Housewives in Crisis! NBC Planning to Axe Bravo's 'Expensive' Reality Franchise After Years of Scandals – 'The Drama's Gotten Way Too Real'

Could this be the beginning of the end of the house that Andy Cohen built?

via: Radar Online

After years of lawsuits, scandals and sinking ratings, the Real Housewives franchise is about to get swept under the rug by NBCUniversal, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

"NBC doesn't want the headache anymore," said one high-level source. "The brand has become more about courtrooms than catfights."

With execs said to be alarmed by the avalanche of lawsuits, a longtime Bravo insider says the whole endeavor has "turned toxic.

The Housewives used to deliver glamour and chaos, and now it's just legal bills and damage control."

Though a Bravo rep denies it, sources said NBC, which runs Bravo, is quietly discussing a two-year plan to phase out the franchise entirely.

"They built an empire on drama," said a producer. "But the drama's gotten way too real – and expensive."

The reality television queens recently came together at Bravocon in New York City – and it was of course filled with drama.

Between family reunions after years of feuding to airport meltdowns on the way home, the event captured many headlines.

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I'm not buying this story at all. BravoCon was just in Vegas and was a success. An exec just said the door is open for NeNe Leakes to return to RHOA, and the network just greenlit a new series called Real Housewives: Ultimate Road Trip.

So yes while the franchise has been plagued with white collar criminals who have been pulling federal crimes so that way they can stunt like something out of Livestyles of the Rich and Famous (it was also announced that Jenna Lyons is leaving RHONY after two seasons, and Kandi Burruss just announced her split from her husband Todd Tucker after 11 years), I can't see NBC/Universal phasing out this franchise anytime soon.

The only thing that will kill the Housewives franchise completely is if the fandom becomes tired of all the shows collectively and no longer cares to watch a bunch of middle-aged women bicker with each other over nothing of importance.