'RHOM' Went on a Hiatus After Season 3 Because of Declining Ratings

While many Real Housewives franchises are near-immediate successes for Bravo, The Real Housewives of Miami went off the air for eight years following Season 3.

The Florida-based reality series was the second to be put on hold by the network (RHODC was the first), but it became the first to be rebooted.

Now, returning stars Larsa Pippen, Alexia Echevarria, Lisa Hochstein, Marysol Patton (friend), and Adriana de Moura (friend) are back for Season 4 on Peacock — and they're joining new stars Nicole Martin, Guerdy Abraira, Julia Lemigova, and Kiki Barth (friend).

The debut episode of the fourth season picks right back up with the friend group, and it's almost like the ladies never left. So, why was RHOM originally "canceled" in the first place?

Though RHOM did go on a filming and production hiatus following Season 3, Bravo never officially canceled the show (the network has never formally axed any Real Housewives programs).

The main reason why the show did not return immediately for Season 4 is because the ratings declined as the third season progressed. In a since-expired Instagram story from 2020, RHOM Executive Producer Andy Cohen shared that the ratings even decreased during the Season 3 reunion special — which is when the ladies get together to discuss all of the drama from the prior episodes.

"People ask me about Miami all the time and say will you ever bring it back?" the WHHL host shared on the app while a marathon of the series was airing on Bravo, per @RealHousewivesFranchise. "The reason that we let it go was, I remember the ratings went down toward the end of the season, which never happens. Like it went down for the reunion, and if it's going down toward the end, that's just never a good sign. But anyway, I hear your love all the time and really appreciate the show and the women."

The face of the network also noted that the impending absence of a breakout star contributed to the decision — though she wasn't an official housewife.

"And Mama Elsa got sick and dropped out so that was a big hit for the show, it was... it just ended," he concluded about cast member Marysol Patton's mother, Elsa Patton, who ultimately passed away in 2019.

Though fans of the franchise (and Real Housewives supporters in general) had to wait for the better part of a decade to see RHOM back on the small screen, the reality series has officially returned for Season 4. Unfortunately, a few notable Season 3 personalities did not return to the show, including Lea Black and Joanna Krupa.

The rebooted series, thus far, is airing exclusively on Peacock, which means that interested viewers will have to get a subscription to the NBCUniversal streaming service in order to tune in.

A premium Peacock package costs $4.99 per month, but it includes ads. A Peacock Plus account will run users $9.99 each month, but it does provide an ad-free experience.

New episodes of The Real Housewives of Miami debut on Thursdays on Peacock.