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Ryan Serhant is one of the world’s most well-known real estate agents. With one realty reality show under his belt, he’s ready to show the world his own company’s endeavors (filled with drama, of course).
Serhant started his career in real estate only a year before being cast in Million Dollar Listing New York. He announced that he was leaving the show after the ninth season when fellow realtor Fredrik Eklund left the show.
Fast forward two years later, Serhant spearheaded his own Netflix show Owning Manhattan that focuses on his company and the drama behind New York City realty. Unlike other realty reality shows, Owning Manhattan shows the grittiness of the business. “Shooting this entire show was terrifying. It was unlike anything I’ve ever done,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “We shot the entire show in real time, and it’s the only real estate show where there are live firings. So, I don’t know if I would call those scenes ‘fun,’ but they were the most real I’ve seen on an docuseries, and I’m excited for the audience to experience them.”
Why did Ryan Serhant leave Million Dollar Listing New York?
Ryan Serhant started his own company SERHANT before season 9 of Million Dollar Listing New York. He wanted to focus on the “next stage of [his] career.” He said in a video explaining his departure, “It’s time for a new chapter. Million Dollar Listing New York defined a decade of my life. When I started, I was 25 years old. It was my first job.” He went on to say that he didn’t really know what life was without cameras in his face and began to list his new endeavors with his company. “Now it’s time to do something bigger.”
Sources who were close to production on the Bravo show validated Ryan’s reasoning. “Ryan made a decision when he started his own company that the ninth season would be his last season and he’s now focused on that company and being a CEO,” a source told People. “He decided his path with the show awhile ago.”
Another source added, “The network did want to bring the show back and they’re regrouping for now. The big names of the show became too busy and it’s hard for the show to carry on without them. Some of the brokers don’t want to focus on the show anymore but rather focus on their own personal business. They continued, “Ryan and Frederik are busy opening more offices while also doing more personal appearances and brand deals which pay a lot of money.”
In an interview with The Los Angeles Times, he talked about the comparison between both shows. “It was a tough one. Million Dollar Listing was stressful at the time, but it was really all me. It was on my shoulders, my clients, my business. This time around, I bet my life on starting this business in 2020, and so the exposure is a double-edged sword. With Netflix, part of the deal was, ‘Here’s the amount of time you’re gonna film for, and we’re gonna film everything, for better and for worse, and we’ll see what happens.’ That removes some deal pressure.”
Owning Manhattan is now available to stream on Netflix.
For more about Ryan Serhant’s journey, check out his book, Big Money Energy: How to Rule at Work, Dominate at Life, and Make Millions. In it, Serhant recounts how he went from struggling actor to real estate superstar. He dishes out advice on building confidence, creating opportunities, and crushing it in both work and life, all while teaching readers how to tap into their own “Big Money Energy.” With practical tips on everything from personal branding to negotiation, Serhant’s book is like a pep talk and a masterclass rolled into one. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to level up, Serhant’s got your back with real-world wisdom from the trenches of New York real estate.
