Watch The Girlfriend Experience

The Girlfriend Experience is a TV series that premiered on the Starz network in 2016, starring Riley Keough in the lead role of Christine Reade, a law student and part-time high-end escort. The show explores the complex and often taboo world of transactional relationships and what happens when the lines between personal and professional lines become blurred.

Set against the backdrop of Chicago's power players, Christine navigates her legal studies, her job at a prestigious law firm, and her secret life as a high-end call girl. Over the course of the first season's 13 episodes, Christine delves deeper and deeper into her double life while trying to balance her personal relationships with her clients' demands.

The show is a loose adaptation of Steven Soderbergh's 2009 film of the same name, but the TV series takes a different approach, with multiple storylines that explore the various aspects of the escort industry. The show is part legal drama, part psychological thriller, and part character study of the lead character, Christine.

The Girlfriend Experience is notable for its unapologetic depiction of sex work, which is often portrayed in media as either romanticized or demonized. The show doesn't shy away from the realities of the escort industry, but it also doesn't judge its characters for their choices. Instead, it presents a nuanced look at the complex dynamics of power, money, and sex in a world where everything has a price.

Riley Keough's performance as Christine is one of the show's highlights, delivering a nuanced and layered performance as a character who must navigate multiple worlds and personas. At times cold and calculating, and at others vulnerable and exposed, Keough's Christine is a complex and fascinating character who keeps audiences guessing throughout the season.

The show's style and cinematography is also a standout, with a sleek and stylish look that emphasizes the characters' high-end lifestyles. Director Lodge Kerrigan also uses a minimalist approach to storytelling, focusing on the characters' body language and subtle facial expressions to tell the story without relying on exposition or dialogue.

Despite its subject matter, The Girlfriend Experience is not solely a show about sex. It's a show about power dynamics in intimate relationships, whether they're romantic or transactional. The show also delves into issues of gender, class, and privilege, highlighting the ways in which these factors shape our relationships and interactions.

One of the unique elements of The Girlfriend Experience is its episodic approach to storytelling, with each episode focusing on a different client or relationship that Christine navigates. This allows for a diverse range of storylines and characters, showcasing the wide range of motivations and desires that drive clients to seek out the services of an escort.

Overall, The Girlfriend Experience is a thought-provoking and engaging TV series that takes a taboo subject and presents it in a complex and nuanced way. With excellent performances, stylish visuals, and smart writing, it's a show that's sure to keep viewers hooked from start to finish.

The Girlfriend Experience is a series that ran for 4 seasons (43 episodes) between December 21, 2024 and on starz