It’s one of the great lies in life that we choose to accept. You might be wondering what I’m referring to. Trickle down economics? Yes, but also that’s a discussion for a different time. Santa Claus? The Moon landings? No, none of those. I refer, of course, to young people living in exceptionally nice houses in TV shows.
You’ve seen Rachel and Monica’s flat in Friends. That’s where it started for me. How on earth does a service worker afford a giant apartment in downtown New York City? Once you think about it, you can’t stop thinking about it.
I know what you’re saying. ‘It’s just TV, it’s not even real’. Yes I know that, but it still bugs me. So with that in mind, I got some help from my friends at Knight Frank, who provided me with a list of TV shows, and accompanying properties that they currently have on the market in which the characters might live in the real world. Put it like this, you would probably have to have a slightly higher-earning job than working in a coffee shop to afford them.
Emily in Paris (Netflix)
A show that is the very definition of ‘it’s so bad, it’s good’. No idea how Emily in Paris has made it to a fourth season, but a fourth season it has. Emily is an aspiring marketing executive who moves to Paris. The first season was laughable, but a laugh is a laugh. I have not watched much since then, but like I said, we have a fourth season, so someone must be.
Live like Emily
For €5.9 million, you can own this two-bedroom apartment in Paris. It features exceptional views of the Seine and the Louvre, due to being on the top floor of its block (thankfully there is an elevator). Split over two floors, it features a dining room, living room, two balconies and a home office. Tres bien.
My Lady Jane (Amazon Prime)
Not seen this one, but a cursory check of Wikipedia reveals some interesting results. It’s set in an alternate 16th-century England, where Lady Jane Grey is ‘coerced into marrying Lord Guildford Dudley’. So far so good. Now it gets interesting. In this version of England, there are people called Ethians, who can turn into animals. I must have been asleep in that part of my history A Level. It was cancelled after one season, despite having a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes and being described as a ‘romp-antasy for revisionary souls, My Lady Jane has her cake and slays it too’. Remember that bit about trickle-down economics?
A castle fit for a lady (Jane or otherwise)
15th century. Four floors. A tower. Named ‘The Tower’. You get the idea. This property is available for rent for £16,000 per month, and is situated in a private gated development in Esher. Plenty of original features remain, but have been complemented in a recent restoration. Five bedrooms.
The Bear (Disney+)
Finally! Some delicious TV! If you have not seen The Bear, you must. A tale of one man’s dream to open a fine-dining restaurant in Chicago, it’s equal parts funny, moving and dramatic. The episode titled Seven Fishes in season 2 might be one of the finest pieces of television ever made. Olivia Colman is in it. What more do you want?
Cook like the bear
For sale with both Knight Frank and Douglas Elliman, this property in Beverly Hills costs $68 million. Which I think we can all agree is Quite A Lot Of Money. However, you get five bedrooms, unobstructed views of the entire Los Angeles basin from downtown to the ocean and a home that is described as ‘bold and brash, built entirely in exquisite poured in place concrete’. It features every conceivable amenity, including this state of the art chef’s kitchen. Time to get the liquid nitrogen out and throw a serious dinner party. If you do not like The Bear, and Star Wars is more your speed, the above property would also make a perfectly reasonable Death Star. Plenty of roof space for a big laser and parking for some Tie Fighters.
Bridgerton (Netflix)
It was inevitable that Bridgerton would appear on this list. Everywhere you look it’s Bridgerton, Bridgerton, Bridgerton. I have seen a few episodes and didn’t care for it, but I have been wrong about things before, if you can believe it. There are three seasons and a film. Eight members of an aristocratic family try to get married in the Regency Era. Jane Austen all over again.
An apartment for The Season
This Grade I-listed townhouse in Bath is impeccably presented and sits in one of the city’s most desirable Georgian garden squares. It is everything you think of when you think of either Bridgerton, or Bath, or both. Extensively renovated by its current owners, the property is a delightful mix of period opulence and contemporary comfort, set over six floors with four bedrooms. It costs £3.25 million.
The improvements to your house that could pay off several times over when it's time to sell
In a shaky housing market, doing what you can to make the most of your property's value can really pay
Property Talk: When is the right time to downsize?
Sometimes our homes can get too big for us, meaning it’s time to downsize. Here, we speak to those involved
-
A country house that's 'the finest-looking estate between the Humber and the Tweed' (at least according to Queen Victoria)Burn Hall is a treasure-trove of architectural features, from its sweeping staircase to its grand snooker room.
-
Liverpool and literature: Country Life Quiz of the Day, July 18, 2025Which river runs through Liverpool and how much do you remember from the 'Harry Potter' book series?
-
A country house that's 'the finest-looking estate between the Humber and the Tweed' (at least according to Queen Victoria)
Burn Hall is a treasure-trove of architectural features, from its sweeping staircase to its grand snooker room.
-
Six beautiful homes around the world, from Portofino to Provence to Palm BeachAn exquisite villa tucked into a hillside? A A breathtaking apartment created to make you feel like you're flying through the endless blue skies?
-
An idyllic home where the forest meets the sea, for sale for the first time in over half a centuryLittle Aston is a graceful, charming home with superb gardens and its own orchard, as well as some of the south coast's most beautiful areas right on its doorstep. Penny Churchill takes a look.
-
'Just look at those stairs. Just as an art form, they are bewitching, like the shell of a nautilus': The lure of buying a stairway to heavenIt seems like madness to buy a house purely because you fall in love with the staircase — but sometimes, they are simply so beautiful that it's impossible to resist. Toby Keel takes a look at some glorious examples of staircases we've seen in Country Life in the last couple of years.
-
The one-of-a-kind estate with two private beaches and a surf house on storied Martha's Vineyard islandBeach Farm on Martha’s Vineyard — a favourite summertime holiday destination with prominent American families — is a perfect melding of New England and Scandinavian design styles.
-
The architect who created the MI6 building only designed a tiny handful of houses — and one of them is now up for sale in one of London's most bucolic spotsSir Terry Farrell designed the beautiful, light-filled, T-shaped Drum House in Petersham, with gardens laid out by John Sallis Chandler, who has won multiple RHS Chelsea Flower Show gold medals.
-
'True waterfront homes are finite... miss one and it could be years before you see another like it again': Why the best waterfront property always hits the spotThere’s no denying the appeal of waterfront property, which now sells for some 51% more than its inland equivalent, finds Knight Frank. Annabel Dixon explores the shore.
-
19 charming homes for sale, from picture-perfect cottages to beachside retreats, as seen in Country LifeThis week's selection of some of the best homes to come to the market via Country Life this week.
