Bravo only just announced this month that a spinoff from its most popular franchise was undergoing maintenance, as The Real Housewives of New York is slated to receive both a reboot and an all-star spinoff – a first for any of their locales. Amidst all that retooling, another long-running reality series has been outright cancelled by the network, with Shahs of Sunset concluding with Season 9.
Shahs of Sunset, a series about the livelihoods of a group of Persian-American friends based in Beverly Hills, is officially done on Bravo, according to production sources for TMZ. The network's execs decided that last year's ninth season is to be its last, and it was implied that the reason behind this shocking move was due to Shahs simply reaching the end of its natural life-span – as though there were no more storylines left to showcase.
However, other speculation has it that the cancellation might have something more to do with main castmate Mike Shouhed. It came out prior to Shahs of Sunset’s death knell that the 43-year-old – whose sexting scandal rocked the boat last season – was arrested on March 27 on a federal charge of domestic violence, per People. The other person involved in the incident wasn’t named, and Shouhed only stated that he was innocent, and was out on bail. But it's not so shocking a theory that such a controversy, combined with last year's declining ratings, incited Bravo to pull the plug on future seasons.
Nevertheless, TMZ’s sources allege that certain Shahs of Sunset alums are in talks to take on a different show (or shows) for Bravo, possibly similar to the plan with the Real Housewives of New York. The short list supposedly includes Reza Farahan, Merecedes “MJ” Javid, and Golnesa “GG” Gharachedaghi.
None of the now-former cast have officially reacted to their original show getting the can. Although, on GG's Twitter a few days ago, right around the time of Mike Shouhed’s arrest news, the reality star cryptically posted the single phrase, “No comment.” Then this morning, in a video of a photoshoot, GG teased that something was “coming soon.” See it here:
Oh honey, I'm just getting started! Coming soon... pic.twitter.com/ew7lS9BPrQApril 8, 2022
A Golnesa Gharachedaghi or Reza or MJ spinoff isn’t a bad prospect, either. In the past 9 years on the Bravo network, they’ve toed the line of gossiping, arguments, and scandals with the best of them – without it getting altogether too controversial. And as we know well enough by now about GG, even when her show is in flux, she can still find time to stir the pot with other reality stars on the network, such as Vanderpump Rules’ Lala Kent (whom she'd accused of cheating on Randall Emmett).
A back-to-the-basics kind of drama for any Shahs of Sunset revamp would be seemingly in-keeping with the directive of Bravo going forward. Controversial castmates like Kelly Dodd and Braunwyn Windham-Burke were axed from the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills last year, in favor of a more pacifist alum in Heather Dubrow. Additionally, after the very divisive last season of Real Housewives of New York, the network is trying out a more diverse cast for its Season 14 and siphoning the fan-favs to their own show on a (currently unknown) streaming platform.
Could this mean an all-star Shahs of Sunset option is actually in the works, then? Time will tell. But for now, we say “salamati” to a cast of characters and antics that kept fans jaws on the floor for many years. To revisit seasons past of the reality series, a Peacock Premium subscription is just the ticket.
