I fully expected the new docuseries Neighbors, from the great film studio A24, to be crazy. On that front, it doesn’t disappoint at all. Each episode of the show, which can be streamed with a HBO Max subscription, will focus on different people, and therein lies my first problem. The first episode features two sets of neighbors at odds with each other over different issues. One story follows neighbors in Montana arguing over land use, and the other is about a local beach activist fighting with homeowners in Florida. The issue I have is that there isn’t a resolution, or even a partial solution, to either story.
Two Stories, Two Unknown Outcomes
In the Montana story, one neighbor, Josh, has fenced in and gated his property, much to the consternation of his neighbor, Seth. Seth and his wife, Josh argues, are illegally using his land to graze their horses. Both sides have taken to the courts (and the court of public opinion via the internet, naturally) to settle the dispute. And yet, at the end of the episode, viewers are left in the dark. At least on Yellowstone, we get answers to disputes like this (violent as they may be).
Frankly, I wasn’t even sure whose side I was on because I don’t know the legalities of land use in Montana, and the show provides no insights. Instead, we just get “both sides” of the argument from Josh and Seth, but it’s impossible to even guess who is in the wrong here. The same goes for the other story in the episode.
In that story, Sara is an activist in Santa Rosa Beach, FL, who is on a mission to make sure homeowners on the beach know that the law says anyone can be on the beach, so long as they are below the high tide mark. Eric, one of the homeowners, and his fellow neighbors have hired a security guard to kick people off the beach. Both act like children for most of the episode, and yet again, we as viewers are left with no resolution and little understanding of how it could possibly be resolved.
I’m Disappointed In The Execution Of The Show
Once again, it appears that this is another reality show on the 2026 television schedule that is little more than a circus sideshow. I’ve been on this rant for a while now, and I thought maybe with HBO and A24 involved, things would be a little different. Nope. At least so far, it’s just another opportunity for viewers to mock and deride “crazy people” instead of presenting something genuinely interesting.
There are thousands of stories and videos on the internet of neighbors, HOAs and communities bickering about things large and small. This show is basically just a more amplified version of those. It’s like the subreddit with a nasty name that features users posting the most outlandish examples of HOAs gone wild. Sure, it’s fun for a little while, but soon you realize it’s always pretty much the same story with slightly different details. That’s how Neighbors feels after one episode. Everyone just acts like spoiled brats. I hope it gets better.
