Felicia has had enough of the “Real Housewives.”

Question: Did "Queer Eye" make Bravo?

Thom Filicia:  When I first started working with Bravo on "Queer Eye" it was a very small network that was owned by NBC and it was kind of a... it was a small network that had the
"Actors Studio" and a few other things that were pretty smart programming but not amazingly popular.  But well-respected.  I think "Queer Eye" was definitely a huge risk for any network but Bravo took that risk and they... I think yes, "Queer Eye" really defined their point of view.  I think before "Queer Eye," I think they were just an interesting network that was trying to kind of find their sensibility.

And I think that "Queer Eye" coming onto the scene and being sort of a bit outlandish but also smart I think defined them as a network, so yeah I would say without a doubt it was a defining moment in Bravo’s history.  And I think that they’ve really stuck to that programming model pretty strictly.  They’ve... I mean, I think... it’s been probably five years since I’ve worked with them.  I’ve been with Style Network for four years I think so yeah four years since I’ve worked with Bravo.  And I would say that yeah their platform for programming is pretty much still a derivative of kind of what we did there.   

Question: Does Bravo need to find a new formula?

Thom Filicia:  It’s generally not my, you know, a lot of the programming that they have isn’t really my bag, so I don’t know if I know enough about it give it a thumbs up or a thumbs down.  But I definitely know about Snooki or I mean, I think she’s on that network.  Maybe she’s not.  Oh she’s on MTV.  Oh see, I just assumed she was Bravo, but that’s the kind of thing that I associate with Bravo, a Snooki.  You know what I mean?  

And so just the Real Housewives of everywhere, so I don’t know, I just... I kind of think like the "Real Housewives," Snooki, I don’t know.  They’re kind of all the same thing to me in differently character types but kind of the same thing.  So yeah, I mean, I definitely think they’re riding a wave and I think they’re doing what they do well.  I think at some point they’re going to have to redefine it.  You know, I would assume or people are just going to be, you know, I think they’re just going to go somewhere else for a new idea but, they were a great network to work with actually.

Recorded August 4, 2010
Interviewed by Max Miller