Why You Should Be Watching Harlots

Critics and audiences alike may have fallen for The Handmaid’s Tale, but Hulu has another lady-centered, binge-worthy show that deserves your attention: Harlots, which is midway through its sophomore season. I’ll get right to the point: it’s the best show that you’re not watching. Set in gin-soaked, sex-crazed 18th-century London, Harlots centers on two rival brothels and the sparring madams who run them. If that isn’t enticing enough, the show is also smart, fun, unpredictable, and totally unlike anything else on television right now. Still not convinced? Here are some more reasons why you should binge Harlots immediately.

Lesley Manville Is an Ice Queen

Harlots boasts a phenomenal cast, and queen among them is Lesley Manville. Manville, who was nominated for an Oscar in early 2018 for her performance in The Phantom Thread, is the real deal. As Mrs. Quigley, the proprietress of a fancy brothel that caters to the rich and famous of London society, Manville is all fire and ice: she is cool and calculating, but heaven help the fool that crosses her path. Opposite Manville is Samantha Morton as Margaret Wells, Mrs. Quigley’s former protégée. But here’s the rub: Wells escaped the posh madam’s clutches and established her own bawdy house. With her sharp, low-class accent and lack of pretension, Wells may be Quigley’s opposite, but they share a thirst for wealth, desire for autonomy, and hatred of each other. They are the Bette and Joan of the 18th century, and watching them try to outfox each other is a wild ride.

Jessica Brown Findlay Is A Long Way from Downton Abbey

Jessica Brown Findlay – whom you may remember as the delightfully modern Lady Sybil on Downton Abbey – plays Margaret Wells’ daughter Charlotte. The younger Wells is one of London’s most popular courtesans, and Brown Findlay seems to have a ball bringing Charlotte to life. Charlotte is witty, bold, and not ashamed of her humble origins – though she has access to money, she also has gambling debts and a street accent that belies her powdered finery. She learned from her “ma” that a woman can claim power through sex, a lesson she has taken to heart.

This Isn’t Your Mama’s 18th Century

Harlots‘ vision of the 18th century isn’t the version that you would get on, say, Masterpiece – this show proudly presents a “dirty-hem” view of the past. Harlots shows viewers filthy streets filled with people who aren’t nearly as reserved as we typically imagine them to be. Moreover, those in power aren’t romanticized: the wigged-out leaders of society are also literally the worst, and they – along with men of other classes – prey on and victimize women from all classes.

It Doesn’t Whitewash the Past

This show does a nice job highlighting the sheer diversity of 18th-century Britain. In Poldark or Outlander, you hardly ever see people of color represented on screen. But Harlots rightly shows that Britain in the 1700s wasn’t exclusively filled with white folks. Plus, one of the most healthy relationships on the show is an interracial romance: Margaret Wells’ partner is William North, who grounds and challenges her to be a better person.

Who Run the World?

Onscreen, ladies are at the center of the story. The same is true off-screen: the entire creative team is made up of women. This means that this isn’t a drama where women are acting out stories written and directed by men. That’s not to say that men aren’t important in Harlots – they obviously are. But it’s refreshing to see Harlots put women at the center of its storytelling. This is a show about the commodification of women, so letting ladies be in control of this story ensures that an important female perspective comes across. In the era of Me Too and renewed criticisms about the gender gap in entertainment, this is no small achievement.

Those Costumes, Though

Seriously. Those wigs, those shoes, those feathers – all outstanding.

Plenty of Gasp-Out-Loud Moments

This show almost never does what you expect it to. From unlikely alliances to shocking murders, Harlots is guaranteed to wow you – and keep you watching.

So what are you waiting for? Start bingeing Harlots now!

Photo Credit: Hulu