It’s no secret Bravo’s reality shows have a formula. Virtually every new series the cable channel puts out follows this format: Take a group of affluent, attractive people with one thing in common (say, living in Chicago) and watch as they devolve from friends to mortal enemies.
It seemed like “Southern Charm,” Bravo’s latest incarnation of the same show, was doomed to fall into the trap. The theme — rich and polite people in Charleston, SC, are rich and polite, y’all! — seemed underbaked at best.
But as the weeks have progressed, “Southern Charm” has gotten better and better, becoming a must-watch for any reality TV junkie. Criminally, Monday night’s episode concluded with a mention that next week’s eighth installment would be the finale — a series order that was far too short.
Here’s why you should tune into the show and give it enormous ratings — so Bravo has no choice but to renew.
Thomas Ravenel is a wondrous gem
At first glance, Thomas Ravenel is a total creeper preying on young women while pursuing a political career with utter delusion. At second glance, Thomas Ravanel is a total creeper preying on young women while pursuing a political career with utter delusion who makes for excellent television. Ravenel, if you are not familiar, was the South Carolina treasurer until he pleaded guilty to cocaine charges. On “Southern Charm,” he plots his comeback while also getting sloshed and hooking up with a 21-year-old. In other words, he is reality TV gold.
Also, in real life news: not only is Mr. Ravenel considering an actual run for U.S. Senate, he had a baby a month ago with the aforementioned 21-year-old.
The dude drama is a nice change of pace
View videoWhile many a Bravo show focuses on lady troubles — such as who didn’t show up to a flavored-vodka launch party — “Charm” highlights the plight of the American male as the bros battle it out over their masculinity and stake claim to women as though they were Native American settlements yet to be claimed and destroyed.
The boring people and the try-hards get no airtime
One major misstep was in the casting of Jenna King, a person who desperately wants us to think she casually lounges around in feather neck-braces and fingerless leather gloves in a lavish house she paid for with “investments,” not a sugar daddy. Luckily, producers noted Jenna’s desperation and promptly gave her the most minuscule of plotlines. Meanwhile, J.D. Madison, a bro-dad clinging to youth with swollen fingers, was apparently so boring, they didn’t even make him a regular cast member, despite filming confessionals with him.
Whitney’s mom is a sitcom character
View videoWhitney Sudler-Smith is plenty interesting, but he’s nothing compared to his mother, Patricia Altschul, a woman who wakes up and tells her butler she’s ready for her morning cocktail with the signal, “It’s time for my medicine!” She not only deserves her own show, she deserves her own line of crystal stemware.
The main characters don’t sleep with one another
Perhaps the most refreshing aspect of the show is that none of the main cast members sleep with each other. Too many reality shows attempt to stir up drama by merely coupling and uncoupling their leads. “Southern Charm” lets us get to know each of the characters on their own, relegating the screw-buddies and significant others to supporting status. After all, if the guys are barely thinking about whom they’re sleeping with, why should we?
Charleston real estate is insane
View videoBravo’s many forays into real estate can get tiring, but the brief look at the luxe historical homes of Charleston is awe-inspiring. It almost makes you understand why someone would want to live there.
Cameran is the perfect narrator
Who would have thought the most rational person on the show would have been the one who was a cast member on “The Real World”? But Cameran Eubanks is a breath of fresh air, guiding us through the ways of the South and her pals in a very Bethenny Frankel-esque manner.