By now we’re all familiar with the growing trend of posh housewives and their reality series, where the biggest problems involve dinner table settings and chipped manicures. The Real Housewives of Orange County quickly spun off into The Real Housewives of New York, New Jersey and Atlanta; the TV trend doesn’t seem to be fading anytime soon.
So it was only a matter of time before someone took a look at the other side of that coin. This fall, Fox Reality is showcasing the men who stay at home to raise the children and mind the households, while their breadwinning wives head out to the trenches with its new series, Househusbands of Hollywood.
Househusbands features five men from different walks of life: Bill Ashley, a former L.A. Dodger; Danny Barclay, a pre-med student who dropped out of school to take on acting; Darryl M. Bell, an actor from A Different World who is now married to former Cosby kid Tempestt Bledsoe; Grant Reynolds, a former marine sniper who is now married to Jillian Reynolds (Fox NFL Sundays); and Charlie Mattera, a former bank robber who is now married to a psychologist.
Throughout the series, its stars are hoping for a genuine portrayal of the men who may be ribbed for staying at home while their women bring home the bacon, but are making a genuine effort to do the most difficult job of all: raising the kids and holding together a family.
So how does that differ from Housewives?
“These are women who live extremely luxurious lives,” says Jillian Reynolds. “[Our show] is not about bitchy cattiness. At the end of the day it’s about raising a family and doing the best you can. Do we fight? Hell yeah. But we have really good make-up sex too.”
“At the end of the day, when you need help you need help. But it’s about raising your kids,” her husband adds.
“The series tries to show in a positive light what it’s like for a man to take on a particular role,” Bledsoe explains. “Reality often is a lot of fighting, but it’s nice to see a show where you don’t have to cringe watching it.”
We’ll save judgment for the première.
Amber is currently reporting live from the TV Critics Press Tour in L.A. Check out complete coverage here. amber@tvguide.ca
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