If you loved
The Housewives
Brian Moylan · Book · 2021
If you loved The Housewives, you are clearly addicted to the high-stakes intersection of performative identity and social power dynamics.
Films on the same thread
The Housemaid
Paul Feig · Film · 2025
Explores: Class Conflict, Gaslighting, Identity Theft.
Much like the power plays in The Housewives, this thriller explores the tension behind domestic appearances and the dangerous secrets hidden beneath a polished, affluent lifestyle.
Elvis
Baz Luhrmann · Film · 2022
Explores: Fame and Fortune, Exploitation, The American Dream.
The Housewives offers a deep dive into celebrity branding, and this film provides a similarly complex look at the exploitation and artifice inherent to manufactured fame.
Babylon
Damien Chazelle · Film · 2022
Explores: excess, decadence, rise and fall.
If the decadence and outsized ambition of The Housewives captivate you, this film captures that same cycle of rise and fall within an equally performative Hollywood environment.
Paris Is Burning
Jennie Livingston · Film · 1991
Explores: Found family, Intersectionality, Performative identity.
The Housewives explores how social performance shapes reality, a theme mirrored in this documentary as it examines the construction of identity within a specific cultural subculture.
Series on the same thread
The Real Housewives of Atlanta
Scott Dunlop · Series · 2008
Explores: Affluence, Interpersonal Conflict, Social Hierarchy.
As a foundational pillar of the franchise analyzed in The Housewives, this show delivers the exact status seeking and interpersonal conflict that define the genre.
The Real Housewives of New York City
Scott Dunlop · Series · 2008
Explores: high-society drama, female friendship dynamics, aspirational living.
This series offers an unfiltered look at the urban social hierarchy and high-society drama that Brian Moylan dissects throughout his comprehensive study in The Housewives.
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Andy Cohen · Series · 2009
Explores: Pop culture gossip, Celebrity dynamics, Reality television culture.
This talk show is the essential companion to The Housewives, providing the same candid conversation and gossip-fueled analysis that turns reality television into a cultural phenomenon.
Podcasts on the same thread
Outspoken the Podcast
Podcast
Shares 2 threads with The Housewives: pop culture analysis, media criticism.
Just as The Housewives examines the impact of reality TV, this podcast continues the conversation by analyzing the influencer culture and celebrity dynamics that keep audiences obsessed.
Keep exploring
Common questions
What does The Housewives cover regarding the franchise?
The Housewives explores the history of the reality television franchise by detailing major onscreen moments and behind-the-scenes dramas. The book also examines the cultural impact of the series and the various product offshoots that have emerged from the cast members over the years.
Is The Housewives an official look at the reality franchise?
Yes, The Housewives is a 2021 book by Brian Moylan that provides a comprehensive analysis of the reality television franchise. It documents the evolution of the series, focusing on key production moments, industry influence, and the business ventures associated with the stars.
Does The Housewives discuss the business side of the franchise?
Yes, The Housewives includes detailed information about the product offshoots created by cast members. The book analyzes how these business ventures and the cultural impact of the reality television franchise contributed to the overall success and longevity of the series.
How does The Housewives document the franchise history?
The Housewives documents the franchise history by highlighting significant onscreen moments and revealing behind-the-scenes drama. Author Brian Moylan uses these events to explain the broader cultural impact of the series and how the reality television franchise became a fixture in pop culture.