After a three-year break from our screens, Jeff Lewis is back with Hollywood Houselift with Jeff Lewis, in which the former house flipper has become home designer to the stars -- and for fans of its mercurial star, it's a welcome return to form.
Lewis has made the jump from Bravo to Amazon's Freevee service, but the formula of his new series is very familiar. The series functions more like a sequel to Bravo's Flipping Out than a reboot. A handful of familiar faces have returned alongside Lewis, including his design assistants Tyler Meyerkorth and Megan Weaver as well as his long-suffering (but beloved) housekeeper-turned-nanny, Zoila. He's also added new assistant Shane Douglas to the mix, whose dry wit makes for many of the new series' funniest moments.
Because the shows are so similar in style and format, it's impossible not to draw comparisons between them -- and omissions from the new cast initially feel glaring. The final season of Flipping Out marked the end of Lewis's long-term relationship with partner Gage Edwards and his friendship slash professional partnership with Jenni Pulos, the results of which were heartbreaking and at times difficult to watch. And although they are missed, the new cast does ultimately provide a fresh start and is a reminder of why you fell in love with Lewis and crew to begin with.
Apart from the cast shake-up, much of what viewers loved about Flipping Out is present here in Houselift, the difference being that Lewis's clientele are specifically those working in the entertainment industry. Season one sees Lewis redesigning the homes of Anthony Anderson, Fortune Feimster, Melissa Rivers, Ashlee Simpson Ross, Mira Sorvino, Wilmer Valderrama, and more.
If you're thinking that working for such familiar faces would temper Lewis's sometimes, well, pushy approach with clients, it does not. Much of Lewis's personal narrative is about how much he's changed in the last few years since becoming a father, and no doubt he has. There is a lightness and ease to Lewis that is new and fresh -- and is reflected in his relationships with his co-workers. That being said, in many of the important ways -- at least from a reality entertainment perspective -- little evolution, thankfully, seems to have occurred. Case in point: In one episode he walks through a client's home he was hired to redecorate, but upon inspection decides to go on an all-out campaign to make them sell the property and upgrade to something better instead -- much to the homeowner's shock. But hey, that's Lewis for you.
In another scene, he presses a client to cut down multiple trees, again much to their frustration. With Lewis, that kind of behavior is the feature, not the bug, as he himself would be quick to point out. Frankly, it's these moments of discomfort, tension, and personal boundary-pushing that are part of what makes him such an endlessly compelling central figure in a reality show, and it's a relief that his ego prevents him from kowtowing to anyone because there are countless design shows already full of stunning makeovers and beautiful homes; the reality is that you tune into a Lewis-led show for equal parts design porn and misbehavior -- and it's all still here in spades.
Hollywood Houselift with Jeff Lewis premieres on Amazon Freevee on June 10. Watch an exclusive clip below.
