Selling Sunset TV Show Review: Selling Drama
Selling Sunset is a popular Netflix reality TV show about luxury real estate and the Oppenheim Group, a real estate company based in Los Angeles. Its success has generated 5 seasons of content along with spin-offs. I would characterize it as 20% real estate, 20% fashion, and then 60% petty drama. This show is extremely addicting and easy to watch. It shows gorgeous real estate agents, flaunting around in their ridiculous, fashion-statement outfits, providing a glimpse into the buying and selling process of some of the most gorgeous houses in Los Angeles.
My favorite parts of this show were about real estate. I especially loved watching the agents negotiating deals and showing off their real estate expertise. At the end of the day, the women (+Brett and Jason) on this show are very successful at their jobs, eloquent with their words, and good negotiators. You start to root for them to get a sale and celebrate with them when a house goes into escrow. And of course, the houses are the eye-candy. Viewers are able to visually tour some absolutely ridiculous mansions in the Hollywood Hills, where features like infinity pools, movie theater rooms, and walk-in closets larger than 1-bedroom apartments, are the new normal.
You cannot talk about Selling Sunset without talking about the ✨drama✨. When you put 5-10 beautiful women and a Netflix reality TV show producer in a room, it would be silly not to expect some of the most petty and frustrating drama to emerge. From the very start, the show manufactures this narrative of Christine Quinn being the Queen B and those on her good side are showered with love and those on her bad side have to face her judgment, attitude, and never-ending lies. And office dynamics are constantly in flux, especially when new people join the Oppenheim Group. Chrishell Stause joined the group in the first episode of season 1, and her navigating the politics of the office is a catalyst for drama. I can’t say I hate the drama because the drama is at times intriguing and at times hilarious. However, at a certain point, maybe around Season 4, I got really sick of Christine and how the office became split into two factions. I just wanted to watch boss women sell houses and get along, is that too much to ask?
Selling Sunset is a wild ride, and if you’re anything like me, you’ll probably end up binging it. I think some of the episodes can be a bit over-the-top with the drama, and you may need to take a breather from the pettiness. But the show is ultimately really smart with how it mixes bougie real estate with reality TV. It honestly is a formula for success, and they certainly have garnered a loyal viewership.