Eric Deggans. Set in 18th century London, Hulu's new drama, Harlots , is about a group of women who work and live in brothels. The show is told from the point of view of the women and has an almost entirely female production team. A new British costume drama debuts on Hulu tonight, but if this genre is not your cup of tea, don't tune out just yet.
This is not "Masterpiece Theater. NPR TV critic Eric Deggans says the show's producers have excelled at crafting a modern story about the world's oldest profession. And we should warn you. This story does have some frank language about sex. What would a TV show about prostitution look like if the creators and producers were mostly female?
Consider this scene where the ladies working in the brothel are reading reviews at their services in a book published in written as a sort of Yelp for prostitution. Fanny Lambert - the very thing in winter for those who love a fat, jolly girl. A fine, bouncing, crummy wench - and not a miss in summer barring perspiration.
Unlike most shows, "Harlots" features a mostly female creative team of producers, directors and writers. The result is a series that avoids the temptation of focusing on nude bodies and sex, which is arguably the way male producers have treated prostitutes in shows like "Game Of Thrones" and "Deadwood.
She's a madam who sees prostitution as a route to financial independence at a time when women had to surrender their wealth to their husbands when they got married. And she's not above teasing a rich customer by previewing when she will auction off her teenage daughter's virginity. When we're settled there, I'll be taking sealed bids for Lucy's virginity.
