Frequently described as a Real Housewives-style show, the series followed the lives of six gay and bisexual men in New York City.

Season two began airing on July 25, 2011, and consists of 12 one-hour episodes.

The New York Daily News found that the cast could be "tiresome" but held out hope for some quality drama.

EW reflected on the outrage that some in the LGBT community have expressed about the image of gay men the series projects, answering that criticism by noting that other reality series including The Real Housewives franchise are not viewed with the expectation that its participants are representative of the class as a whole.

[8] Salon, while suggesting that the series is a source of "constant indignation" to viewers, nonetheless finds The A-List: New York to be "riveting" television and "a surprisingly thought-provoking reminder of how much representations of gay men on TV have changed and how gay identity is turning into a kind of consumer bracket rather than an act of self-expression".