"Real Housewives of Atlanta" fans will be getting a sweet blend of the past and present this season.
Season 16 of the hit Bravo "Housewives" franchise (premiering Sunday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo, streaming the next day on Peacock) will feature OGs Porsha Williams, Cynthia Bailey and, returning after six seasons, Phaedra Parks, along with returning cast member Drew Sidora and a slew of new ladies getting their peaches for the first time – Shamea Morton Mwangi, Brit Eady, Kelli Ferrell and Angela Oakley.
For Parks, this cast is a return to the fun and occasional "shadiness" fans love.
"We're trying to basically get back to what made Atlanta the flashiest of the franchise. Just good, old-fashioned, fun sisterhood," says the attorney, who is returning later this season. "Drama, but also, laughs and crying. I think that's what became missing in those past two seasons."
Parks said she decided to return because of Williams. The fan-favorite Frick and Frack duo is reuniting this season after years of ups and downs. "I love her," says Parks.
"And additionally, once I found out that Cynthia would be returning – we came into the show together as newbies," Parks says. "I love Cynthia, and our children have grown up together. So that was a definite plus."
Bailey is back as an official "friend of the Housewives" while focusing on her acting career, though she is still "very involved." She says: "I ended up shooting a lot more than I even thought I would even be shooting, to be honest."
Phaedra Parks, Cynthia Bailey on new cast: Shamea Morton, Brit Eady, more
Both women are excited for viewers to get to know the new cast. Morton Mwangi, a friend of Williams who has appeared on the show for years, is now getting a chance to be in the spotlight. Bailey says she "lives a fabulous life" and is excited for fans to get to know her more intimately.
Parks calls Eady a "ball of light" and a "beautiful girl inside and out," while Bailey says she's a "wild card" and a "fun time."
Bailey says viewers will enjoy Oakley's dynamic with her husband, former NBA player Charles Oakley, as well as her humor and filing in the resident pot-stirrer role. And Parks looks to Ferrell, who stands at 5 feet even, as her "little mini-me" and a "firecracker" in her own right.
"She's an entrepreneur, so I think that she's going to be a great role model for women, but also she's definitely very entertaining. She's a very loud little woman," Parks says of Ferrell, laughing.
Williams says she wasn't familiar with the new cast – outside of Morton Mwangi – beforehand and admits some of these relationships were "a little rocky" to start the season. "But they ended up developing right there on TV. Because I can relate to people who are real, and I will have to say that a few of these girls are real," she says. "Some of them, we're going through the same situation, and so they're very relatable."
As for their own appearances, Parks marks her return later this season, while Bailey pops in to be a "voice of reason and a support system" for the women, including Sidora, who has been part of the cast since 2020.
"Drew Sidora, I actually brought on show when she entered. And she's going through a divorce (from Ralph Pittman). Obviously we were able to connect on that," Bailey adds, going through her own divorces in 2017 and 2022. "I had some advice for her, in terms of that."
'Real Housewives of Atlanta' evolution: Cast departures, returns and 'new blood'
Fans have seen Bailey pop in and out since Season 13, but she's been busy sharpening her acting chops. With credits on "The Cosby Show" and "Star," she's diving deeper into film and TV, including the Wendy Raquel Robinson-directed BET+ movie "Who's Cheating Who?," as well as "BMF" Season 3 on Starz.
Meanwhile Parks, who has departed "Married to Medicine" and juggled reality hits on "The Traitors" and "Dancing With the Stars," is focused on work and family.
Her two sons "actually were born on the show, and I never took the day off, and people watched them grow up," she says. "Now them being young men, it's a different type of supervision. They are entrepreneurs themselves, and so from watching how I work and my strong work ethic, I'm hoping that they will be more successful than I am."
Season 16 comes amid the departures of Kandi Burruss, Marlo Hampton and Sanya Richards-Ross. Kenya Moore, who was originally set to appear throughout this season, departed the series following claims that she displayed "revenge porn." She was previously suspended indefinitely from filming by Bravo after an altercation with Eady.
Though the ladies remain mum about the situation, they're all in on the "new blood" shaking up the cast.
"A lot of people often talk about Season 6 being the sweet spot for Atlanta. It was something about that specific group of women, which I was a part of, that just worked. It just was good TV," Bailey says. "I'm excited to come back as a friend this season, to just help get the show back in that space where people really are excited to watch it again."
She says some people "have dropped off" since then, and new faces were necessary.
The show "ultimately has to be able to keep bringing a couple of new people in every season," she says. "Otherwise, you end up with a cast where we're just still having the same conversations and the same arguments."
"We always have a splash of drama, but it won't be dark, and so we're trying to lighten it up and just enjoy each other," says Parks. "Right now, I think we're in a moment where people come to television to escape. And so we'll be offering an escape from everyone's normal life with a lot of fun, a lot of fabulousness, a lot of fashion (and) a lot of very powerful stories, because everyone's got a different story."
When does 'RHOA' come back? How to watch 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' Season 16
"The Real Housewives of Atlanta" Season 16 premieres Sunday, March 9, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. New episodes will be available to stream the next day on Peacock.
