Entertainment

The 'American Woman' Trailer Has Arrived & It's A Must-See For 'Real Housewives' Fans

by Kristie Rohwedder

The scripted show that Kyle Richards worked on while filming a hit reality show is almost here. On Thursday, May 3, Entertainment Weekly shared the first trailer for American Woman, the series inspired by Kyle Richards' life. Yes, that show that Richards has been telling Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fans about for years is going to be on TV soon. Very soon. American Woman will premiere on June 7 on the Paramount Network.

American Woman is set in '70s Hollywood, and it follows the trials and tribulations of a character loosely based on Richards's mother, Kathleen Richards. The RHOBH star is one of the executive producers on the dramedy. The series' ridiculously awesome roster includes Alicia Silverstone, Mena Suvari, Cheyenne Jackson, James Tupper, and Jennifer Bartels.

You want to know more about the premise? You got it. Here's the Paramount Network's summary:

"Inspired by the upbringing of co-executive producer and Real Housewife of Beverly Hills Kyle Richards, this series follows an unconventional mom named Bonnie (Alicia Silverstone) struggling to raise her daughters with the help of her two best friends Kathleen (Mena Suvari) and Diana (Jennifer Bartels) as they discover their own brand of independence amid the rise of second-wave feminism in the 1970s.”

Ready to watch the groovy trailer and listen to Kelly Clarkson's cover of The Guess Who's "American Woman"? Hold onto your polyester bell-bottoms.

Ugh, it looks so good. The costumes, the sets, the cast, the trash can fire drama, the poolside mayhem— what a gift this show looks like it will be this summer.

Richards was raised in Los Angeles, and like her sisters Kim Richards and Kathy Hilton, she started acting at an early age. And, of course, there was Big Kathy. Kathleen Richards was the matriarch of the family, a pre-Kris Jenner momager, and the inspiration behind her youngest daughter's new scripted TV show. During a panel at the 2018 Television Critics Association, Richards talked about making a show based on her own upbringing. USA Today reported, the Bravolebrity said,

"The idea was inspired by my life growing up with my mom. My mom really was a woman before her time. In the '70s, it wasn't a popular thing to be a strong woman. If you were strong and had a voice, you were thought of as a pushy broad where, nowadays, it's like boss lady. It wasn't like that back then."

Though Kathleen Richards's story influenced the show in a major way, hers was not the only story to shape American Woman. As Silverstone told Entertainment Weekly in October 2017,

“A lot of the stories that you’ll see are things that happened to Kyle Richards and her mother, but a lot of it isn’t; it’s taking dramatic license, but the storytelling is so good. My character is inspired by Kyle Richards’ mother, but she’s also inspired by our creator John Riggi’s mom. Like any art form, it then became about everybody’s mom. John Wells, the producer, it’s about his mom, and I used my mom as inspiration. Bonnie is this collective [mother]. There’s relief watching her. Because this woman loves her kids ferociously, but she’s also really reckless and does really bad things. She’s a contradiction: she’s a wild, ferocious creature, and she's a bad*ss, but she’s also terrified underneath.”

As hilarious and campy and fun as the trailer looks, remember: This dramedy's got a lot of drama in it, too. Look no further than this clip of the RHOBH cast sobbing as they watch the first episode together.

Now, will anyone do the splits on a table in American Woman? You'll just have to tune in and find out.