The Real Housewives of Potomac

The Real Housewives of Potomac (abbreviated RHOP) is an American reality television series. It is the eighth instalment in The Real Housewives franchise.

The series aired on Bravo from January 17, 2016 to present. It focuses on the personal and professional lives of several women living in Potomac, Maryland, U.S.

Overview
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 cancelled after one season.

The first season premiered on January 17, 2016, and starred Gizelle Bryant, Katie Rost, Karen Huger, Charrisse Jackson Jordan, Robyn Dixon and Ashley Darby. After the filming for the second season began, Rost was fired from the show. 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 joining the cast, and Jordan appearing in a "friend" capacity. Jordan left the show after the third season. 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." The fifth season is set to premiere in 2020 with Wendy Osefo as the newest cast member.

Housewives

 * Ashley Darby (Season 1-5)
 * Gizelle Bryant (Season 1-5)
 * Karen Huger (Season 1-5)
 * Robyn Dixon (Season 1-5)
 * Monique Samuels (Season 2-5)
 * Candiace Dillard (Season 3-5)
 * Charisse Jackson Jordan (Season 1-2; friend in Season 3)
 * Katie Rost (Season 1; guest in Season 2 and friend in Season 4)
 * Wendy Osefo (Season 5)

Episodes
See Also: List of RHOP Episodes

Broadcast
The Real Housewives of Potomac airs regularly on Bravo in the United States; most episodes are approximately forty-two minutes in length, and are broadcast in high definition. Since its premiere, the series has airing on Sunday evenings and has been frequently shifted between the 8:00, 9:00 and 10:00pm timeslots.

The fifth season of the show was due to begin airing on May 3, 2020, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the halt in production of other shows, Bravo decided to move the premier to later in the summer. This decision was taken to ensure that they still had enough new programmes to fill their summer schedule.

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 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."

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.