Confession: I meant to write this article last year, right after the premiere of Dead to Me in 2019. But life in the Time Before was hectic and it never got written. However, now with seemingly unlimited time on our hands, the time has come to sing the praises of my two favorite trashy Netflix shows: the aforementioned classy-trashy Dead to Me and the insanely addictive, yet wholly trashy, Selling Sunset.
Now, not all trashy shows are created equal, and that’s true of these two delights. One gets nominated for awards and the other is the perfect combination of Real Housewives and Million Dollar Listing. But if you’re looking for a binge that will fly by, you can’t go wrong with either of these shows.
Selling Sunset (2 Seasons)
Now, I’m a sucker for reality TV that combines two things: real estate sales and interpersonal drama. To tell the truth, I would prefer a bit less of the personal drama and more of the real estate drama, but beggars can’t be choosers nowadays. So, what is Selling Sunset? Well, it’s the “real” story of the inner-workings of a high profile boutique real estate firm in Los Angeles. The agents are shockingly good looking and the prices are shockingly high. The homes are stunning, with multi-million dollar views and insanely rich people haggling over the smallest things (the rich – they’re just like us!). But what really sets this show apart from the rest are the crazy personalities. There’s plenty of back-stabbing and gossip. There’s lots of tears and lies and anger. And there’s Maya, the show’s best “character.” The voice of reason among the insanity that surrounds her, Maya serves as the audience surrogate, saying everything that we’re all thinking as we watch the drama unfold. The only thing that would make the series even better would be if Maya served as a Gossip Girl-esque narrator, explaining just how crazy some of these confrontations between the cast members really are.
Is the drama manufactured? Oh, almost certainly. It would be impossible for all of these petty squabbles to crop up for real around a highly functioning real estate business. And yes, the cracks are clearly showing more in season two than in season one (it’s amazing to watch the show’s stars lean into the personas they’ve cultivated since season one dropped). But it’s still delicious fun to binge through the show, marveling at the insane money and the even more insane fights that ensue. And, with each episode clocking in at a wholly manageable 35 minutes, it’s a super quick binge as well. Sure, you might lose IQ points reveling in the “reality” TV slop, but with the world as it is, what else do you have planned?
Dead to Me (2 seasons)
Dead to Me is a show that knows what it is: a soap opera that wants to revel in the crazy twists that it deals out. The premise of the series is simple: Jen Harding (Christina Applegate, handling the “straight man” role with aplomb) has recently lost her husband in a hit and run accident and is struggling to keep it together while raising her grieving kids and trying to maintain her successful real estate business. While attending a grief support group, Jen meets Judy (Linda Cardellini, who is doing some really great work in the series, even if the show itself is a bit of a mess), a free spirit who offers her a glimmer of hope that things can get better, and the duo quickly form a deep friendship. Of course, there’s a major twist we learn almost immediately: Judy was involved in the hit and run that killed Jen’s husband and has sought Jen out due to her extreme guilt over the accident. There’s secrets galore, lies that spiral, truths that are revealed, but through every crazy twist and turn that happens in the show’s two seasons, the bedrock of the series is the continued friendship between Jen and Judy.
Shows built on female friendship that are simply focused on the friendship and not outside influences (who they are dating, family issues, cattiness between the women) are still shockingly rare on television. For all it’s silliness (the end of season two had me laughing at how ridiculous the season three “mystery” is set to be), what makes Dead to Me worth watching is the really lovely relationship between Jen and Judy. Yes, they have some deep, dark secrets that they are trying to protect from coming to light and thus need each other, but the series is also clear that while extenuating circumstances (and a bold-faced lie) might have led to the friendship’s beginnings, these two women really do like one another and care deeply for each other. Ultimately, the show’s narrative arc is as fragile as a house of cards (layering major secrets that carry jail time on top of each other can do that), so I’m honestly not sure how much longer the show can expect the audience to suspend disbelief and accept that the police in the series are as blind as they seem (especially when the show has made it clear two of the cops are decidedly not this stupid and are only a few pieces away from solving the puzzle). But if you’re willing to accept some truly crazy twists and turns that bear out no responsibility toward the show’s protagonists, well, Dead to Me is a really great binge.
