'Housewives' With a Capital 'H'

Having lived and worked in Washington for a number of years, I'm particularly excited about the latest "Real Housewives" franchise. If you are too, then you must read the early review of "The Real Housewives of DC," which does not premiere until Aug. 5.

In it, Lisa de Moraes sounds like she missed her calling as a cast member on the show. Of Michaele Salahi -- who made headlines for crashing at state dinner at the White House last year with her husband, Tareq -- de Moraes writes:

Michaele brims with a phoniness that supersedes merely phony. In butter tresses and designer dresses, she proves so phony she's authentic. Michaele may be the most authentically phony person in the history of the "Real Housewives" franchise.

Sure, she has her supporting cast. There's Catherine Ommanney, the British divorcee married to a Newsweek photographer; Mary Amons, the self-described super-mom who lives in a McMansion in McLean; real estate agent Stacie Scott Turner; and modeling agency owner Lynda Erkiletian.

But they're cut from the classic cloth of "Real Housewives" women -- portable, pull-apart and interchangeable. Michaele is the star of this show, a scary-skinny maypole around which everyone else dances. Including Bravo.

(Andy Cohen, Bravo's senior vice president of original programming and development, addressed those who think the inclusion of the Salahis was rewarding possibly criminal behavior Tuesday on The Huffington Post.)

De Moraes then goes on to tear apart each of the cast members (Lynda runs "the top modeling agency in Washington." How many are there? "There are only so many fashion clients in Washington," she notes, explaining that she caters to "the ambassadors, to the dignitaries." Dignitaries need models? So many questions.) (Ouch!)

Also worth a look is Brian Stelter's piece on the show in The New York Times, who reports that in making its announcement about the inclusion of the Salahis, Bravo executives said they had serious discussions about whether to scrap the series. After filming concluded last December, it was evident that limiting or eliminating the Salahis’ role would be impossible.

Asked whether the association with the Salahis -- who have a record of unpaid bills and legal entanglements -- would damage the Bravo brand, Mr. Cohen said no. “I think this show is great for the ‘Housewives’ brand,” he said, adding that the Washington series is “one of a kind” because “in other cities, money is what defines social status and class.”

“It seems that in D.C., proximity to power is what defines you,” he said.

You had me at unpaid bills and legal entanglements!