Asia's Hit Reality Competition Series 'The Apartment' Comes To Netflix

If you need more proof that some television formats truly are international, you don't have to look any farther than "The Apartment," which recently premiered one of its seasons in the U.S. on Netflix

"The Apartment" just wrapped its sixth season, making it the longest-running  reality competition television series in Asia. But the concept will be familiar to American audiences and in fact several similar shows have previously aired in the U.S. In the show, two-person teams design and decorate a room each week. The losing team is eliminated and by the end of the season one team has won a luxury apartment.

Of course, an American viewer will notice a few differences. The luxury apartment is located in Kuala Lumpur. And while Australian host Jamie Durie might be somewhat familiar (he's hosted shows for PBS and HGTV), head judge Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen will be an unknown. Unless you've been lucky enough to somehow see episodes of the BBC series "Changing Rooms," which spawned the American series "Trading Places." He's also hosted some other U.K. shows, including "Hidden Houses of Wales," which the U.S. version of Netflix briefly picked up in 2017. Llewelyn-Bowen's flamboyant style is memorable and he has real judging skills. But over the years, he's slowly been morphing into a look that is best described as "Jack Sparrow turns designer." Which can border on creepy sometimes.

But other than some slightly unfamiliar faces in front of the cameras, "The Apartment" is very similar to what viewers are used to seeing on American cable television. The contestants might be Asian, but they match the same character stereotypes you'd find on an American television series. And the challenges are familiar as well, as contestants struggle to solve budget issues and time management.

I won't argue "The Apartment" is a great series but it is entertaining and well-made. And honestly, there aren't a lot of new reality competition television shows to watch right now. So if that format falls into your sweet spot, this series will do just fine.