20 underrated reality show gems you should be watching
By Sundi Rose
Southern Charm
The premise: A handful of rich, white folks live in Charleston, South Carolina and proceed to act like they have none of the pedigree they claim to have. It follows half a dozen thirty-somethings, and one very, very volatile twenty-something as they go to fancy parties, drink a lot of very expensive bourbon, and talk behind each other’s backs.
Why you’ll love it: As a contribution to the Bravo canon, it’s not wildly original in its story. But this group of aristocrats is very fun to watch. As posh as their homes and clothes are, they really are a bunch of rednecks at heart, and it is incredibly endearing.
You can tell they really are mostly friends in real life, and their short hand with each other really telegraphs, as does the way they get on each other’s nerves and know exactly how to push each other’s buttons. The show actually has an on again/off again couple that met on the show and had children together.
As a human with an actual heart, I feel a little sad watching a real-life relationship implode before my very eyes, but as a reality television connoisseur, I am completely enthralled. These folks are train wrecks in Lily Pulitzer, and I’m rooting for melodrama every time a glass tips — and I usually get just what I want.
How to watch: You catch up on Bravo’s website, and new episodes of season five are currently airing on Bravo.