The Real Housewives of New Jersey was announced by Bravo on April 15, 2008. The first season premiered on May 12, 2009, and starred Caroline Manzo, Jacqueline Laurita, Teresa Giudice, Dina Manzo and Danielle Staub. For the first time in The Real Housewives franchise, the series followed cast members who are related to one another: sisters Caroline Manzo and Dina Manzo are married to brothers Albert and Tommy Manzo, and Laurita is married to Caroline and Dina's brother, Chris Laurita. Dina and Tommy Manzo would later end up separated. The second season premiered on May 3, 2010, with Dina Manzo departing the series after the seventh episode. Staub left the show after the second season. The third season premiered on May 16, 2011, with new housewives Melissa Gorga and Kathy Wakile. It delivered the highest rated season premiere in Bravo's history and the highest rated season premiere in The Real Housewives franchise at the time. The fourth season premiered on April 22, 2012. The fifth season premiered on June 2, 2013. Caroline Manzo and Laurita left the show after the fifth season.
Seasons 6–10
The sixth season premiered on July 13, 2014. It featured the return of Dina Manzo as a full-time cast member and new cast members Amber Marchese, Teresa Aprea and Nicole Napolitano. Wakile was demoted to a "friend of the housewives" role, while Laurita appeared as a guest. Marchese, Aprea, Napolitano and Dina Manzo left the show after the sixth season. Laurita returned as a full-time cast member in the seventh season, which premiered on July 10, 2016. The season also featured Dolores Catania and Siggy Flicker as new cast members, while Wakile and Rosie Pierri appeared as "friends of the housewives". Aprea and Napolitano also appeared as guests. The season marked as the final appearance of Laurita, Wakile and Pierri in the show. Staub returned in the show as friend of the housewives for the eighth season, which premiered on October 4, 2017. It also featured Margaret Josephs as the new cast member. Flicker left the show afterwards. The ninth season premiered on November 7, 2018, featuring Jennifer Aydin and Jackie Goldschneider joining the cast. While Staub returned as a friend once again. The tenth season premiered on November 6, 2019, featuring the cast of the previous season. Staub, who appeared as a friend for the third consecutive season, resigned from the series for the second time in January 2020.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey airs regularly on Bravo in the United States; most episodes are approximately forty-two minutes in length, and are broadcast in standard definition and high definition. Since its premiere, the series has alternated airing on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday evenings and has been frequently shifted between the 8:00, 9:00, and 10:00 PM timeslots.
Spin-offs
The series' success has resulted in a development of spin-off series. Caroline Manzo's children Albie and Chris had a web series spin-off alongside their roommate and friend Greg Bennett, Boys to Manzo which premiered on May 30, 2011. Caroline Manzo, who was part of the original cast of the show, quit the series due to involvement in the production of a new show, Manzo'd with Children. The show premiered on October 5, 2014 on Bravo. The reality series follows the daily life of Manzo and her family, and lasted for three seasons. In October 2015, a three episode spin-off, entitled Teresa Checks In premiered. It featured the life of the Giudice family during the aftermath of Teresa Giudice's being sentenced to prison. The series featured cast members of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Melissa Gorga and Rosie Pierri. In December 2018, an after show featuring season 9's cast was released online through Bravo.com and YouTube. It featured their reactions to the most recent episode and thoughts on the season. An after show for the tenth season started streaming online on December 11, 2019.
