Every Vanderpump Rules TV Show, Ranked

"The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" is one of the best series in the "Real Housewives" franchise, in large part because of cast member Lisa Vanderpump. It was almost a foregone conclusion that she'd eventually front her own series — and sure enough, "Vanderpump Rules" debuted in 2013, in the middle of Season 3 of "RHOBH." The basic premise of "VPR" is that it follows Lisa and the running of her three Hollywood restaurants. But of course, that aspect very quickly took a backseat to the interpersonal drama that people ultimately tune into these types of shows for.

Despite "VPR" already being a spinoff itself, it is now its own full-fledged franchise with its own separate offshoots. As of now, there have been five different spinoffs of "VPR," from the typical approach of focusing on specific people from the original show, to more unique and unusual approaches to the formula. The quality of these spinoffs has varied wildly, with some barely hanging on for one full season, though the best of them arguably rival the original show. Here is how we rank all six shows in the "VPR" universe, based on a combination of critics' reviews, fan discussions, and our own editorial opinion. 

A common reality show spinoff template is to take two characters from the original show and break them off into their own side quest — "Kourtney and Kim Take Miami," "Snookie and Jwoww," and so on. "Vanderpump Rules: Jax and Brittany Take Kentucky" is the "VPR" version of that, following the titular couple as they go back to Brittany's home state to spend time with her family on their farm. The 2017 series hits all the expected cliches, much of it focusing on city boy Jax experiencing the culture shock of the rural southern lifestyle.

"Jax and Brittany Take Kentucky" has its entertaining moments, but the darkness of Jax Taylor and his poor treatment of Brittany Cartwright is always lurking just beneath the surface — and comes across that much worse in retrospect of how things turned out between the couple, who eventually got married. In 2024, they joined fellow "VPR" romantic partners Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix on the list of reality TV couples who are no longer together. Brittany filed for divorce in August of that year, and has since said that the split has been extremely messy and far from amicable. It's just as well that "Jax and Brittany" didn't last beyond six episodes. 

Lisa Vanderpump does use some of her considerable fortune for philanthropic causes, with animal rights and battling animal cruelty being causes she is particularly committed to. In 2016, she founded The Vanderpump Dog Foundation. The organization's initial goal was to bring awareness to and protest an annual dog eating festival in China, but it soon grew to also include rescuing and supporting dogs in the United States as well.

With that, the second "VPR" spinoff was born. "Vanderpump Dogs" came to Peacock — the first "VPR" show not to air on Bravo — in 2021, following not only Lisa and the staff of her organization but also various clients who contact the foundation to adopt a dog. It's all a great cause of course, and the show admirably shirks the drama typically associated with the "VPR" brand to focus entirely on the organization's noble mission. But it doesn't necessarily make for an especially compelling watch, especially for "VPR" fans. There's a reason why "Vanderpump Dogs" was yet another offshoot that only lasted one season.

As of this writing, Hulu's "Vanderpump Villa" has been renewed for a third season, something that has yet to officially happen for another "VPR" spinoff, "The Valley." But that longevity doesn't automatically make it one of the better shows. The subgenre of hospitality-based reality shows has grown a bit crowded, and "Villa" doesn't really do anything particularly remarkable to stand out from the pack. It's mostly brand recognition that has driven enough ratings to the show to earn a second season, with a third on the way.

"Vanderpump Villa" sees Lisa Vanderpump running a chateau in France that offers a luxury resort experience to whoever is wealthy enough to pay for it. But it's clear that there is still an effort to bring "VPR"-style drama to the proceedings, with some of the staff seemingly chosen specifically for that purpose rather than actual talent and proficiency in providing a VIP hospitality experience. 

While that choice was to be expected, it ends up feeling a little too manufactured, even by reality show standards. The result is a show that can't quite settle on whether it's about the operation of a villa or the drama amongst its staff, and is all the worse for not committing to one or the other. 

Initially a companion to Season 4 of "VPR," "Vanderpump Rules After Show" debuted in November 2015 as the first-ever "VPR" spinoff. The title says it all — it is a recap show wherein the cast members get together in a panel format and discuss the happenings of the "VPR" episode that aired at some point prior (exactly when varied from week to week and season to season). "After Show" skipped Season 5 but returned for Season 6, and would subsequently come and go at various points throughout the run of "VPR" itself. 

Obviously reality TV fans love reunion shows that see cast members get together, reminisce, and spill all the tea. But to do it week after week, rather than during one big special at the end of a season, saw the concept stretched a bit thin at times early on. However, it eventually found its groove, especially in later seasons, which redeemed it after its rocky beginnings. In fact, there have been instances when "After Show" actually elevated an otherwise lackluster season of "VPR," and it was in those moments that "After Show" was arguably at its best. 

The very public, very messy collapse of Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright's relationship, and the announcement of their separation just before the premiere of "The Valley," both conspired to start the latest "VPR" spinoff off on a bad foot. That was definitely how Brian Moylan of Vulture saw things, leading him to denounce "The Valley" before the first episode even aired. 

But in a piece he wrote midway through the show's first season, Moylan proclaimed, "Well, of all the things I've been wrong about in my career, I think I might have been wrongest about 'The Valley.'" That's how it went for many people in "VPR" nation, who didn't want to like the show based on various preconceived notions but ultimately found it to be much better than they were expecting — or wanting — it to be. 

It needs to be mentioned that Jax's behavior on the show and treatment of Brittany definitely cast a very dark shadow across the proceedings, especially in Season 2. Without all that, "The Valley" had the potential to surpass "VPR" itself as the best show in the franchise. That could still happen depending on how the show proceeds – if it proceeds at all. But taking Jax out of the equation, "The Valley" at its best is a tighter, more focused show than "VPR," feeling less compelled to stick to any sort of angle or gimmick and just being about this group of people, their lives, and their relationships to one another. 

Not only is OG "Vanderpump Rules" the best of its own franchise, it's also one of the best reality TV shows of all time, period. It's not always a foregone conclusion that the anchor show in a franchise is the best show — look at "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit" or, arguably, "Better Call Saul" — but it's definitely the case with "VPR." As mentioned, "The Valley" does do some things better than "VPR," but it also does a lot worse as well. And at only two seasons thus far, there just isn't enough there to allow it to truly compete with "VPR."

How good is "VPR"? So good that people who hadn't watched it yet — or had barely heard of it — when the Tom Sandoval cheating scandal erupted decided to check the show out and subsequently binged huge chunks of it without a second thought. That's what Katie Cunningham of "The Guardian" did, after which she proclaimed "VPR" the best reality show in history. The show is just such a delicious mix of everything that is great — and also trashy and horny and cringey — about reality television. It's everything that reality show haters say is the reason reality shows have ruined television — though said haters will have just as much trouble turning it off and not spending an entire Saturday afternoon watching it as "VPR" devotees.