By now, The Real Housewives of New York City fans have become familiar with the all-new cast of the franchise’s reboot 14th season. Now, at episode eight, we’ve acclimated to new locales, fresh faces, and frustratingly unnamed restaurants, as well as all the petty dramas that ensue whenever someone serves shakshuka at the totally gauche time of 8am.
The onset of a reboot season has brought with it a rollercoaster ride in terms of ratings and viewership. As with any long-running franchise, there’s a need for changes to the formula to ensure its continued success, but the case for RHONY is particularly tricky given the all-star status of its former cast.
After all, it’s not every day you come across outlandish characters like Soja Morgan or (Countess) Luann de Lesseps. So, how is the current season of RHONY faring in terms of ratings?
How is this season of ‘RHONY’ doing in the ratings?
The premiere episode of RHONY season 14 drew in 672,000 live viewers (according to TV Deets). The total rose to 1.7 million viewers when accounting for digital platforms and Peacock views.
When combined with the audience who later sat down for Sonja and Luann: Welcome to Crappie Lake, the RHONY premiere made for Bravo’s second-highest Sunday night viewership of 2023, a respectable feat for a cast of as-yet amateur housewives.
The premiere remains RHONY’s season-high episode, but the ratings begin to dwindle somewhat from there. Episodes two, six, and seven drew in a live audience of 500,000 or more, with episode six amassing the most viewers within that period (558,000).
The remaining installments (episodes three, four, and five) are among the season’s lowest-rated, each drawing in around 475,000 live views or less. Episode five’s haul of 439,000 was not only the season’s worst-performing but also the lowest-rated episode in RHONY‘s 15-year run.
How do the ratings compare to the former RHONY?
It remains to be seen whether RHONY’s reboot season can ever reach the lofty heights of its predecessor, which averaged over 800,000 live views even in a lackluster final season without a reunion.
In fact, much of the cast of the former RHONY contributed to seasons that are among Bravo’s most successful across all franchises, with its debut season averaging 916,000 live views per episode.
While introducing an all-new cast has been divisive among RHONY fans — with some lamenting the loss of former icons and others welcoming fresh faces — it takes time before a completely rebooted show finds its footing.
We’ll see whether the reboot cast can surpass their Housewife foremothers as episodes continue to air every Sunday at 9pm on Bravo.