret Josephs, and the one and only table-flipping O.G., Teresa Giudice.

Teresa Giudice, the patron saint of Franklin Lakes, is the lifeblood of The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Teresa’s the only O.G. Housewife that remains on the franchise, and following her truly harrowing 11-season journey—which, by the way, involves an 11-month stint in prison for multiple federal charges, including wire fraud—is your best way forward if you’re looking to get in with the gals from the Garden State. As such, it’s best to start with New Jersey’s very first episode, where we meet Teresa, the consummate Jersey girl, as she describes her life with then husband Joe Giudice and their children, and proceeds to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars furnishing her multimillion dollar dream home with cash—an ominous portent of what’s to come.

Yes, this is the episode where Teresa, in a blind fury, fully flips a dinner table, at once creating the most iconic Housewives moment of all time. But the most important character at this legendary dinner is Housewife Danielle Staub, Teresa’s frenemy, who pushes her past the table-flipping limit due to a season-long fight about Danielle’s checkered past, filled with a name change and an arrest—detailed in the true-crime book Cop Without a Badge by Charles Kipps, which recounted events surrounding Kevin Maher, described as an undercover informant for the FBI and New York police, who had once been married to Staub.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey—more so than any other entry in the franchise—is a series about family. Danielle’s presence as a threat to the Manzos—the original ruling family of RHONJ—leads to a truly explosive fight. “Let me tell you something about my family,” spits out then Housewives cast member Caroline Manzo to Danielle. “We’re as thick as thieves, and we protect each other ’til the end.” Tony Soprano has nothing on Caroline, and Teresa as her table-flipping consigliere makes for a truly dynamic duo. Mamma Mia!

Speaking of family, RHONJ’s season three premiere introduces a new member of the family to the main cast: Teresa’s sister-in-law, Melissa Gorga. Legend has it that Teresa never wanted Melissa on the show, and to this day the two spar over how, exactly, Melissa became a cast member. Nevertheless, Melissa grew to be a titan of the franchise—second only to Teresa in longevity and impact—and the sister-in-laws’ often tense and fractured relationship is a key piece of the Jersey puzzle. That’s why it’s important to watch this episode and meet Melissa on the day of her son Joey’s christening, where an all-out brawl breaks out between Joe Gorga, Teresa’s brother/Melissa’s husband, and Joe Giudice, Teresa’s husband. (Yeah, there are a lot of Joes in Jersey.)

The husbands on RHONJ play a bigger role in the drama than on any other franchise (and, consequently, they’re the only house husbands who get paid for their time on the show, according to Brian Moylan’s recent book, The Housewives). As such, it’s important (yet difficult) to watch the episode in which Teresa and Joe Giudice are found guilty of conspiracy, bankruptcy fraud, and tax offenses, and sentenced to serve prison sentences—Teresa for 15 months and Joe for 41 months. (Teresa was released early on good behavior after 11 months in prison, while Joe got five months dropped from his sentence.) After completing his sentence, Joe returns to his native Italy amid a deportation case against him—which puts even more strain on his relationship with Teresa, who resents Joe for robbing her of time with her growing children and her elderly parents, both of whom pass away after she gets out of jail. Teresa’s once unshakable family unit will not be reunited onscreen until the finale of season 10, “Family Reunion,” when she takes her children on a trip to Italy to see their father, effectively ends her 20-year-long marriage, and closes the book on this dark chapter of her life.

Eight seasons later, and a trip to prison and back, the sister-in-laws are still at it. Since season three, all of the other Housewives on RHONJ have changed. We’ve said “ciao” (goodbye) to the Manzos and Danielle Staub (twice), and said “ciao” (hello) to Dolores and Frank Catania, her bodybuilder ex-husband with whom she still cohabitates “platonically,” as well as motormouthed Margaret Josephs and her husband, Joe Benigno, (we told you there were a lot of Joes in Jersey). And yet the brightest star in RHONJ’s planetary system—the fierce rivalry between Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga—has stayed shining at the series’ center, keeping the constellation spinning. This time, Melissa violently throws a cheese plate (and subsequently picks it up) after catching Teresa in a lie. As long as Melissa and Teresa are on the same franchise, there will always be drama worth watching in Jersey.

Housewife Hack: If you want to hear the original version of the TikTok viral audio “Waking Up in the Morning” then you can listen to Gia Giudice’s sad-girl bop on season three, episode 16: “Singing in the Pain.”

The sixth installment of the Real Housewives franchise returns to California, this time focusing on several women living in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles. Though structurally similar to previous iterations, the cast of Beverly Hills has included a veritable constellation of notable Hollywood and Hollywood-adjacent figures: sisters and former child stars Kim and Kyle Richards (aunts to Paris Hilton), Camille Meyer (ex-wife of Kelsey Grammer), Faye Resnick (a friend of Nicole Brown Simpson and Kris Jenner), Yolanda Hadid (mother to models Bella and Gigi Hadid), and actors Lisa Rinna, Denise Richards, and Garcelle Beauvais. The franchise has spawned two spin-offs; its 11th season concluded in November 2021 and its 12th season is currently filming. Take note: Though the earlier seasons are fantastic, season five is where Beverly Hills starts to hit its stride.

Kyle Richards is the protagonist of Beverly Hills, while her sister Kim Richards is the show’s perpetual problem child. Their rocky dynamic is fundamental to the early seasons. Their argument in the season one finale encapsulates the tension between the siblings, one that echoes throughout the rest of the show.

More than any other cast members, the Richards sisters’ journey perhaps comes closest to embodying the ethos of the franchise. They’re former child stars turned reality TV show talking heads, wearing flashy jewelry and little black dresses while sloppily unpacking their shared childhood trauma in the back of a limousine. Kathy Hilton, who makes sporadic appearances on Beverly Hills before formally joining the cast in season 11, unveils another layer of the family dynamic as their quirky older half-sister. Their child-star upbringing is both endlessly fascinating and quietly heartbreaking—and in a cast full of actors and media-trained professionals, they are the realest Housewives.

“I hate drama,” remarks Camille (then still going by Camille Grammer), as several women scream, cry, and pull at each other at a Malibu home overlooking a dark, frothing ocean. They are arguing about Camille, of course, and her relationship with fellow housewife Taylor Armstrong. Episodes before, Camille told the group—and the audience—about Taylor's abusive relationship with her husband (who passed away after the season wrapped). The Sturm und Drang that follows sees Taylor erupt in tears and ferocious finger-pointing, claiming that Camille had no right to air out her business (which has since been immortalized as the woman yelling at a cat meme).

Camille, meanwhile, remains completely unruffled throughout the whole ordeal, letting everyone else be upset on her behalf. That calm apathy is a trademark of Camille, who continues to make some of the most crucial pop-ups throughout the show despite being only an official Housewife for two seasons. Tempting as it is to jump headfirst into the more recent seasons, there would be no Beverly Hills without Camille, the “conniving, passive-aggressive, narcissistic, insecure,” and boldly original mean girl.

Lisa Rinna has emerged as one of the premier Housewives across all franchises, and her screaming match with Kim Richards during the cast’s trip to Amsterdam solidified her position as an all-time great. With a media-savvy mindset akin to that of Kris Jenner, Rinna is able to spin conjecture into story lines, story lines into press, press into business opportunities, and back again like a leopard-print Ouroboros. She's an expert at self-promotion and rattling off one-liners in the name of the truth, whatever that means.

Rinna’s argument with Kim marks her ascent as the show’s primary rabble-rouser—a title she continues to hone as the series moves forward. Whether you hate her or love her, it’s impossible to deny Lisa Rinna as Beverly Hills’s ascendant Housewife.

A ritzy, shrewd British businesswoman and animal rights activist who lives in a garish glass mansion that’s a zoo unto itself (complete with swans and miniature horses), Lisa Vanderpump typifies the wealthy, out-of-touch elitism that permeated reality television in the late aughts. She transcends this vacant stereotype, however, with her penchant for subtle coercion. For much of her time on the show, Vanderpump sets up the dominos and watches them fall, responding to any accusations of manipulation with a tart retort and steely poker face. Even when she’s supposedly caught, in season four, referencing tabloid scandals in an effort to stir up trouble, she slides out of it by blaming someone else, proclaiming her innocence, and, ultimately, fleeing the situation. It’s an exercise Vanderpump recreates up until her climactic confrontation with Kyle in season nine, prompting the once powerful Vanderpump to make a full retreat from the show (even skipping the reunion). Fear not—if you can’t get enough Vanderpump, you can follow her into her own spin-offs: Vanderpump Rules, centered around the staff of three of her restaurants, and Vanderpump Dogs, focused on her dog foundation.

Erika Girardi arrived on Beverly Hills as a stylish lawyer’s wife who moonlights as the flashy, sexually charged singer Erika Jayne. For most of her tenure, she’s been known for her extravagant outfit choices and no-nonsense demeanor. But her character came under new scrutiny in season 11, as her ongoing legal woes with her estranged husband came to light: What did she really know? What is she hiding? Has she been lying this whole time? During a dinner at Kathy Hilton’s house, Erika effectively snaps, unloading a string of threats promises to Sutton Stracke for questioning her innocence. Gone is the cool-girl demeanor, replaced with a kaleidoscope of emotions. With the wounds still fresh (and her legal struggles far from over), Erika’s next moves are sure to be a primary focus come season 12.

Your first reaction to seeing Miami on this list might’ve been, “Wait, there’s a Real Housewives of Miami?” And the answer is, kind of! The original series ran for three seasons between 2011–2013, and the reboot is currently streaming on Peacock. Our advice? It’s worth just diving into the revival. If, however, you have a Miami itch that you simply must scratch…

This two-part episode offers a full ensemble of drama. Adriana de Moura, who returns for Miami’s fourth season in a part-time capacity, is certainly the Housewife to watch, but Lisa Hochstein comes back as well.

If you can’t yet bring yourself to watch a show with more than 10 seasons—and/or would prefer one that centers women of color—Potomac’s relative newness might make it the perfect Housewives entry for you. Between Monique Samuels’s color-coded binder of receipts, Gizelle Bryant’s endless supply of shade, and the genuinely healthy romance between Robyn and Juan Dixon, there’s a lot to love. Start at season four if you’re looking to taste-test the drama before you dive in.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but what of hashtags on a T-shirt? Karen Huger, the self-proclaimed grande dame of Potomac, sees her husband’s tax woes overtake her glamour in the show’s third season. Naturally, she holds a press conference to clear the air. The only thing missing…is the press. Tensions flare between Karen, who seems to be putting on a front, and the women who consider themselves her friends. They’d shown up to support her with the best of intentions! And…a shirt that reads #GodBlesstheHugers. (#FreeKaren, amongst other things, is printed on the back.) Gizelle, wearing it proudly, has been relatively close with Karen up until this point, so the fact that this dynamic becomes their new norm is certainly notable. And lest you think this behavior is a one-time feature, subsequent shenanigans involve shade thrown at a fragrance line and a recon mission disguised as a pizza delivery. Highly recommend.

Candiace Dillard Bassett joins RHOP in its third season, but it’s the fourth that offers her the spotlight. In “Sex, Lies, and Butter Knives,” Candiace hosts a dinner party, banishes occasional nemesis Ashley Darby, and waves her cutlery around after pretending to use it as a microphone. Candiace gives this series much of its dramatic flair (as a former pageant queen, she’s certainly the cast member that fans of Lisa Rinna, Melissa Gorga, and similar franchise personalities should keep an eye on), and this episode is a crash course in Potomac’s Housewife to Watch. Plus, allegations of cheating and sexual misconduct against Ashley’s husband (all of which he has denied) are practically a recurring feature on the series, and Candiace will gladly tell you everything you need to know about him.

This episode serves two purposes in the grand scheme of Potomac’s fifth season, but for the sake of this guide, we’re going to focus on a very intense confrontation conversation between Ashley and her husband, Michael Darby. Rumors around Michael’s behavior have swirled for seasons at this point, and a leaked photo—along with some new, welcome confidence—finally convinces Ashley to take matters into her own hands. There are no reactions overblown for the cameras. There is no acting for the sake of image. It’s messy, it’s raw, and it’s a moment of major growth for the woman at the center of the scene. In a sense, it’s Housewives at its best.

But…what goes up must come down. While Ashley is having a Very Serious Conversation with her husband, Gizelle is organizing a wine tasting for the women. Now, listen. We’re five seasons in. There’s been minimal turnover. Tempers have flared between most cast members, and it doesn’t seem like much will be able to bring them together. Luckily, Gizelle has won a literary award (yes, you read that correctly), so perhaps her celebration can be the cease-fire they need.

Enter Monique Samuels. She and Candiace have become the binary stars at the heart of Potomac, constantly orbiting both each other and chaos. They find themselves clashing again at the winery, and it begins as it always tends to. They disagree. Past transgressions are revived. Voices rise. Fingers are pointed. Ashley excuses herself to go to the ladies room, and then—things get physical. It’s rare that confrontations ever escalate so severely on this show, and it’s frankly jarring to see the women lay hands on each other. Still, this is crucial viewing for anyone diving into the franchise—or, maybe, something to look forward to. The shadow of their fight looms large over the rest of the season, as lines are drawn and tears, both real and crocodile, are shed. Candiace and Monique went on to file second-degree assault charges against each other, but both were eventually dismissed. Anyway, what more could you want from a wine tasting?

Housewife Hack: Nicki Minaj hosts the final part of the season six reunion. You’re welcome.

There’s so little time in the world. Do yourself a favor and skip the double D’s entirely! D.C. famously only lasted for one season, and as of now, Dallas does not have a date to return.

Following franchises set in L.A., New York, and Atlanta, Utah might not be the first place that comes to mind as the next best Housewives city. But the women of Salt Lake City have proven to be some of the scrappiest and swankiest in the HCU. The amalgamation of life experiences—the cast features both ex- and practicing Mormons, the first-ever Muslim Housewife, and the first lady at a Pentecostal church—echoes the dynamic of a metropolitan area that's home to both the A-list Sundance Film Festival (in the neighboring Park City) and the LDS church. Its second season is currently airing, and filming for the third has reportedly already begun. If you’re looking to dig into a franchise without too much required watch time, season one of SLC is the place to start.

In a debut season full of strange group gatherings, Mary Cosby’s Met gala–themed lunch—the theme is, simply, “Met gala”—is one of the stranger ones. The entire gathering is set up to address the tension between Mary and Jen Shah, who, earlier in the episode, announces that Mary “fucked her grandfather.” (Mary is technically married to her step-grandfather; her grandmother requested that the two wed after her death.)

Though any hope of resolution quickly evaporates, the episode provides a solid overview on all the key issues amongst the show’s crowded cast. Plus, it offers a sweeping overview of Mary’s unusual sense of style: Nothing says, “red-carpet-themed lunch” like betta fish, beefeaters, and Louis Vuitton wireless headphones. Two seasons in, Mary has quickly become one of the more controversial Housewives due to her questionable (some would say cult-like) religious practices and slew of racist comments directed toward fellow Housewives Jen Shah and Jennie Nguyen. (Mary, who has denied accusations that she runs a cult, later apologized for her remarks regarding Jen and is likely not returning for season three, according to reports.) But given her absence at the season two reunion, it looks like Mary has turned in her snowflake for good.

Salt Lake City isn’t all snow and ski slopes. As this season reminds us, Utah is also home to the Sundance Film Festival, and, in Housewives world, the (first-ever!) ParkCity Fashion Week, back in 2020. Meredith Marks is behind the scenes and her son, Brooks, has a line on display. This may seem minor, but his fashion line—and Jen’s opinions on it—are seeds to be sewn in the show’s bombastic second season. (Yes, the phrase “privileged twink” does surface.) Heather Gay also provides some emotional insight into how the show touches upon Mormonism, and Lisa Barlow lets us into her family’s goal-setting night. It’s a flurry of an episode that sets up more to come than you’d ever expect.

Enjoy Jen now because who knows how long we’ll have her. Jen was famously arrested, on camera, for allegedly running a national telemarketing scheme that specifically targeted the elderly. (Truly, what more could you want from a Housewife?) On a sprinter van in the parking lot of Beauty Lab + Laser, Shah receives an ominous phone call, apparently alerting her to the imminent arrest—and the viewer experiences it with Jen and her Salt Lake sisters in real time. We watch as the ladies try to piece together what’s going on after their van is stormed by law enforcement. We’re with them when Whitney Rose gets the TMZ alert that Jen has been arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. And we’re even present when Jen—box braids and all—heads to court to turn herself in. Since then, Jen has pleaded not guilty and “maintains her innocence of these charges and is eager to defend herself in a court of law,” per her lawyers. While it’s unclear what’s going to happen to Jen (it doesn’t look good now that her assistant, Stuart Smith, changed his plea to guilty in November), it seems whatever happens she’s taking RHOSLC along for the ride.

Housewife Hack: Hi, baby gorgeous! Watch closely in Lisa Barlow’s family scenes, and you’ll spot her mouthing lines to her sons when she thinks the camera isn’t on her.

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