Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Selling The OC’ Season 2 on Netflix, Where Tyler’s Divorce Dominates The Office Drama

Now in its second season on Netflix, Selling The OC is back to remind us that things in the Orange County real estate world can be every bit as dramatic as they are in L.A. This season, the office abuzz now that Tyler Stanaland is freshly single and looking to mingle (maybe with his friend and colleague Alex Hall), while personal and professional tension brews with everyone else on the team.

SELLING THE OC (SEASON 2): STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: Aerial shots of the beaches of Orange County. Real estate broker Alex Hall, dressed (demurely) in a black tube top, white pants, and stilettos, approaches a property. In a confessional, she explains, “Real estate in Orange County is better than it’s ever been.” She then greets her old pal Tyler, the agent selling this $40 million home.

The Gist: The core team at the Newport Beach branch of The Oppenheim Group consists of Alex Hall, Tyler Stanaland, Polly Brindle, Alexandra Jarvis and Alexandra Rose, Kayla Cardona, Gio Helou and Brandi Marshall, who all work under Jason and Brett Oppenheim. They’re some of Southern California’s most successful realtors, and while, sure, they occasionally sell big, beautiful beachfront houses, these new episodes of Selling The OC focuses primarily on the evolving relationship of Tyler and Alex Hall. Newly separated from actress Brittany Snow, Tyler has been in flirt mode with several women in his office, but this season, it’s his relationship with Hall that’s under the microscope. In the first episode, the status of their relationship is in question, with Polly (an ally of Hall’s) revealing that she’s optimistic that the pair will couple up. Brandi, who is dealing with the recent passing of her mother and is really leaning into focusing on herself and her career, is less supportive, as she’s concerned that an office romance will jeopardize the legitimacy of the Oppenheim’s OC office. Brandi’s opinions, while totally valid, create tension with Hall, but it’s kinda hard to figure out why because she and Tyler have never actually hooked up. They weakly deny it, but it doesn’t feel like they’re trying that hard to. But this will remain a source of drama and conflict all season long – as will the fact that Tyler has actually kissed Polly and had to fight off Kayla’s advances last season, all of which remains fodder for gossip in the agency.

The Tyler and Hall of it all takes up most of the first episode and, to be honest, much of the season, but seeds of discord are also planted between Alexandra Jarvis (engaged for the, I dunno, like 12th time? to a much-older man named Sergio that everyone is suspicious of) and her selling partner Alexandra Rose, who is too flirty with the customers for Jarvis’s taste. Brandi’s role this season adds a lot of tension to the office too, though she doesn’t necessarily spread gossip, but her ability to set things off by voicing her opinion will be a throughline for all eight episodes.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Selling the OC is a direct descendant of Selling Sunset, which is a step-sibling to shows like Million Dollar Listing and Million Dollar Beach House. But thanks to the show’s producer Adam DiVello, the man who gave us The Hills and Laguna Beach, no matter how much these shows purport to be about real estate, we’re really watching for the glossy, West Coast brand of artificial superficiality he has sharply honed over his career.

Our Take: Selling The OC offers all the beautiful backdrops, beautiful people, and tension you could want from a reality show, but if there’s one thing I want to criticize the show for, it’s just how little accountability the show places on Tyler. I feel like we’ve evolved enough as a society that reality TV doesn’t need to rely on women fighting and backstabbing and accusing one another of bad behavior having to do with men, plenty of shows don’t rely on that formula anymore and are still successful, but Selling The OC didn’t get that memo. As the entire Oppenheim office argues and weighs in about who kissed Tyler and when, Tyler himself is barely scrutinized. I guess the takeaway is at least for Adam DiVello’s team, if the formula ain’t broke, don’t fix it… But also, with Tyler being candid about his divorce, I’d love to see him speak more openly about how and why he’s the source of the office drama.

Aside from that kind of glaring takeaway from the season, what the show gets right is the balance between big personalities. While cast members like Polly and Kayla and the Alexandras seem born for reality TV with their ability to chew scenery and court gossip, Tyler, Hall, and Brandi’s relative composure acts as a stabilizer, keeping things kinda, sorta professional. Without that balance, no one would ever trust this motley crew of agents with their oceanfront mansions.

Sex and Skin: There’s not much sex, though there’s plenty of discussion this season about the sex lives of Tyler and Alex Hall, but there’s plenty of skin thanks to the revealing outfits favored by the SoCal real estate agents of the Selling franchise.

Parting Shot: An emotional Brandi, who expressed that she doesn’t think it’s right for Alex Hall and Tyler to date if he’s not officially divorced, feels ganged up on by the office. Alex, with whom she was arguing, offers her a hug as Brandi cries that she wants to go home. Meanwhile Tyler throws on some shades and buries his head in his hands at his desk.

Sleeper Star: I’m keeping my eye on the Alexandras this season, Jarvis and Rose, because their once solid business partnership seems shaky from the get-go this season after Jarvis side-eyes Rose for flirting with a client.

Most Pilot-y Line: “I think there’s a stigma with divorce and change that it all has to be bad, and that’s not necessarily true,” Tyler says as he explains some of the details of his separation. Spoken like a man whose ready to find some new opportunities this season…

Our Call: There’s plenty of eye-rolling behavior and backstabby gossip on Selling The OC that will make you say, “Real people don’t act like that!” but that’s part of the show’s addictive quality. The show peddles manufactured drama inside a beautiful bubble, but dammit, it’s so compelling that I suggest you STREAM IT if you want a good, soapy binge.

Liz Kocan is a pop culture writer living in Massachusetts. Her biggest claim to fame is the time she won on the game show Chain Reaction.