Missing the period-piece pomp of "Bridgerton" and "The Gilded Age"? While you wait for those stylized historical dramas to return to your screen, one of Hulu's best but largely overlooked shows will scratch your itch for sumptuous settings, impressive costuming and naughty behavior. Meet "Harlots."
Running for three seasons and 24 episodes from 2017 to 2020, the Hulu original immersively transports you to 18th-century London, but instead of busy ballrooms and bustling carriages, the focus is on brothels and the lively and ambitious women who work in them.
Along the way, the British series — which was co-created by Alison Newman ("Footballers Wives," "EastEnders") and screenwriter-author Moira Buffini — digs into sexual politics, gender norms, class tensions and the harsh realities of the sex trade. It's also, it must be said, quite a fun watch. If you need more convincing, here's why you should add "Harlots" to your next Hulu watch session.
What is 'Harlots' about?
At the center of the story is Margaret Wells (Samantha Morton), a London brothel owner who strategically wants to ensure not only the success of her up-and-coming business but also the futures of her daughters (Jessica Brown Findlay as the eldest, Charlotte, and Eloise Smyth as the younger Lucy).
Margaret's savvy plan to move her brothel to Greek Street in Soho — and thus attract the attention and wallets of the moneyed men who live there — draws the ire of a fellow local madame, the more established Lydia Quigley ("Phantom Thread" great Lesley Manville), to whom Margaret herself was formerly employed when she was young.
With Lydia enlisting religious crusaders to raid Margaret's bordello, and Margaret paying off hefty fines by selling the virginity of her own daughter to the highest bidder, the women's working rivalry has officially and ostentatiously begun.
Why should you stream 'Harlots' on Hulu?
Though "Harlots" has all of the corset-tied drama, mesmerizing throwback settings and cheeky blend of fact and fiction that we love from shows like "Bridgerton" and "The Great," it sets itself apart from other female-focused costumes dramas with the grittiness and gravitas it affords its female characters, who have to ruthlessly navigate power dynamics and economic realities to survive in a male-dominated society. Think of it closer to a "Peaky Blinders" or "House of Guinness," but with bustles.
"We took in 'The Wire,' and The 'Sopranos,' and 'Breaking Bad,' and other dramas that are about contemporary society, and about crime and outlaws in contemporary society," Buffini told Bustle back in 2017. "We thought that's what our women are. They're outlaws."
"Harlots" was a hit with critics throughout its run, with the first season earning a stellar 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes — "'Harlots' uses its titillating subject matter to draw the viewer into a deeper drama about the intersection of survival, business, and family," the site's critical consensus praised — and the second and third installments each getting a perfect 100% score.
Watch "Harlots" on Hulu now
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