by Brian Moylan
First published 2021
Brian Moylan opens his account in spring 2006, when The Real Housewives of Orange County launched a new era of reality television. The show featured tanned women in California villas, their lives filled with wine-soaked drama and gossip-driven conflicts. Moylan, who wrote Vulture's popular episode recaps, witnessed the franchise expand across multiple cities and fifteen seasons. He tracks how these reality stars generated thirty-one books, multiple product lines, two prison terms, thirty-six divorces, fourteen music albums, and countless internet memes. The author reveals what the housewives act like when cameras stop rolling. He explains their earnings and explores the show's cultural impact. Moylan examines how a single reality series spawned an entertainment empire and shaped modern pop culture. His book captures the spectacle of manufactured drama that became an American television phenomenon.
Genres: non-fiction
Vibes: fast-paced, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: behind-the-scenes, celebrity-culture
Setting: California, Orange County
Period: 2006, 21st-century
304 pages · Hardcover · Flatiron Books