'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' Sticks With Sept. 5 Premiere After Russell Armstrong Suicide

As we reported recently, in response to the suicide of cast member Russell Armstrong, whose problems had been heavily featured on show, Bravo "has shot a special that included several cast members of 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' — Lisa Vanderpump, Camille Grammer, Kyle Richards, Kim Richards, and Adrienne Maloof."

Now the network has announced that it is moving forward with its originally scheduled September 5th premiere date, with a few caveats. In a just- released memo, Frances Berwick, President of Bravo Media said:

“Bravo will proceed with the September 5 premiere date of ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.' Given that these episodes were filmed months ago, the producers of the show taped a brief interview this week with several of the cast members to introduce the premiere. Re-editing of the episodes is still underway."

As we pointed out in a recent article, the Russell Armstrong suicide and the recent rash of other reality TV-inspired suicides may force the television industry to take a closer look at how it handles at-risk cast members, and perhaps even define a more ethical way to deal with real life tragedy.

It sounds like Bravo is going well down that path in the season premiere.

"Bravo has partnered with the Entertainment Industries Council, Inc. (EIC) to raise awareness about suicide prevention. The network will air various PSA’s during the ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.’ We will also provide additional information and resources on Bravotv.com, including the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Our thoughts continue to be with the Armstrong family during this difficult time,” said Berwick.

What do you think of Bravo's decision?

Is the network handling the suicide of Russell Armstrong well, or should it have avoided the topic (or even the entire season) altogether? How do you think Russell Armstrong's family will respond?