The Real Housewives of Potomac is an American reality television series that premiered on January 17, 2016, on Bravo. It is the eighth installment in the network's Real Housewives franchise, it has aired eight seasons and focuses on the personal and professional lives of women living in and around Potomac, Maryland.
The cast for the current ninth season consists of: Gizelle Bryant, Ashley Darby, Karen Huger, Wendy Osefo, Mia Thornton, Stacey Rusch and Keiarna Stewart; with Jacqueline Blake and Jassi Rideaux serving as 'Friends of the Housewives'. Former main cast members include: Robyn Dixon, Charrisse Jackson-Jordan, Katie Rost, Monique Samuels, Candiace Dillard and Nneka Ihim.
Overview[]
Seasons 1–3[]
Initially titled Potomac Ensemble, The Real Housewives of Potomac was announced on November 11, 2015. The series is the network's second attempt to develop a reality series based in the Washington, D.C. area. The first effort was The Real Housewives of D.C., which aired in 2010 and was canceled after one season.
The first season premiered on January 17, 2016, and starred Gizelle Bryant, Ashley Darby, Robyn Dixon, Karen Huger, Charrisse Jackson-Jordan and Katie Rost. After the filming for the second season began, Rost was fired from the show (yet she did make a 'Guest Appearance'). Monique Samuels was then added to the cast for the second season which premiered on April 2, 2017.
The third season premiered on April 1, 2018, with Candiace Dillard Bassett joining the cast and Jordan appearing as a 'Friend of the Housewives'; in a recurring role. Jordan left the show after the third season.
Seasons 4–6[]
The fourth season, which began filming in August 2018, premiered on May 5, 2019. The season featured Dillard's wedding and Rost as a 'Friend of the Housewives'. Rost was not invited back to the fourth season's reunion taping or for the following season.
The fifth season premiered on August 2, 2020, with Wendy Osefo as the newest cast member and Jackson-Jordan appearing as a 'Guest'. In December 2020, Samuels announced her departure from the series, despite receiving a contract for the next season.
The sixth season premiered on July 11, 2021, with new 'Housewife', Mia Thornton and 'Friend of the Housewives', Askale Davis, joining.
Season 7–Present[]
The seventh season premiered on October 9, 2022, with Davis departing, former 'Housewife', Jackson-Jordan, returning as a 'Friend of the Housewives', alongside Jacqueline Blake. Former cast members, Rost and Davis, both returned as 'Guest Housewives'.
The eighth season premiered on November 5, 2023, with new 'Housewife', Nneka Ihim, and 'Friend of the Housewives', Keiarna Stewart joining, alongside Jackson-Jordan returning as a 'Friend of the Housewives'. Former recurring cast member, Blake, made numerous Guest Appearances.
In March 2024, Dillard Bassett announced her decision to exit the series, after six seasons. In April 2024, Dixon confirmed she was fired from the show, after eight seasons. In May 2024, Ihim confirmed her departure from the show, after only one season. On September 12, 2024, the cast, cast photos, cast plots, trailer and premiere date (of October 6) for the ninth season were dropped. This confirmed the return of Bryant, Darby, Huger, Osefo and Thornton, with the additions of Stacey Rusch and Keiarna Stewart (who served in a recurring capacity during the previous season) to the main cast, while Jacqueline Blake (after a one season hiatus) and Jassi Rideaux made up the season’s recurring cast. This confirmed the exit of Jackson-Jordan; after she appeared in a recurrent capacity for two seasons.
Cast[]
Season 9 Cast (From Left To Right): Stacey, Karen, Gizelle, Mia, Wendy, Ashley and Kiearna
| Housewives | Seasons | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| Gizelle Bryant | Main | ||||||||
| Ashley Darby | Main | ||||||||
| Robyn Dixon | Main | ||||||||
| Karen Huger | Main | ||||||||
| Charrisse Jackson-Jordan | Main | Friend | Guest | Friend | |||||
| Katie Rost | Main | Guest | Friend | Guest | |||||
| Monique Samuels | Main | ||||||||
| Candiace Dillard Bassett | Main | ||||||||
| Wendy Osefo | Main | ||||||||
| Mia Thornton | Main | ||||||||
| Nneka Ihim | Main | ||||||||
| Keiarna Stewart | Friend | Main | |||||||
| Stacey Rusch | Main | ||||||||
| Friends of the Housewives | |||||||||
| Askale Davis | Friend | Guest | |||||||
| Jacqueline Blake | Friend | Guest | Friend | ||||||
| Jassi Rideaux | Friend | ||||||||
Episodes[]
Main Article: The Real Housewives of Potomac - Episode Guide
| Season | Episodes | Season Premiere | Season Finale | Reunion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | January 17, 2016 | April 3, 2016 | April 10, 2016 April 17, 2016 |
| 2 | 14 | April 2, 2017 | July 2, 2017 | July 9, 2017 July 16, 2017 |
| 3 | 20 | April 1, 2018 | August 5, 2018 | August 12, 2018 August 19, 2018 |
| 4 | 21 | May 5, 2019 | September 8, 2019 | September 15, 2019 September 22, 2019 September 29, 2019 |
| 5 | 22 | August 2, 2020 | December 6, 2020 | December 13, 2020 December 20, 2020 December 27, 2020 |
| 6 | 22 | July 11, 2021 | December 5, 2021 | November 7, 2021 November 14, 2021 November 21, 2021 November 28, 2021 |
| 7 | 20 | October 9, 2022 | February 5, 2023 | February 19, 2023 February 26, 2023 March 5, 2023 |
| 8 | 21 | November 5, 2023 | March 31, 2024 | April 7, 2024 April 14, 2024 |
| 9 | TBA | October 6, 2024 | TBA | TBA |
Reception[]
Viewership[]
The premiere episode of The Real Housewives of Potomac received a 1.2 rating in adults 18–49 years adult demographic and 2.54 million viewers in total, according to Nielsen Media Research's "live plus-3" estimates. The episode was the highest-rated premiere of any series of The Real Housewives franchise. The first season of the series averaged 2.1 million viewers in the "live plus-3" estimates, becoming the network's most-watched first season of a series since The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in 2010.
Bravo announced in February 2024, that with delayed viewing attributed, the Season Eight premiere drew the show's biggest premiere audience in its history, with 2.2 million viewers and the shows most watched season across all platforms, with 2.7 million.
Critical Response[]
The reality series has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. Amy Amatangelo, writing for The Hollywood Reporter, said, "Like its predecessors, The Real Housewives of Potomac offers escapist TV at the highest level," and also added, "You can watch with the comfort that you would never behave this way and delight in all the ridiculous shenanigans." Amatangelo praised the show's diversity by saying that the network aims for the franchise to be "an equal-opportunity offender". Joi-Marie McKenzie of ABC News, reviewing the show's premiere, said, "Between the show introductions, there was plenty of shade-throwing and one-liners to keep "Housewives" enthusiasts entertained".
Controversy[]
During the fifth season of RHOP, cast member, Monique Samuels, got into a physical altercation with co-star, Candiace Dillard Bassett. Samuels and Dillard Bassett were both charged with second-degree assault in Maryland's District Court of Montgomery County. Both women appeared in court, and all charges were dropped. Samuels did not return to The Real Housewives of Potomac for its sixth season, despite being asked back by the network.
Trivia[]
- This was the second The Real Housewives American installment to include a a predominantly black cast; after The Real Housewives of Atlanta.