Television often thrives on the taboo. With fewer restrictions to content, television series concen- trate their efforts in providing an exploration of content that view- ers are curious to see. People are naturally eager to consume what the standards of society restrict. The premium television network Starz recently merged with their sister company Encore. In order for Starz to rebrand their image and step up their game, they stra- tegically invested in their newest original series “The Girlfriend Experience,” a series entirely about the high-end prostitution industry. At a glance, it is easy to understand why Starz would add this edgy content to their lineup – sex sells. Premium channels such as HBO are known for sexually explicit content that ironically
helps qualify their series as “qual- ity,” showing off their freedom as a stand-alone service without bending to the commands of the FCC. With the addition of “The Girlfriend Experience,” Starz boasts that their channel is on the rise to becoming a new premium channel competition.
All 13 episodes of the series’ first season were released April 10, correlating with Starz com- pany rebranding on April 5. I was hesitant to begin a series that uses “sexy content” as a ploy that replaces quality. The first few episodes definitely did not convince me otherwise. However, as I further invested in the unusual series, what was once apparent to me became less clear. The show explores creative paths that once seem superficial, but later on seem intentional and implicitly clever.
“The Girlfriend Experience” is loosely based on a 2009 film of the same name by Steven
Soderbergh. The cinemato- graphic style certainly maintains the “film quality” trend that is taking over the television indus- try. The TV adaptation takes the same arthouse film approach as the original.
The directing team of the series, Lodge Kerrigan and Amy Seimetz, explain that they are trying to provide an unbiased inside-look at the prostitution industry, yet it seems like an almost impossible task. In some instances, it is as if they are glamorizing the career. In one scenario, an escort mentions that prostitution is like having a constant ATM, yet later says she has been doing it for six years and wants to stop and have a family, implying that prostitution is not a satisfying life to lead. This under- tone continues when addressing slut-shaming in the workplace. The show delves into the contra- diction between equal treatment of professional women without objectification versus when this objectification is your profession.
This unbiased look is defi- nitely impossible when consid- ering the character of Christine. Christine is an unusual case- study. As much as I racked my brain, trying to think of an intriguing series that features an unlikeable anti-hero, I could not think of one. There are few lead characters on television that are unlikeable in the audiences’ eyes, yet this show does just that. She is a flawed, morally question- able woman who acts for her own gain. As director Amy Seimetz argues, Christine is the polarized version of the typical millennial. The series still manages to be fascinating despite (or perhaps because) of the complexity of this unlikeable character. In a rare moment of candor, Christine asks her sister, “Am I abnormally self- ish? Could I be a sociopath? Like classic DSM definition?” And as a viewer, I cannot help but con- sider this a possibility. Christine is not involved in prostitution for the money or sexual pleasure. She becomes consumed by the career like an addiction. She con- tinues to risk her relationships and her daytime career to be an escort because she is addicted to harnessing power over her pow- erful clients.
“The Girlfriend Experience” in many ways tests the bound- aries of television. Watching it can feel uncomfortable, unfa- miliar, judgmental and most of all voyeuristic. The series feels perverse as it addresses pros- titution in an uncensored and unemotional manner.
