As the questionable saying goes, you always remember your first time. When it comes to Bravo, the exact moment you become addicted to watching television’s most expensive bitch fits is always a magical one. Personally, I have to thank one of the founding mothers of reality TV, Lenethia Leakes, for indoctrinating me into the cult of Bravo through her historic work on the early seasons of RHOA. The day I heard “close your legs to married men,” was the day I decided maybe reality TV wasn’t so bad after all. Fans of the network old and new can consider their weekend plans for the next few months covered since Bravo has finally released some of its vintage legacy programming on Peacock. Here are our top recommendations for unlocked series from the Bravo vault you should add to your queue ASAP.
The Rachel Zoe Project
RHONY turning into a playground for fashion icons makes me want to binge Rachel Zoe’s OG fashion series real bad. Before there was Project Runway, Rachel Zoe was bossing around models on her self-titled series (at the same time that Kelly Cutrone was bullying spoiled interns on MTV’s The City). Now that I think of it, have Rachel or Kelly been offered to hold an apple yet?
Don’t Be Tardy
Since Kim and Kroy’s financial troubles have seemingly derailed their once-happy ending, why not relive the beginning of the former Atlanta Housewife’s Cinderella story for posterity? Do your best not to scream when you see how adorable and innocent Brielle was, too.
Blood, Sweat, and Heels
There was glamor, there was attitude, there was sisterhood, there were tears. Blood, Sweat, and Heels was Bravo’s real-life Obama-era Sex and the City, with blogger Demetria Lucas clashing with happy-go-lucky fashion girl Daisy, and I loved every second of it. The show also had some of the most supportive boyfriends and husbands that today’s Bravo daddies could definitely take a note or two from.
NYC Prep
Watching these teenagers with fully packed social calendars run the Upper East Side will probably make you feel really old and really poor but the show’s entertainment value holds up nonetheless. Plus now that PC, Sebastian, and Camille are all grown up you watch their heydays while stalking where they are now. Spoiler: Jessie and PC did not end up together (and after rewatching her Chuck Bass behavior, it’s low-key for the best).
Shahs of Sunset
After MJ’s wild ride on season two of Traitors (fine I won’t add spoilers, but also, if you haven’t watched what in the world have you been doing?) there’s no better time than to get more of her in her element. Shahs is the perfect combination of bougie Los Angeles shopping trips, drunken escapades, spicy friend fights, and wholesome family traditions. Plus there are nine series of dramatic material to distract from the current Housewives drought.
Married to Medicine: Los Angeles
The Los Angeles spinoff of the underrated Atlanta masterpiece had so much going for it. It featured the same strong-willed doctor-friend circle dynamic but in this version, most of the doctors were unmarried women. More drama, fewer men? Sign me up ASAP! If you’re like me and feel compelled to check on Dr. Imani and Dr. Britten on a quarterly basis, you’ll probably agree these girls are still very much reality TV-ready, should the Bravo Gods want to give them another shot.
