Selling Serhant! Netflix’s ‘Owning Manhattan’ Chronicles Ryan Serhant’s Next Real Estate Chapter

You might have wondered—after 10 years on Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing—why the heck real estate broker extraordinaire Ryan Serhant would leave reality tv behind. The answer? He wanted to create a business of his own. In 2020, Serhant took a calculated risk and left Nest Seekers International to build his own real estate brokerage, SERHANT. While others were leaving NYC during the height of the pandemic, Serhant was investing in and building a real estate stronghold in Manhattan and Brooklyn. After just 4 years in business, SERHANT is ranked as the #6 residential brokerage in NYC, and Serhant’s 600 plus agents operate in 8 states.

With SERHANT thriving, the real estate mogul knew it was time to return to reality television. Since Serhant doesn’t do anything small, he looked to Netflix which has been rapidly building a reality TV real estate empire with shows such as Selling Sunset, Selling The OC, Buying Beverly Hills and Buying London. Netflix welcomed a show from an established star and New York City icon Serhant as the perfect fit. And so, Owning Manhattan was born. DECIDER was invited to Central Park Tower, the crown jewel of Billionaire’s Row, for cocktails at the Central Park Club (the highest private club in NYC) before an exclusive screening of an Owning Manhattan episode in the residential tower’s private screening room. Serhant himself was on the scene to celebrate with his team and watch the episode with an audience for the first time.

Before the episode began, Serhant took a minute to address the group, which included real estate developer Joaquin Stearns. In his speech, Serhant noted that Owning Manhattan is now the “only real estate reality TV show based in New York City.” Serhant explained that, in his return to reality TV, he wanted to “do something a bit different.” He decided to feature developers like Stearns, who “build towers that redefine what real estate means,” along with 12 of his agents. He teased the breakdown of the cast as “six very serious real estate agents who are no bullshit” and “six agents who are newer to the business and are trying to make a name for themselves.”

When describing the show to his guests, Serhant described Owning Manhattan as having the “feeling of a Million Dollar Listing.” Serhant elaborated: “There’s real deals, there’s real transactions, there’s real closings, and there’s real messiness.” While the high stakes real estate world will no doubt peak fans’ interest, Serhant knows that his team’s real-life conflicts and friendships will play a key role in keeping audiences’ glued to their screens. “There’s a little bit of that Summer House/ Vanderpump Rules interpersonal drama too,” teased Serhant. “They fight and compete for listings and [live] in this crazy city and [work] for a crazy person like me.”

When Serhant had finished his introduction, the lights went down and the episode went up on the screen. While DECIDER can’t go into any detail, we can assure you that we saw a gripping installment of what is sure to be an amazing season of television. Think luxury NYC properties and the dynamic, complicated and occasionally catty agents who sell them. After the screening, Serhant took a few questions from the hand-picked crowd. When asked about the impetus of the show, Serhant revealed that his partnership with Netflix came about quite easily. “Bravo had been with me for a long time,” explained Serhant. “Netflix looked at that [successful relationship] and said, ‘listen, there’s no reality TV show in New York that’s set in New York.'” Netflix was also quick to note that they stream in over “190 countries” and that “people everywhere love New York City.” Serhant was especially sold on the concept that Owning Manhattan will be “completely global” when it hits Netflix on June 28.

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DECIDER took the opportunity to focus on the moment in the trailer when Serhant sincerely asks a colleague, “Are my agents happy?” In DECIDER’s view, it’s that kind of thoughtfulness and concern for his employees that make Serhant stand out as a boss and an all-around good guy. DECIDER asked how much his team’s mental health and happiness factor into his management-style, and Serhant answered, “heavily.” “The majority of the season was filmed right as rates hit 8% last year, so listing volume was tough,” explained Serhant. “Sales volume was hard. Things were messy. Everyone was stressed out,” he continued. His conclusion was typical: “At the end of the day, you got to wake up and find happiness and find value.”

While his fun-loving approach to business creates, in his own words, “retention and stickiness” for his team, Serhant was quick to note that “there are companies out there that all of our agents can join to make their splits are way higher if money is the only thing that motivates [them].” Serhant looks for agents who are “motivated by the long-term growth of [their] careers and want to do their jobs surrounded by good people—except for sometimes.” With a philosophy like that, Serhant is sure to succeed in both business (and reality TV) for many, many years to come.

All 8 episodes of Owning Manhattan drops June 28 on Netflix.