When The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 16 premieres in a couple of months, the series will have been off the air for 18 months.
A lot has happened off-screen, including shakeups, scandals, and significant returns, but will the series be able to bounce back after the ill-fated RHOA Season 15?
That’s the big question, and our first glimpse of RHOA Season 16 doesn’t instill hope that the show will even be watchable.
Case in point: Kenya Moore hasn’t been edited out.
While we want to delve into what really happened between her and newbie Brittany Eady, will it be satisfying to have such a legacy cast member disappear off-screen?
We don’t even know if Kenya has filmed any confessionals, but we hear returning star Porsha Williams talking about her former friend.
“That was Kenya’s choice to twirl on down to hell,” Porsha says to her co-stars as they react in shock to the revenge porn scandal.
What happened before Kenya’s abrupt departure?
Many details about what led up to Kenya’s actions have been kept from viewers, so we hope the series dives into her feud with Brittany to contextualize what is sure to be a frustrating low for the Real Housewives franchise in general.
When Kenya’s reign of terror ends, Phaedra Parks will reclaim her peach after several years away.
The first footage offers a glimpse of Phaedra, but given that she filmed for the season’s final two weeks, we’re inclined to believe she’ll have a big presence in the midseason trailer.
Kenya didn’t even make the cut for a cast photo, either.
In addition to Brittany, Kenya, Porsha, and Phaedra, the RHOA Season 16 cast includes Cynthia Bailey, Drew Sidora, Kelli Ferrell, and Shamea Morton.
It will be interesting to see if the above cast can bring the show back to its former glory, but we’re getting dangerously close to production rebooting the entire show like The Real Housewives of New York.
RHOA’s ratings have imploded in recent years
RHOA was once the ratings heavyweight for the sprawling franchise, but the numbers have slipped in recent years.
Over the years, the series has lost great personalities like Nene Leakes and Kim Zolciak. Bringing Porsha and Phaedra, aka frick and frack, back is a good way to try to get back to what the show once was.
At least among executives, the hope is that the Kenya and Brittany scandal will attract enough attention to help move the show in the right direction.
What are your thoughts on the first trailer?
The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 16 premieres Sunday, March 9 at 8/7c on Bravo.
