On Thursday, the television network/church we all attend announced six new non-scripted tv shows. While reality TV has never shied away from spin-offs, Bravo’s latest slate is taking things to new and ridiculous Kroll Show levels.
Kroll Show, which ran from 2013-2015 and was laugh-out-loud funny the whole way through, often parodied the Bravo-verse and VH1 shows like Flavor or Rock of Love by starting with one fake reality show—like “PubLIZity” about two girls named Liz (Nick Kroll and Jenny Slate) who run a PR company—and spinning it off into countless others.
Here is a “PubLIZity” sketch that features an appearance by another Nick Kroll character Dr. Armond, a canine plastic surgeon:
Next, Dr. Armond got his own reality TV parody called “Armond of the House,” a name that sounds too stupid to be true until you realize that Real Housewives of New Jersey had a real spin-off titled Manzo’d with Children.
The Kroll Show spin-offs didn’t stop there. A BuzzFeed profile of Kroll written by Anne Helen Petersen features a dizzying and impressive infographic that shows how and when the fake reality shows connected. “Armond of the House” led to “Roman’s Empire,” which led to C-Czar, which led back to “PubLIZity.” And that is only a tiny piece of the Kroll Show universe.
In an example of art reflecting life reflecting art again, let’s take a look at some of the upcoming Bravo shows:
“Bethenny and Fredrik Property Project” (Working Title)
Produced by Leftfield Pictures and B Real Productions with Brent Montgomery, Bethenny Frankel, David George, Jordana Hochman, Will Nothacker, Jason Hollis, and Fredrik Eklund serving as Executive Producers.
This new series follows two fan favorite powerhouses, Bethenny Frankel and Fredrik Eklund, as they come together in their new venture as real estate moguls and business partners. Viewers will watch as they tackle the ups and downs of scouting, buying and designing multimillion-dollar properties. The series shows a side of Bethenny and Fredrik, often through their humorous dynamic, that fans have never seen before as they make big flipping gambles in the hopes of even bigger payouts.
Here, Bethenny Frenkel, who’s appeared on Real Housewives of New York, Bethenny Getting Married, and Bethenny Ever After, joins fellow Bravolebrity Fredrik Eklund (featured on RHONY as her real estate agent sometimes) of Million Dollar Listing New York for a show about house flipping.
“Sell it Like Serhant”
Produced by World of Wonder with Randy Barbato, Fenton Bailey, Tom Campbell and Danielle King serving as Executive Producers along with Ryan Serhant and Rob Bola as Co-Executive Producers.
It doesn’t matter what you’re selling—if you know your client and your product, a good salesman can sell anything to anyone. No one exemplifies this better than the leader of one of the top real estate teams in the U.S., Ryan Serhant (“Million Dollar Listing New York”).In this new series, Ryan puts his sales skills to the ultimate test when he answers the call of struggling sales representatives, desperate for his expertise. While Ryan learns the tricks of a particular trade, he will also give under-performing employees a head-to-toe business overhaul and turn them into sales machines.
Here, Eklund’s Million Dollar Listing castmate Ryan Serhant teaches other real estate agents how to do their jobs.
This one is my personal favorite:
“Relationshep”
Produced by Haymaker Productions with Aaron Rothman, Irad Eyal, Kate Fisher and Michael Meinecke serving as Executive Producers. Sarah Steinfeld serves as Co-Executive Producer.
This new seriesfollows Charleston’s most eligible and loveable singleton, Shep Rose, as he ventures to various cities across the country in the hopes of finding true love and a committed relationship. Shep is a complicated bachelor, and the right match will have to effortlessly fit into his particular lifestyle which ranges from black tie galas to surfing with him in Costa Rica. As Shep leaves Charleston to look for “the one,” he calls upon his friends in various cities from New York to LA to help set him up with women in hopes that they are a perfect match.
I love Southern Charm’s Shep Rose (truly!) almost as much as I love the title Relationshep.
Speaking of Southern Charm:
“Southern Charm New Orleans”
Produced by InventTV and Vainglorious Productionswith Michaline Babich, Whitney Sudler-Smith, Tim Maloney, Ashley McFarlin Buie and Sergio Alfaro serving as Executive Producers.
The popular franchise heads to The Big Easy for “Southern Charm New Orleans,” offering viewers an exclusive glimpse into the sophisticated Creole culture of NOLA. Hidden away from the beads and beats of Bourbon Street is an exclusive community filled with wealth, legacy and tradition. Although the prestige in this town is plentiful, everything that glitters isn’t gold, and underneath brews a multitude of shocking secrets that could destroy the foundation of long-standing friendships. In a city where lineage and status are everything, how far will this ambitious group go to redefine their legacy and secure their spot at the top of this esteemed circle?
By the way, in addition to the original (some would argue, un-copyable) Southern Charm, Bravo has also filmed a Southern Charm: Savannah, which will debut in May.
Have these spin-offs gotten more out of control than they were before? Looking at the Bravo show listings, I guess the answer is no:
Hm. Maybe I just appreciate it more.
Anyway, keep ‘em coming and I look forward to pitching my reality show Maddie ‘Bout You next pilot season.
