Why Owning Manhattan Is the Most Infuriating Netflix Show of 2024

As the division between the haves and have-nots widens in 2024 and beyond, Netflix's infuriating reality TV show Owning Manhattan isn't helping. The Selling Sunset spin-off series follows hot-shot real estate agent Ryan Serhant and his egotistical brand of schmoozing with clients in New York's most affluent borough. While some have suggested the spin-off is superior to its predecessor, Owning Manhattan offers a mix of schadenfreude and unattainable wish fulfillment that conjures eye-rolling fury rather than aspirational property ownership.

Unfortunately, the appeal of Owning Manhattan is to dangle what most people cannot afford, doing so in an arrogant manner that prioritizes greed and material wealth above all else. Beyond Serhant, the real estate agents, and clients' detachment from reality, the stunning lack of substantive high-stakes drama in favor of excessive in-fighting becomes too hard to bear by the eighth and final episode. Despite topping the most-watched TV shows in the U.S. in July 2024, Owning Manhattan is arguably more upsetting than enjoyable.

It's the #1 TV show among NYC migrants.

I saw the show in my Netflix suggestions but then saw Sergeant in the primo. What a disgusting worm of a man, at once as boastful as if he had invented real estate yet ignorant and proud of it about everything.

I will try watching it at some point, but unless there's a lot more focus on properties than we're led to believe, I don't expect I'll last long.

Next up from the author of that article: Water is wet and why wetness is infuriating in 10,000 words.

*Serhant in the promo.

Better to watch another Netflix series, "The Parisian Agency" as I think it's titled in the U.S., though in it's new season the agency expands to Spain and NYC with a brief and very annoying appearance by Ryan Serhant. Otherwise the properties are mostly interesting and the Kretz family business sufficiently engaging.

I watched the first 10-ish minutes and turned it off. Brag, brag, brag, brag....Bleh. He gets a ride to his office, opens the door before the vehicle fully stops and starts stepping out. I don't know why, but for some reason that made me hate him even more.

The agents are all so tacky and unprofessional, no one with any real money or taste would work with one of them. They go to Stribling, Sotheby's etc. not the Serhant garbage pile agency.

I'm watching this now. I'm on episode 4. This is probably my first time watching any type of reality show like this. I guess I never had any interest until I became hooked on Cash Jordan (YouTube) when he toured Manhattan real estate. I learned about Serhant from those videos.

[quote]The show's focus on office drama and romantic feuds detracts from its real estate content, making it more infuriating than enjoyable for viewers.

I agree with this. Again, I'm on episode 4 and there just isn't enough real estate being shown and the inner office drama becomes very old, very quickly.

[quote]Critics argue that the show's lack of credibility and excessive greed make it an upsetting reminder of the widening wealth gap and the unattainable luxury lifestyle it portrays.

I don't know about credibility but as one who has never begrudged others about their wealth and/or how much money they made, I am becoming more cynical/critical as there is such a housing crisis and shortage in NYC among so many good and hardworking individuals, that it is distasteful to see how some of these people just throw money around as if it is nothing. Many of them seem to have no respect for the value of money and how lucky they are to be in the position that they are in. This isn't a dismissal of their hard work but it's.... well, many of those featured left a bad taste in my mouth.

Okay... I have finished watching the whole serial. Bottom line? Overall, I did not enjoy it.

All of the people on this show are awful and unprofessional. Low-rent. People with real money and taste would never work with any of them.

I agree, R10. It's one thing to dress sexy but all of these girls (save 2... the Black woman, and Polish woman) were competing for the "slut of the year" award! The fashions may have been designer, but they were from trashy portion of any of those designers' collections. Just awful.

What I did like, that as a minority, seeing "allegedly" doing well, managing a team, and having opportunities to make the large commissions. I did enjoy that. While I did not like what most of the women wore, I was proud of their accomplishments too. However, for me, there just wasn't enough about the properties, the intense research that the realtors had to do in order to sell the properties. Unfortunately, it was more about the personalties than anything else.