Mob Wives is an American reality television series that premiered on VH1 on April 17, 2011. The show focuses on the lives of several women residing in the New York City borough of Staten Island, whose family members and husbands have been arrested and imprisoned for crimes that are connected to the Italian-American Mafia.
The success of the show has resulted in several spin-offs, including "", "Mob Wives Chicago", "Big Ang" and "Miami Monkey".
Overview.
The show focuses on the lives of several women residing in the New York City borough of Staten Island, whose family members and husbands have been arrested and imprisoned for crimes that are connected to the American Mafia.
Season 1.
The first season premiered on April 17, 2011. Drita D'Avanzo, Carla Facciolo, Karen Gravano and Renee Graziano were introduced as the main cast.
Season 2.
The second season premiered on January 1, 2012, with Angela "Big Ang" Raiola and Ramona Rizzo joining the cast.
On May 9, 2012, VH1 announced that the series had been renewed for a third season.
On August 12, 2012, Graziano tweeted that filming was underway for the third season.
It was announced on December 11, 2012 that the third season would debut on January 6, 2013 with new cast member Love Majewski.
Season 3.
The third season premiered on January 6, 2013, with Love Majewski joining the cast.
On May 14, 2013, Graziano revealed that the show had been renewed for a fourth season, although it had not been officially announced by VH1 at the time.
In an interview during New York Fashion Week, Rizzo mentioned that she, Gravano, and Facciolo would not be returning for the fourth season.
Season 4 (Mob Wives: New Blood).
The fourth season premiered on December 5, 2013, with Alicia DiMichele and Natalie Guercio joining the cast.
On February 19, 2014, VH1 renewed the show for a fifth season, which began production in mid-2014.
Gravano confirmed through numerous tweets that she would be returning for the fifth season.
Season 5 (Mob Wives: Trust No One).
The fifth season premiered on December 3, 2014, with Karen Gravano returning to the main cast. Natalie DiDonato joining the cast in a recurring capacity. Victoria Gotti also made a special guest appearance. Facciolo made guest appearances.
On December 7, 2015, VH1 announced their decision to end the show as the conclusion of its sixth season, known as "Mob Wives: The Last Stand".
Season 6 (Mob Wives: The Last Stand).
The sixth and final season premiered on January 13, 2016, with Brittany Fogarty and Marissa Jade joining the cast, both in recurring capacities. Majewski made guest appearances.
On February 18, 2016, less than a month before the final season concluded, Angela "Big Ang" Raiola died from complications of throat cancer and pneumonia.
Episodes.
Spin-offs.
Jennifer Graziano announced in October 2012 that "Mob Wives Miami", "Mob Wives Pittsburgh", and "Mob Wives Philadelphia" had both been cast, but VH1 never green-lit either project.
Reboot.
Jennifer Graziano, creator and executive producer of "Mob Wives", stated in December 2017 that a reboot of "Mob Wives" was in the works. Drita D'Avanzo, who starred on the show during its original run, declined Graziano's invitation to return, stating that she had since moved on and wanted to explore other ventures. According to Graziano, most of the original cast were willing to return, including her sister Renee, who also starred on all seasons of the show. The show was set to be filmed on the East Coast and would likely feature both original and new cast members.
In December 2018, Graziano hinted of a potential reboot.
Despite a response issued from Renee Graziano about a 2021 premiere, a source close to VH1 confirmed that a reboot of the show was eventually dismissed within weeks of initial discussions back in 2017, citing declining viewership of its original run and a rise of popular programming currently airing on the network.
Reception.
The first season of "Mob Wives" was well received by some entertainment critics. "Entertainment Weekly's" television critic Ken Tucker praised the show in his review, stating, "As someone who's watched at least a few episodes of every version of the "Real Housewives" franchise and feels a bit nauseous about it, I didn't come to "Mob Wives" with high hopes. But this floridly funny, vicariously vicious reality series exerts a vulgar charm." He noted the fascination of watching excessively made-up people living in apparent luxury and the authenticity of the drama among the women. "By turns funny, appalling, and frightening, "Mob Wives" is swiftly paced, reality-TV at its most effusively dismaying." "The Hollywood Reporter" critic David Knowles felt the show was significantly better than typical reality TV. He found the women's internal conflict between their mob past and their desire to break free from that lifestyle to be the underlying question of the series. Knowles noted that the women's storylines are so tense and engrossing that the surveillance-style effect used to introduce them seemed unnecessarily cliché. "As we learned from "The Sopranos", the wives and children of mafiosos can be every bit as compelling as the gangsters themselves... As for those other real housewives franchises, their endless squabbles and social climbing antics are rendered rather trivial after you watch the first five minutes of "Mob Wives"."
Some New York critics were less enthusiastic about the show. David Hinckley's "New York Daily News" review complained the "tired concept, is so bad it should sleep with fishes", and observed "these are unpleasant people in an unwatchable show". On the other hand, he wrote: "Now it could be added that if this is what you want on TV, "Mob Wives" is an all-you-can-eat buffet. Imagine the angriest of the "Real Housewives" ratcheted up into overdrive". "Staten Island Advance's" SILive.com "Entertainment Comment of the Day" in April 2011 said, "Out of interest we only watched about twenty minutes of the first episode and couldn't stomach watching the second. We don't know what's so interesting about a bunch of low-life women (the one pictured is a real piece of work) who think that husbands that go off to prison is like spending a year at college. I bet their kids are real proud of them. Any glorification of a life of crime is pathetic. They all deserve whatever misery that comes along".
The Mafia theme of the show was a concern for some non-journalists, as well. Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro stated; "I've seen it – It's disgraceful. It paints Staten Island and Italian-Americans in a bad light. It's detrimental because people will think this is what Staten Island is made of. I'm Italian – and this is bad for our doctors, our lawyers, the people who came from Italy to build their lives". UNICO National, an Italian advocacy group, said the show is tantamount to "trash TV like "Jersey Shore". I hope it dies because no one watches it. We were mobsters and mafiosos with "The Sopranos", bimbos and buffoons with "Jersey Shore", and now we're back where we started. It's a disgrace". Gawker.com said, "This seems like a terrible idea for a reality show! Would anyone watch a show called Mass Murderers' Wives?"
Relatives of murder victims killed by the cast members' relatives are also disturbed by the show. Jackie Colucci, whose brother Joseph was murdered by Sammy "The Bull" Gravano in 1970, stated about Karen Gravano: "She should be ashamed that her father is a murderer and a drug dealer. I would be ashamed and crawling in a hole and staying out of the limelight".
References.
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