If you’ve logged onto Netflix at all recently, you’ve probably seen at least a few real estate shows pop up on your recommended list, with titles evoking the glamor and fame that one presumably achieves with a clientele predominated by plastic surgeons. From Paris to Tampa to Beverly Hills, these glossy reality series bring the best of unscripted television tropes to the world of luxury home sales, with agents whose egos are even bigger than their properties’ primary suites. Between the OG that started it all, Selling Sunset , and new additions like Owning Manhattan , we’re slowly witnessing the growth of a thrilling new subgenre I’ll tentatively brand “Real(i)ty TV.
” While the glitz and glam of the houses on display are essential to the shows’ appeal, that’s not what these programs are really about. If it’s pure real estate porn you’re after, you can head to ol’ reliable HGTV and stuff yourself with episodes of House Hunters and its exponential offspring. Netflix’s beloved real(i)ty shows, on the other hand, are for those of us who want drama —who thrive off the chaos of ambitious, plasticky people crying in Teslas and boasting about commission rates in home movie theaters.
There’s a lot of TV out there. We want to help: Every week, we’ll tell you the best and most urgent shows to stream so you can stay on top of the ever-expanding heap of Peak TV. Thus, it feels only right to analyze these shows (for brevity’s sake, only the tip of a steadi.