On ABC’s May 19 The Story of Soaps special, Susan Lucci‘s (ex-Erica Kane, All My Children) number-one fan, Bravo’s Andy Cohen, made a controversial statement.
He asserted that the Real Housewives franchise rendered soaps unnecessary. Cohen stated that reality shows subsumed soaps and rendered them obsolete:
We’re voyeurs, but we also love stories.We want to be entertained, and I think that the ultimate expression of voyeurism is reality television. I know [Susan] Lucci doesn’t agree with me, but I think that the Housewives have replaced soap operas because truth is stranger than fiction. Soaps became kind of unnecessary because you could do it with real people, and they’re writing the drama themselves.
In February, Lucci responded to previous comments made by Cohen about Real Housewives replacing soap operas.
She told Page Six, “I don’t think they are the modern-day soaps,” referring to the reality franchise. “There’s no storytelling. There’s a lot of editing. It’s, like, they cut to the chase all the time, and I think it’s different.” She added that reality stars are “great at entertaining,” but reiterates “I don’t think they’re the same.”
When a fan called Cohen’s involvement as a “shameless promotion” for the reality TV producer, he responded and said, “I went to the interview as a soap fan prepped to talk soaps, and they asked about reality tv and I answered their questions. Sue me!”
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