The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season premiere is only a week away! RHOBH somehow maintains the highest profile of any franchise, despite the fact that it’s only had about five great seasons.

Still, Season 15 promises to be a significant inflection point for the series, as it welcomes three new cast members for the first time since Season 3. I wrote about why I’m more optimistic than seasons past, review where we are with the returning players, and report out my research on the newbies.