“Wholesome” isn’t exactly the word that comes to mind when thinking about Bravo’s reality TV lineup.
In a world where housewives clash over cocktails, Below Deck crew members sneak into each other’s rooms, and Tom Sandoval self-destructs on Vanderpump Rules, ‘90s icon Denise Richards is bringing something refreshingly different.
Rather than following in the footsteps of The Real Housewives—where she was once a cast member—her new comedic half-hour docuseries, Denise Richards & Her Wild Things, premiering on March 4, takes inspiration from Keeping Up With the Kardashians.
It delivers a lighthearted, candid, and delightfully superficial look into the life of a famous family navigating Los Angeles.
And that life is as extravagant as it is detached from reality. At one point, the former Bond Girl joins a high-intensity workout class simply because her go-to Pilates trainer is away on a retreat in the Cayman Islands.
In a confessional, she casually explains that she no longer lives in the home she owns—her in-laws moved in for what was supposed to be a short stay, and she “needed some space” when they never left. The solution? Living across three rented townhomes instead.
Yet despite the lavishness, there’s something about Richards that feels hilariously self-aware and oddly relatable—like that one coworker who rolls into a shift looking wrecked after a night of partying but still gets the job done flawlessly.
As she empathizes with her grown-up daughter, whom she shares with ex Charlie Sheen, she quips, “I get it. You have a lot of explaining to do with your friends [about] both your parents… That’s why we have a show!”
It’s that same unfiltered honesty that made Richards such a refreshing presence—and later a source of controversy—during her two-season stint on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Fans have long speculated that she left the franchise to gain more control over how she was portrayed on screen.
Wild Things certainly gives her that freedom, offering a much sunnier take on her life. She previously had the 2008 reality show Denise Richards: It’s Complicated—the series was shifted to Bravo at the last minute due to internal corporate reshuffling. Or, as Richards might put it: “Bravo, Bravo, f—king Bravo!”
Though some familiar Housewives faces, including Camille Grammer, Kathy Hilton, and former rival Erika Jayne, will make guest appearances, Wild Things is about as low-stakes as reality TV gets—at least based on the first episode made available to the press.
The biggest “drama” revolves around whether Richards can successfully host a family barbecue while adhering to Malibu’s strict anti-plastic policies. (“I grew up in Illinois—you could bring whatever the fuck you wanted to a picnic,” she remarks.) The show even adds an “Excitement Meter” to the screen as she repeatedly exclaims how “so excited” she is to bring home three new golden retrievers.
There is some real tension between her two eldest daughters, Sami and Lola, who are at odds over an ex-boyfriend. However, their conflict is so subdued that it’s hard to get invested.
The most entertaining moment comes when one daughter snaps, “I wouldn’t speak to you like this if you weren’t such a b—h, dude,” prompting Richards to deadpan, “Don’t call her ‘dude,’ she’s your sister.”
The biggest shortcoming of the show is that its supporting cast—Richards’ husband Aaron Phypers included—fails to match her charisma.
Wild Things hinges entirely on Richards’ presence, but fortunately, she has more than enough charm to carry it. Whether motivated by personal brand rehabilitation or genuine goodwill, she also comes across as deeply empathetic, which adds to the show’s unexpectedly wholesome tone.
While Richards is quick to joke about Sheen, she also makes a point to invite his other ex-wife to the family gathering, ensuring that all the siblings stay connected.
The premiere opens with Richards training her golden retrievers as potential service dogs for her 13-year-old daughter, Eloise, who has developmental delays due to a chromosomal deletion. Richards describes Eloise as “the bright light” of their family.
Perhaps the most memorable scene, however, is her unwavering support for her 20-year-old daughter Sami’s OnlyFans career. Sami’s main complaint? That her mom is too supportive—so much so that she even started her own OnlyFans page, much to her daughter’s embarrassment.
All of this makes Richards a compelling lead for a show that may be frivolous but is also surprisingly endearing. Wild Things is glossy, sure, but Richards’ decades in Hollywood give it an unspoken depth. Beneath the frothy reality TV surface, there’s a woman who has seen it all—and that’s what makes the series worth watching.
