Inside The Real World: New York Reboot

MTV released season one of The Real World on May 21, 1992 (via IMDb). At the time, the show was absolutely revolutionary: seven strangers who hailed from different parts of the United States all converged on a shared apartment in Manhattan. The show chronicled their achievements, their losses, and, inevitably, their romances, and a brand new model of reality television was born.

The first season's cast was made up of Andre Comeau, Becky Blasband, Eric Nies, Heather B., Julie [Oliver] Gentry, Kevin Powell, and Norman Korpi. And as The Atlantic points out, the cast brought something to the living rooms of people around the world that was truly unique without the need for bells and whistles: "Now, the idea of putting seven strangers in a house together and filming them is commonplace—we expect more than just that: competitions, scripted realities, a fight for their very own survival, something. Back then, though, that simple concept was enough to surprise."

MTV officially shuttered The Real World in 2017 after dozens of seasons, so many were surprised to learn that the show is being rebooted — complete with its original cast.

The reboot, which has been titled The Real World Homecoming: New York, is set to premiere on Paramount+ on March 4, 2021 (via CBR). Chris McCarthy, the President of MTV Entertainment Group, explained why the show will premiere on Paramount+: "MTV's The Real World has been credited with creating the reality TV genre and was one of the first series that tackled important and yet unrepresented topics of the time, from HIV/AIDS, race, gender, orientation and religion. With Paramount+ being the home to so many global reality hit franchises, it seems only fitting to bring back the franchise and cast that started it all."

The reboot will also feature every member of the original cast, and viewers will get to find out what impact the show has had on their lives. Paramount+ also released their own statement about what the new series will include (via AL.com): "In the multi-episode docuseries, the original seven strangers will revisit the shocking moments and explosive issues that transpired during the historic season and discuss how they parallel in today's social climate. After spending decades apart, viewers will reconvene with 'New York' housemates Becky Blasband, Andre Comeau, Heather B. Gardner, Julie Gentry, Norman Korpi, Eric Nies and Kevin Powell to find out how the series transformed their lives since the cameras stopped rolling and to find out, once again, what happens when they stop being polite ... and start getting real."