Satisfaction

Satisfaction is an Australian television series set in a high class brothel in Melbourne. I had high expectations for the series after catching glimpses of the previews on showcase however I received rather mixed feelings.

For starters there has never been a show quite like this on Australian television. With the rise of networks such as HBO and AMC the quality of television has risen substantially. Programs such as Entourage and Dexter paved the way for other series to adopt a similar format, Satisfaction is no exception. The ambition for this show was rather high. I had a clear view on what the creators of this series were trying to do. However the execution had the show lacking in certain areas. The use of nudity certainly pushed the envelope for what has been seen on Australian television but it is not something we haven't already seen with other shows from America or even England and full frontal female nudity is not "ground breaking" which is a term I have heard used to describe this show, which I obviously disagree with.

The main problems with this show start with the script. Some of the dialogue is laughable at best and there is far too much exposition through dialogue. Another problem lies with the actors. Some decent performances come through but some of the supporting characters feel flat and over acted. The main selling point of this series relies on heavy sex scenes which are well acted but at times feel routine.

I'd recommend this series to some people but I wouldn't tell them to expect much.

Great story lines. Great acting. The women are easy on the eyes. I'm binge watching it on this rainy day. It held my attention throughout the first season and I'm glad there's a second and third to come. It's about time there was a Sex Worker story that wasn't just street pimps driving tricked out Bentlys or limos and their "Hoes" (a la Deuces on HBO).

I think that, after all these years after watching this for the first time, i am still in love with Peta Sergeant. Lovely woman.

I was very disappointed and surprised to hear "Satisfaction" had been canceled after only 3 seasons. I have to be honest, till recent years I have not been a fan of Australian TV series. However, shows like this and "Love My Way" and "Spirited" have changed my mind and made me take a second look at Australia drama.

"Satisfaction" could have continued for at least another 2 seasons. Stories were left untold. The writing was good and it had an excellent ensemble. I found myself very involved with the various characters and as another reviewer stated --- at last a show in which sex workers are not presented as one dimensional.

It's good to see series like "Satisfaction" and "Secret Diary of a Call Girl" and others showing sex workers in a much more realistic light. Sex workers are usually wrongly portrayed as down and out, amoral junkies. This is a complete myth and is also born from misogyny. Personally I have a number of friends who are sex workers and they are some of the most caring, open-minded and non-judgmental people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. They've shared many stories about their lives and their experiences and a great deal of their work involves compassion, kindness and acceptance. I hope at least in this short run of "Satisfaction" it will help change the public's mind about the negative stereotypes portrayed until now.

As someone who has worked in a similar type establishment, I was really curious to see how this portrayal of sex workers and their client in a legal Melbourne brothel would pan out. There is a long history of sex workers being portrayed in film and television as victims. I know that there are women in the industry who have had horrible experiences, but there are a lot of women in every day life who have also had these kind of experiences, but prostitutes are usually disproportionately portrayed as having being sexually abused, being drug dependent or being abused by men.

I was so pleased with Satisfaction. Although it is a television drama, (and it does look like one) with gorgeous characters in gorgeous clothes living in gorgeous homes, what it succeeds so well at is its portrayal of the workers as complex women from different backgrounds, working in a well run industry for their own reasons. It is interesting that there is a focus on sexual fantasy type bookings, which is not the general brothel experience, but I guess it is the most interesting for television! The sex scenes are realistic, and not tacky, and the clients are also more than the usual one dimensional 'john'. This is really great Australian television! And for those Australian women (and few men) who have never set foot in an Australian brothel, this is about as close as television/film gets to portraying something close to the real thing. 10/10.