I was prepared to dislike this show. Much like every other effort to provide an authentic insight to the hobby.
But gotta say.....I'm impressed. Preeety....preeeety....preeety good.

Unlike Lamont I've met ladies very similar to both the Providers featured in the show.

-- Modified on 4/11/2016 10:01:02 PM

I like the show quite a bit, especially after the first four episodes... one thing I like is that is doesn't linger on expected plots too long.  

I like that it's not a trashy show about sex, but (as one review I read put it) a show about power and relationships, where sex is involved and intertwined. There is less sex than you think and the show is coy with nudity (though it does deliver there eventually).

Others have said Christine (the main character) seems cold but she's not exactly cold, she comes across as really liking sex - just not people.  Make of that what you will... it seems like some of the clients she has run the gamut of possible real client types (some clingy, some all business, some caring, some overly intense) though I can't speak to the reality of that aspect.

I also think she's portrayed as really intelligent and doing the best she can to quickly navigate a tricky world.

I'm looking forward to finishing the series (using the Starz app on an AppleTV to watch, which is great as you get all the episodes right away), I'm curious after more people have had a chance to watch what they think of it

We need a shorthand for the title, so I'm throwing 'GFEstarz' out there.  The show is rather addictive.  It's not great, but I keep watching--first two episodes on premiere night,  EP3 & EP4 last night; EP5 tonight via  Starz Play (streaming channel).  

 Let's start with Riley Keough (Chelsea), who has that "good girl gone bad" allure that's quite compelling & erotic.  She's Elvis Presley's granddaughter, and she has that Presley star power.  She doesn't have great range as an actress, but the camera loves her.  She's really fluid & moves with an effortless grace, like a dancer.   She's a bit of a throwback--she has that old Hollywood glamour, that's a rare commodity now.  Men would obsess over her, oh yes.  

 I have trouble keeping the Johns straight, but there's one fascinating scene--the Asian client who falls in love with Chelsea.  

 Asian Client:  I've been taking out loans to pay you.  I love you & have to keep seeing you.  Can you lower your rate...please?  
 
 Chelsea:  You're putting me in a very awkward position.  

 I wish every guy on TER would watch that episode (EP 4?).  Note to all the guys who've "Fallen for a Provider & Can't Get Up."   You see that sad & pathetic Asian Client?  That's you.  Women don't respect weakness in men.   It doesn't matter if she's a call girl or a Sunday School teacher.   If I'm Asian Client,  I send Chelsea the following text:

  Babe, I can't afford you anymore.  Thanks for being so sweet to me.  Take care,  --z

  It's not hard, guys. There's no drama or bullshit above.  Just a thank you & goodbye.  

 There are shenanigans going on within the law firm where Chelsea works.   GFEstarz correctly reveals the corporate world as a moral equivalent to the sex trade. Their both rife with corruption.  Chelsea treats her Johns better than her law firm treats their clients.  

 Our girl receives a plain brown envelope at work.  She opens it & her provider portfolio spills out, from her agency's photo shoot. We're not halfway into the season and extortion is already in play.  The arrival of that nondescript brown envelope is like death knocking on the door.  It made my blood run cold.   Blackmail is the knife at the soft white underbelly of the sex trade.  Most of us here are living a double life.  

  There's not a lot going on in TV Land right now  In a really boring TV season, GFEstarz is the best show of 2016 so far. Again: it's not a great show.  But it is interesting & at times brilliant.  --

GFEstarz: Episodes 6-10 (spoilers ahoy!)

Ye Gods, what a mess.  The first five episodes were quite entertaining, but we have problems now.  

 Let's start with Christine/Chelsea's relationship with Jack.  That happens way too fast.  He goes from client-->boyfriend-->stalker  so quickly that it's a bit of a blur now.  It's easy to see how Jack could go from Client to BF--he looks like Christian Bale and is fabulously wealthy.  He's both Batman & Bruce Wayne.  But that storyline needed to be developed.  I was confused about the nature of the relationship.  Is Jack still paying Christine?  Is he like an SD now? When a high end escort  spends open-ended time with wealthy clients,  the difference between Provider vs SB  is zero.  My take:  if she's still charging by time = Provider.  If she's getting an allowance = SB.   If she's living with Jack & he's taking care of her, then she's his girlfriend.  It's really confusing.    

 Then there's the blackmail angle, which I think goes this way:  Christine is left half a million by Michael, a wealthy client who dies suddenly.  Michael's family is contesting the will.  The family has hired a thug, Simon, to blackmail Christine.   He threatens to expose her.  How does Christine respond to this extortion attempt?  She decides to blackmail her employer, a high powered law firm where she works as an intern.  WTF.   Even though her law firm is secretly colluding with their legal opponents, they haven't done anything to Christine.  They've treated her well--she's a law student with a foot in the door of a major law firm.  So why has she turned on her employer?  I don't know.  Like she really needs more enemies.

The show's 30 minute format is becoming a problem now.  There are a several complex plot lines in play--an hour format would've been better.  But I'm in for the long haul now--three more episodes to go. I'm wondering if there's going to be a Season #2.   --z

I didn't find it very realistic and was upset they chose to represent sex workers this way

Don't have the channel it airs on, but have seen the movie that inspired the show. Thought the movie was a okay update to Pretty Woman.