Luann & Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake is an American reality television series that premiered on Bravo on July 9, 2023.[1] It follows Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan as they are invited to Benton, Illinois to spruce up the town.
| Luann & Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Reality |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Camera setup | Multiple |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | Bravo |
| Release | July 9 – August 20, 2023 |
| Related | |
| The Real Housewives of New York City | |
Premise
editLuann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan are invited to Benton, Illinois to spruce up the town.[2] Coming after the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Benton City Council asks them for help with tasks to revitalize Benton, such as constructing a new playground, upgrading the animal shelter, and hosting a variety show. Paula Abdul made cameo appearances.[3] In the meantime, they also catch crappie at Rend Lake, attend the town's testicle festival, and go mudding in a monster truck.[4]
Production
editIn July 2022, it was announced production had commenced on an untitled series revolving around Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan.[5] In October 2022, it was announced the series was titled Luann & Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake, with Jeff Jenkins serving as an executive producer.[6]
Reception
editNina Metz, writing for the Chicago Tribune, gave the series 1.5 stars out of 4. She described the film as "disingenuous", saying, "A one-off reality TV series isn't going to generate the economic infusion Benton actually needs".[7] She also criticized the show as unoriginal, saying the idea was taken directly from The Simple Life, and noted the title of the series was "a riff on Schitt's Creek".[7] She also questioned the real impact of the projects Luann and Sonja completed, and described the show as "dull".[7]
Cady Lang, writing for Time, praised the show for taking a new direction with the housewives, moving away from drama and fighting, and showing more friendship between the two women. She described it as a "a captivating comedic masterpiece".[8] The Daily Beast's Coleman Spilde also praised the show, comparing it to The Simple Life. He described it as "blissfully assured good-time television", and further stated, "If Bravo plays its cards right [...] each new season could be the network's biggest sensation since Real Housewives proper".[9]
Episodes
edit| No. | Title [10][11] | Original air date | United States viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Welcome to Crappie Lake" | July 9, 2023 | 0.51[12] |
| 2 | "Let the Follies Begin" | July 9, 2023 | 0.41[12] |
| 3 | "Gone Muddin'" | July 16, 2023 | 0.38[13] |
| 4 | "The Belles of the Balls" | July 23, 2023 | 0.42[14] |
| 5 | "Taking Care of Business" | July 30, 2023 | 0.35[15] |
| 6 | "Creative Differences" | August 6, 2023 | 0.31[16] |
| 7 | "X-Mas in July" | August 13, 2023 | 0.30[17] |
| 8 | "The Grand Finale" | August 20, 2023 | 0.30[18] |
References
edit- ^ Crist, Allison (May 22, 2023). "Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan Are Back! Get a First Look at Luann and Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake". Bravo. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- ^ Wynne, Kelly (May 22, 2023). "Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan Battle Bed Bugs and Attend a 'Testicle Festival' in 'Crappie Lake'". People. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- ^ "The Luann and Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake Trailer Is More Wild Than We Imagined". E! Online. May 22, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
- ^ "Welcome to Crappie Lake: Real Housewives coming to rural Illinois". FOX 2. May 24, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
- ^ Choi, Jessica (July 15, 2022). "RHONY: Luann & Sonja Start Filming Spin-Off Show In Illinois". Screen Rant. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- ^ Tinoco, Armando (October 15, 2022). "'RHONY' Spinoff 'Luann And Sonja: Welcome To Crappie Lake' Confirmed At Bravo For 2023". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- ^ a b c Metz, Nina (July 12, 2023). "'Luann & Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake' review: Two 'Real Housewives of New York' are dropped into small town Illinois". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
- ^ Lang, Cady (August 1, 2023). "Crappie Lake Is the Show You Need to Watch Right Now". TIME. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
- ^ Spilde, Coleman (July 10, 2023). "Sonja and Luann Are the Second Coming of Paris and Nicole". The Daily Beast. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
- ^ "Luann and Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake - Episode Guide". Zap2it. Nexstar Media Group. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
- ^ "Shows A-Z - luann and sonja: welcome to crappie lake on bravo". The Futon Critic. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
- ^ a b Page, Andy (July 11, 2023). "Top 400 Cable Shows 2022/2023 3rd July – 9th July 2023". SpoilerTV. Archived from the original on July 15, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
- ^ Page, Andy (July 19, 2023). "Top 400 Cable Shows 2022/2023 10th July – 16th July 2023". SpoilerTV. Archived from the original on July 19, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ^ Page, Andy (July 26, 2023). "Top 400 Cable Shows 2022/2023 17th July – 23rd July 2023". SpoilerTV. Archived from the original on July 26, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
- ^ Page, Andy (August 2, 2023). "Top 400 Cable Shows 2022/2023 24th July – 30th July 2023". SpoilerTV. Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ Sinclair, Victoria (August 8, 2023). "Daily Top 150 Cable Originals - Sunday 6th August 2023". SpoilerTV. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
- ^ Sinclair, Victoria (August 15, 2023). "Daily Top 150 Cable Originals - Sunday 13th August 2023". SpoilerTV. Archived from the original on August 21, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
- ^ Sinclair, Victoria (August 22, 2023). "Daily Top 150 Cable Originals - Sunday 20th August 2023". SpoilerTV. Archived from the original on August 22, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.