Les filles de joie

Surprisingly addicting. Game of Throne-esque betrayal, alliances, bribery, coercion, corruption, politics, sex, and revenge.

Harlots surprisingly inspires empathy for the plights of the heroines - the brothel madam and her youngest daughter. You really root for the madam's struggle to keep her girls from harm and rise up through the ranks of brothels to move up in station and compete with the Queen of Whores.

Harlots touches on racial and class issues and even features the occasional gigolo, during a time in which one if five women in old London make their livings as whores. It shows how religious zealots, the law, and the masses can be manipulated as pawns in the political, carnal, racial, and socioeconomic power struggle that is the Game of Brothels...

After the previous reviewer's tirade about including black people as just being PC and pandering, I was curious and did a little research of my own. According to an historian's article on the history of black people in Britain (which is near the top of google results for "black people in 1700's England) it seems the portrayal in Harlots is spot on. Everything from interracial couples in the lower classes to servants in aristocratic households and a lot of other interesting things I had no idea about.

So while I think his review has no value as a review of the show, it did inspire me to learn something new.

SO far I have only watched 3 episodes but they were all watched in a row as I first just started watching to see if it was any good. Well 3 later and I am hooked. I think Harlots has some good writing and is not at all gratuitous in any way for a show about prostitution. People on here that are trashing it are probably holy rollers that are so uncomfortable with their own sexuality that they cant bother to see it done by others. Other than that I really started watching because of Jessica Brown Findlay. I really enjoyed her in Downton Abbey and was excited to see her in another television series. Well she has not disappointed. Neither has the rest of the cast. I will enjoy the rest of the season and future seasons to come. Very worth your time!!

I just wanted to say that this programme is so much better than I thought it would be. I actually care about the characters. I don't usually like full on sex scenes, but because of the subject matter it doesn't seem gratuitous. It's actually a very fascinating insight into 18th Century England, and seems that it was a very complicated lifestyle to live in a brothel as well as dangerous. I'm enjoying it. Give it a go.

I started watching this, as I had no other series lined up, saw a trailer and quite like Samantha Morton as an actress. The first episode left me a little nonplussed, as I thought it seemed a little more lightweight than I was expecting. Perhaps even gratuitous and shallow. But I stuck with it, and by episode three was hooked. Easily as good as Peaky Blinders, which is high praise indeed from an avid watcher. The characters seem to develop well and the casting is excellent. The portrayal of the Bawds from both Samantha Morton and Lesley Manville are magnificent, and a superb supporting cast brings the piece to life. It seems odd that ITV in the UK have hidden this gem away as I can only assume that it is an expensive series to produce. A mainstream channel release is surely overdue, and a budget increase for the second series must be imminent.