When Bravo announced Tuesday that the cable network was launching “The Real Housewives of D.C.,” it was the first official confirmation of whispers that
have circulated around Washington for months: Like it or not, reality TV is coming to the nation’s capital. Although Bravo is out first with an actual announcement, three production companies have taken steps in recent months to create five different Washington-based reality shows. According to people who have been contacted by the companies, Half Yard Productions of Bethesda is behind “The Real Housewives of D.C.,” which will focus on Washington’s established elite, and “Inside Washington,” which would be aimed at the younger party set. Los Angeles-based 44 Blue Productions has been working on two ideas – “The Hill,” which would chronicle the lives of young political types, and “Women of Influence,” which would focus, as the name suggests, on the capital’s most powerful women. And the CW network has greenlighted “Blonde Charity Mafia,” a “docu-series” that follows some of D.C.’s most avid 20-something party-goers as they trot through the cocktail-and-charity-event circuit. “Blonde Charity Mafia” is scheduled to air in July. The challenge for all of these shows: delivering access. While the residents of Hollywood – or New Jersey – may covet the kind of attention that a reality show offers, Washingtonians can be a more buttoned-up bunch – especially when there’s a risk that showing their private sides will result in political problems.
“From an entertainment industry perspective, this town can be very interesting if people are really honest,” says Hilary Rosen, a Democratic public relations executive and former head of the RIAA. “I wouldn’t advise any politician to actually participate or be on [a reality TV program]. And anyone with connections to elected officials would have to be so circumscribed because anything they say or do reflect on the politician.”