Before there was The Real Housewives of Atlanta, New Jersey, Beverly Hills and so on, Bravo was a run-of-the-mill TV channel, showing re-runs of movies and shows. It took a number of years for the channel to really reach its peak.

On this day, December 8, in 1980, the American cable television channel owned by NBC Universal, Bravo, is launched.  Before, the Bravo channel covered performing arts, drama, and indie films, but since then, has shifted its focus to pop culture.  The content that the channel airs nowadays focuses on reality shows, fashion shows, makeovers, celebrities, and so on.  Often times, Bravo airs reruns of series from its parent network, NBC, but also produces its own original reality content.