Peacock and Bravo Are Betting on One-Minute Reality Shows

Add us on Google

American streaming platform Peacock is taking reality TV in a new direction this summer, launching two short-form unscripted series through its Bravo brand each built for the kind of quick, phone-first viewing that has become popular on social media.

The shows were announced on Monday and will stream on the Peacock mobile app. Each episode runs between 60 and 90 seconds, filmed in vertical format, similar to how content appears on TikTok.

The two series are titled Salon Confessionals with Madison LeCroy and Campus Confidential: Miami, and Peacock says they are the first original microdramas to be announced by a major US entertainment streaming platform.

Salon Confessionals features Madison LeCroy, a familiar face from the Bravo reality show Southern Charm. In the series, she hosts clients at her salon chair, giving them makeovers while they open up about dramatic personal stories.

Campus Confidential: Miami follows a group of college students navigating friendships, romance, and social media drama in the city. One of the students is Georgia Gay, daughter of Heather Gay, who appears on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.

Each show will have about 60 episodes and is expected to premiere in June or July 2026.

Frances Berwick, who heads Bravo and unscripted content at NBCUniversal, described the shows as “short, very immersive and addictive in the way Bravo shows are.” She said the format is a way to serve existing Bravo fans while also pulling in younger viewers.

Berwick also acknowledged the format is experimental, but noted it comes with lower production costs. She added that if the shows perform well, Bravo could develop them into full-length television series.

The microdrama format first gained popularity in China, where apps like ReelShort and DramaBox have quietly grown into billion-dollar businesses. Viewers often pay as much as $20 a week just to follow cliffhangers across short episodes.

To support the launch, Peacock plans to add a vertical video section to its mobile app homepage this summer, anchored by an AI-generated version of longtime Bravo host Andy Cohen, which will create personalised playlists from over 5,000 hours of Bravo content.

The two microdramas will be produced by Micromaker and Haymaker East, and are set to arrive on the Peacock app ahead of the return of Love Island USA in June.