The Ladies Of Netflix's 'Members Only: Palm Beach' Are Obsessed With Trump's Mar-A-Lago

At last, Netflix has a reality show that could compete with the "Real Housewives" franchise.

For the most part, every attempt by Netflix to knock off the “Real Housewives” franchise has failed fairly miserably through the years. However, the streamer may have finally found its footing with its latest facsimile, “Members Only: Palm Beach.”

The series, which premiered in late December, follows cast members Hilary Musser, Rosalyn Yellin, Maria Cozamanis, Ro-Mina Ustayev and Taja Abitbol as they navigate the social circles of Palm Beach, Florida, and its “unspoken rules, inherited traditions and high-stakes hierarchies.”

I disagree with the critique that the new reality series is the “Temu version of a ‘Housewives’ show,” as one user said on IMDb. It’s more like a Zara rip-off of some designer’s recently lauded collection — and I mean that as a compliment.

On “Members Only: Palm Beach,” there is clearer evidence of wealth as opposed to some of the more dubious sources of income displayed on Bravo’s hit franchise. (Some of our favorite housewives have faced felony charges and convictions because of financial issues.) Likewise, this cast genuinely lives in the area they claim to represent on TV, so when one of them declares “it smells like money” in the opening moments of the premiere, there is no need to suspend belief. Together, that makes the show live up more to the “Real Housewives” premise than some of the franchise’s shows.

That doesn’t make “Members Only: Palm Beach” as entertaining as “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” by any stretch. But credibly wealthy women within a social circle not solely determined by their employment makes for its own kind of compelling television.