Can the Real Housewives Save Daytime Soaps?
Now that they’ve conquered primetime, Bravo’s “Real Housewives” may be poised to save daytime soaps. NBC Universal’s syndication unit has struck a deal with NBC and Hearst-owned TVstations to syndicate “Housewives” as a one-hour, five-days-a-week strip starting in 2010. That’s according to Broadcasting & Cable syndie ace Paige Albiniak, who broke the news this morning on B&C’s website. (NBC U declined comment on the report). B&C notes that by next fall, Bravo will have produced more than 100 episodes of the “Housewives” franchise. The series has featured different sets of rich women in locales such as New York, Orange County, New Jersey, Atlanta and, soon, Washington, D.C. Assuming most NBC and Hearst stations air “Housewives” in the daytime hours, the show could serve as an interesting experiment regarding the future of soap operas. Scripted soaps are on the ropes, with CBS about to pull the plug on the grandpa of soaps, “Guiding Light”; other serials are also on life support at vario
