Marc Cherry, the creator of Desperate Housewives, is weighing in on The Real Housewives franchise, the Bravo reality TV series inspired by the ABC dramedy.
Following the success of Desperate Housewives, which ran from 2004 to 2012, about a group of women living in the fictional Wisteria Lane cul-de-sac, Bravo followed with a “real-life” version in 2006 following a group of women living behind the private gated community of Coto de Caza in Orange County, California.
Cherry is not upset that The Real Housewives of Orange County was inspired by his hit series.
“They didn’t crib my name, to be fair to them,” Cherry told People. “They just used the word. Our show came out, and they capitalized on that. And you know what? That’s the capitalistic system.”
Cherry noted that Tommy Tune confused the reality show with the scripted series, adding, “Tommy got confused and said, ‘Oh, so do you produce all the various cities?’ And I looked at him — I had no idea what he was talking about. And then I realized, ‘Oh, you think I created the real-life Housewives franchise?’”
The television writer and producer says that The Real Housewives overtaking Desperate Housewives is due to the Bravo series continuing “to be out there,” with the franchise recently crossing 100 seasons as a whole.
“I envy the fact that they’ve kept that franchise going,” Cherry added. “I certainly envy the good folks who produce that show because it’s a train that keeps on chugging. So good for them.”
Desperate Housewives ran for eight seasons on ABC with 180 episodes produced. Following The Real Housewives of Orange County, which recently wrapped Season 18 in 2024, Bravo replicated its success following women in other cities across the U.S. like New York City, Atlanta, Potomac, Miami, Dallas, D.C., Beverly Hills, New Jersey, and Salt Lake City.
The Real Housewives franchise has also gone international, with Bravo producing one in Dubai and licensing the format to other producers around the world.
