2023-12-07 08:00:00
“I’m buying a hotel on rue de la Paix. » Ordinary mortals rarely have the opportunity to utter such a sentence, except during a game of Monopoly or karaoke to a Zazie hit. Nothing could be more banal, on the other hand, for the extremely wealthy clients of the Kretz tribe, whose professional and personal tribulations are retraced in The Agency: luxury real estate for the family.
For three years, this docu-reality, season 4 of which begins this Thursday, December 7 at 9:25 p.m. on TMC, has depicted the daily life of a family of “ordinary” brokers who seek out and negotiate sales at a high price – or rental – of houses, apartments and other extraordinary places for buyers who are just as extraordinary. And the least we can say is that these luxury Stéphane Plaza versions are a real hit, particularly in terms of ratings. In 2020, an average of 580,000 curious people watched the five episodes of season 1.
READ ALSO “Squid Game, the challenge”: a burst of adrenalineIn 2022, there were 810,000 glued to their screens for the third session, of eight episodes, with a market share of 10% on the commercial target. Very good scores for the TF1 group channel and a confirmed success on Netflix, where the program is broadcast in the second window. Last April, it rose to fourth place in the top 10 of the American platform, generally occupied by fiction. I have to say that The Agency borrows its most addictive tricks from the serial genre…
The Agency or the tribulations of a golden family
The first of them? Stereotypical but endearing heroes. In the Kretz family, we first ask for the father, strict but protective, Olivier, a former telecoms executive, and the mother hen, Sandrine, a former teacher. 16 years ago, they decided to move into real estate after looking for their own home. The French incarnation of the American dream, the dashing and deserving couple, starting from nothing, today find themselves at the head of a business that is all the more flourishing as it has been boosted by the success of the program. It has opened offices in many cities in France, as well as in Spain, Portugal, Greece, the United States and Bali.
READ ALSO Our six series to watch closely in DecemberThe icing on the castle: their four prodigy sons followed in their footsteps and joined the adventure. There is Martin, the eldest, a handsome guy with a bit of a temper; Valentin, friendly and rebellious; Louis, the third born, more sensitive and discreet; and Raphaël, the youngest, less candid than he seems. Majo, the 90-year-old rock’n’roll grandmother, twice-widowed and self-proclaimed nightclub lover, completes this colorful cast.
“More than an agency, a family home” proclaims the company website family. It is in fact in the living room of the said manor house, located in Boulogne-Billancourt, in the west of Paris, that these beautiful people meet every day to conclude huge contracts, between two visits to sumptuous properties, home-cooked lunches, preparation of one’s marriage, changing diapers of the other’s child, and inevitable tensions. All commented on camera by the members of this golden family, united by a beautiful complicity, including in adversity.
The Agencydream houses at the end of the road
Because the path to the sacrosanct signature is – inevitably – strewn with a few (minor) pitfalls. Which punctuate the episodes of this docu-reality like so many twists and turns worthy of an entertaining B series. Although repetitive, the scenario, which mixes family dynamics and professional issues, is effective: the blissful viewer first discovers who the designer’s sublime mansion Jacques Garcia, who has incredible villas in Ibiza, who has a magical (and Olympic) stud farm on the outskirts of Paris, even a baroque apartment hidden on rue de Rivoli, alongside Olivier, Martin and co. He also meets more or less eccentric and/or wealthy clients, including a few celebrities – Lorant Deutsch, François Berléand, Linda Hardy, etc. – wishing to sell or buy.
This is followed by good explanations of the dimensions, woodwork and other state-of-the-art equipment (the infinity pool and Jacuzzi always have a great effect) of the properties visited. The ways (and tastes) of millionaires, even if they are homeless, being impenetrable, they sometimes remain unmoved by these palaces and close the door in the faces of our agents, who then see the hopes of sales disappear… temporarily.
After a bit of pressure from the father, one or two spats between brothers, an encouragement from the grandmother, the real estate aces quickly made up for it and unearthed another rare gem, likely to finally seduce their customers, delighted to have found their home sweet home. Champagne! Here they are saved by the gong which, in fact, rings out in Boulogne with each deal concluded, as a family ritual. The episode then ends with joy, good humor… and a little cliffhanger, just to maintain the suspense and ensure the loyalty of an audience who has become addicted to this soap opera which sells them filial love, glitter and real estate dreams.
War of succession announced in The Agency
Last year, season 3 ended with a twist: the parents announced to their dismayed offspring that they were giving up their apron and leaving to enjoy the fruits of their labor in Brazil, leaving them with the keys to the box… The start of a war of succession? This is the question that season 4 will answer: “We had to reorganize and, as the eldest, I feel more responsible for the agency,” announces Martin… This promises some clashes and questions, even radical changes.
READ ALSO “Frenchie Shore”: the trashy reality TV program divides young viewersBut nothing stops the siblings from going in search of exceptional properties. This session will therefore take them from Paris to the United States, via Morocco, Spain and Costa Rica. The opportunity to discover a chapel rehabilitated into luxurious apartments or the “modest” home rented for years by Rihanna. Does the visit tempt you? See you this evening on TMC.
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