Reality TV's golden age: The shows we can't stop watching, from Selling Sunset to Below Deck
The golden age of television is currently on pause.
From Succession to Line of Duty, the latest instalments of our favourite prestige telly dramas have gone Awol, delayed by the pandemic which brought filming to a standstill (and there’s only so many times you can pretend you’re going to watch all five series of The Wire).
But fear not: there’s a new cohort of featherweight reality TV shows that have landed on our screens this summer, and — sorry not sorry — we’re quite happy about it.
Selling Sunset is Netflix’s new crown, set in an unfeasibly glossy LA estate agency. Thanks to its low-stakes backstabbing and petty feuds, it’s the perfect escapism, but it’s not the only reality show combining luxe and trash in a way that’s making us forget all about Logan Roy. These are the reality shows that will become your not-so-guilty pleasures…
Selling Sunset, Netflix
Selling Sunset catalogues the goings-on at an upmarket Hollywood real estate agency, The Oppenheim Group. While the brokerage takes its name from the twin brothers who run the operation, the show focuses on the almost unbearably glamorous female agents who work there.
Production values are sky-high; the sweeping shots of the Hollywood Hills that account for at least 10 per cent of the show’s run time don’t come cheap — and neither do the houses. At first, it’s easy to wonder how prospective buyers are finding fault with multi-million-dollar dream homes but once hooked, you too will grimace at the thought of buying somewhere that doesn’t have the right stove.
Released earlier this month, series three features the most visceral depiction of divorce since Katy Perry: Part of Me, as Chrishell Stause is blindsided by her actor husband ending their marriage, allegedly via text message. Show creator Adam DiVello defined late Noughties reality television with The Hills — his latest effort is now the cornerstone of the genre in the early 2020s.
Breakout star: Chrishell is the agent you will root for the most but her nemesis-turned-frenemy Christine Quinn is the producers’ MVP. She’s lacking in the diplomacy department, but Christine’s acid-tongue and outlandish outfits make for compelling viewing. It’s not fair, but that’s Hollywood for you.
Indian Matchmaking, Netflix
Sima Taparia, who lays claim to the title of Mumbai’s top matchmaker, is the human embodiment of a dating app algorithm: give her your “type on paper” and she’ll present you with the “biodata” (part Tinder profile, part CV) for a handful of eligible potential partners.
Indian Matchmaking follows Taparia as she attempts to help singletons based in India and in the US to find “the one” — with varying degrees of success. She’s pragmatic, taking on the role of that outspoken family member who doesn’t hold back when it comes to critiquing your romantic life (or lack thereof), and is never afraid to tell her clients that they need to be less “picky”.
The series has been a controversial hit, though — it tends to focus on “upper caste” families, and Taparia’s refrain that it’s easy to find matches for “tall, slim, fair” girls has sparked discussions about colourism.
Breakout star: Houston-based lawyer Aparna, a veteran of the 55-minute date, has divided social media with her list of dating dislikes — comedy, relaxing on beaches and podcast hosts are all red flags. “Do we have to see our husbands all the time?” she ponders. “Because I’d rather not, I think.”
Married at First Sight Australia, All4
The Aussie version of Married at First Sight takes a premise that’s already ripe for catastrophe — what happens when you pair up a bunch of obliging singletons based on a mysterious compatibility test and they meet for the first time at the altar? — and somehow manages to unleash even more chaos.
That’s in no small part thanks to a format more akin to Love Island than the franchise’s UK edition: once they’ve tied the knot, our couples continue to hang out with one another at increasingly boozy dinners, where the free-flowing red wine ignites rows, brings lingering doubts to the surface and forces the pairs to compare themselves against fellow participants. Series four, which aired on E4 and is available on All4, boasts a runaway bride, two glamorous twins, the father-in-law from hell and (amid all the screaming) some lovely moments of fledgling romance.
Breakout stars: the couple you’ll root for are Simon and Alene, a charming pair who quickly build a screwball back-and-forth repartee — once she’s got over her antipathy for his ginger curls… by making him cut them off on camera.
Below Deck, Netflix/Hayu
A sex-deprived crew, one grumpy captain and weeks of serving stupendously wealthy and demanding guests aboard a 170ft yacht — what could possibly go wrong? Bravo’s Below Deck is a new addition to Netflix, and helpfully the first episode is essentially a bizarre hour-long trailer which reveals many of the twists to come.
The vessel that the “yachties” (that’s boat speak for “workers”) live on soon proves to be an emotional pressure cooker and tempers become frayed as guests demand everything from an endless supply of green smoothies to a literal wedding.
Below Deck offers a glimpse into how the other half live but its workers inhabit a strange sort of purgatory, as they reside on a multi-million-pound boat while being denied access to the luxuries reserved for the super-rich guests. It’s like a Caribbean Sea version of Downton Abbey, if the servants were American twentysomethings squabbling over whether one of them has secretly got drunk at work.
Breakout star: a lone Brit in the sea of madness, Chef Ben. His mood is usually a good barometer for how things are going. Occasionally, the cook loses his cool — as when faced with vegan guests and incompetence from the “stews” (waitresses).
Love On The Spectrum, Netflix
Australia’s answer to the Undateables makes for far more compelling viewing than its Channel 4 counterpart. The series follows individuals on the autism spectrum as they try their luck at finding The One, with counsellor Jodi Rodgers stopping by to help with social skills and confidence-building.
Love on the Spectrum succeeds in many ways that dating shows usually fail. Its cast, their quirks and lives are detailed in a thoughtful manner with their parents chipping in to offer background details too. Chloe’s bisexuality stops the show from being too heteronormative and, vitally, it is never implied that the singletons have little chance of finding love. As well as following hopeful romantics, the series features loved-up couple Ruth and Thomas, who have been together for four years.
Breakout star: hilarious, passionate and committed to finding his soulmate, Michael frequently offers insights on life and love that you’ll honestly want to write down. The 25-year-old has put serious thought into his ideal partner but shows his compassionate side when one date struggles to deal with the intensity of their formal meeting.
Glow Up, BBC Two and Three
If working from home has turned your make-up bag into a dusty relic from times past (guilty), the dazzling creativity on display in every episode of Glow Up will surely prompt you to pick up your brushes and attempt something a little more dramatic than the usual pre-Zoom salvage job.
Make-up pros Val Garland and Dominic Skinner preside over this glossy BBC competition, which sees a cohort of promising young MUAs attempt to contour, bake and gloss their way to a prestigious assistant’s contract. Their creations are genuinely jaw-dropping, and presenter Stacey Dooley is on hand to dish out affable snippets of encouragement when things go wrong — like when one panda-inspired look ends up more akin to kids’ party face-paint.
Breakout star: a beauty legend with decades of experience in the industry, Garland is Glow Up’s leading light thanks to her acerbic quips and penchant for yelling “Ding dong!” when she approves of a finished look.
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Netflix
These days it seems like every other zipcode in the United States has its own Real Housewives franchise. The Beverly Hills edition may not be the original (that honour goes to Orange County, an hour down the road) but it is the best — and if you’ve somehow managed to dodge the antics of Lisa Vanderpump, Kim and Kyle Richards, Camille Grammer and co, the first two seasons are now streaming on Netflix.
With their lavish themed parties (for two-year-olds), tiny dogs and slanging matches, the Housewives sometimes seem to tiptoe into self-parody (wearing Louboutins, naturally) but we wouldn’t have it any other way. For a taster, get started with the infamous “dinner party from hell” episode — featuring our heroines in a tequila-fuelled row with a celebrity psychic who won’t stop predicting divorce, death and misery for her fellow guests.
Breakout star: with her restaurant empire and own spin-off series, token Brit Lisa Vanderpump reigns over these early series, but the enigmatic Cedric, referred to only as Vanderpump’s “permanent house guest”, also merits special mention. Who is he? And why does he share a home with a middle-aged British couple?
