It’s not every day that we will review a reality series, but we couldn’t ignore this one. Selling Sunset’s killer heels and mega mansions have been everywhere this week, with super-fans staying up all night to binge watch the latest season.
The series follows the lives of some of Los Angeles’ most successful real estate agents, as they swan about on the Sunset Plaza, looking beautiful, selling houses and starting drama. I know, it doesn’t exactly sound like ground-breaking telly, does it? And, it’s not. But somehow, hordes of viewers are getting hooked, and if we’re honest, we can see why. Not only do you get endless drama from the outrageous personal lives of the cast, but you also get to have a sneak peek into the houses of LA’s richest residents.
We’re talking huge, nine bedroom mansions worth over $50 million, and a near constant reference to ‘celebrity clients’ and ‘Non-Disclosure Agreements.’ It’s almost as if Grand Designs and the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills got smacked together in one, wild and satisfying show. We’ll admit, it’s not the most intelligent or thought-provoking series you’ll watch this year, but it might just be the most entertaining.
In The Telegraph Tanya Gold says the show is the product of a ‘a new sub-genre that winds commerce into soap, and it is enthralling, and disgusting.’ Despite her mixed feelings, Gold admits she ‘can’t stop watching,’ and says: ‘it has something that Hollywood rarely gives us in its product, but rather seeks to hide: the awful truth about itself.’ A very thoughtful take on a very silly show. The Guardian’s Joel Golby says that Selling Sunset is, ‘arguably, the end point for this generation of reality TV: it has learned every lesson every reality TV show has taught before it.’ The result? ‘Not a moment of Selling Sunset is wasted on not being reality TV. All of the fat has been sucked out of it.’ And apparently, it’s working. Golby says: ‘Am I so captivated I cannot look away, like footage of surgery, or the aftermath of a fall? Yes.’
The Times’ Camilla Long has also been hooked by Selling Sunset, saying: ‘I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t the most delicious thing I’ve watched since the crying sausage-meat disco Love Island at its peak two years ago.’ And it seems to be enjoying the same kind of online hype Love Island did, with tweets and memes consistently circulating since the release of season three. People really have a lot to say about this show, with The Independent’s Annie Lord summing it up by saying, ‘we scream at the TV but keep on watching.’
So, maybe the Kardashian’s reality reign is over, and the new queens are coming in the form of blonde-haired real estate agents tottering around in six inch heels?
First shown March 2019. You can watch the trailer by pressing play on the show image, or by clicking here.
