Bravo's In-Development Shows: Is This Still the Golden Age of Reality?

THE HOUSEWIVES CHANNEL

Bravo this morning announced a few new “INNOVATIVE AND DIVERSE DOCU-DRAMA AND CHARACTER-DRIVEN PROJECTS,” which we assume means “a whole load of new reality TV”! I mean, nowhere does it say that any of these are “scripted,” so. They include:

• A show about Hollywood hairstylist Dean Banowetz, whose name will be frequently misspelled, and who works “with rocket scientists inventing his next must have hair product.”
• “An up-close look at the over-the-top world of celebrity fashion designer Chris March.”
• Chef Roblé Ali becomes a caterer to New York “socialites”!
• And something tentatively called “Thicker than Water” which is apparently about some really large family, so we’ll just call this X + Y = 8.

This all sounds kind of small to me! But then, small is what’s good about docudrama. And if you pitched me a show “about, you know, some kids living in a beach house in New Jersey,” I’d turn up my nose and probably call it “small” too. So I guess: meet your future tabloid stars while you can. In just a few short months/years, surely many of them will be gracing your In Touches and TMZs and local criminal justice providers.