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.

Premise

Luann 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

In 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

Nina 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

No.Title [10][11]Original air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Welcome to Crappie Lake"July 9, 2023 (2023-07-09)0.51[12]
2"Let the Follies Begin"July 9, 2023 (2023-07-09)0.41[12]
3"Gone Muddin'"July 16, 2023 (2023-07-16)0.38[13]
4"The Belles of the Balls"July 23, 2023 (2023-07-23)0.42[14]
5"Taking Care of Business"July 30, 2023 (2023-07-30)0.35[15]
6"Creative Differences"August 6, 2023 (2023-08-06)0.31[16]
7"X-Mas in July"August 13, 2023 (2023-08-13)0.30[17]
8"The Grand Finale"August 20, 2023 (2023-08-20)0.30[18]

References

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "The Luann and Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake Trailer Is More Wild Than We Imagined". E! Online. May 22, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  4. ^ "Welcome to Crappie Lake: Real Housewives coming to rural Illinois". FOX 2. May 24, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  5. ^ Choi, Jessica (July 15, 2022). "RHONY: Luann & Sonja Start Filming Spin-Off Show In Illinois". Screen Rant. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ Lang, Cady (August 1, 2023). "Crappie Lake Is the Show You Need to Watch Right Now". TIME. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  9. ^ Spilde, Coleman (July 10, 2023). "Sonja and Luann Are the Second Coming of Paris and Nicole". The Daily Beast. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  10. ^ "Luann and Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake - Episode Guide". Zap2it. Nexstar Media Group. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  11. ^ "Shows A-Z - luann and sonja: welcome to crappie lake on bravo". The Futon Critic. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  12. ^ a b DarkUFO (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.
  13. ^ DarkUFO (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.
  14. ^ DarkUFO (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.
  15. ^ DarkUFO (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.
  16. ^ V (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.
  17. ^ V (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.
  18. ^ V (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.

External links