The Valley is a show that boldly asks its viewers two questions. First: Why are you watching this? And second: Why are you enjoying this?
The appeal of the Bravo reality show, which follows a group of friends living in “the valley” — a neighborhood in California where people usually flee from Los Angeles to settle down and have kids — isn’t immediately obvious. Most of the cast are new faces, except for a messy trio who were let go from Vanderpump Rules in 2020. Most of their lives aren’t exactly aspirational, compared to the obscene wealth we’re used to seeing on reality shows like The Real Housewives, and their relationships certainly aren’t. (An alternative name for the show would be The Divorce — more on that later.)
So what’s the draw? The Valley has an unpolished quality that reminds fans of early reality TV, where the participants weren’t so…
