The Best And Worst Shows On TV In 2016

Image via Starz

10. The Girlfriend Experience

Inspired by Steven Soderbergh’s 2009 film of the same name, The Girlfriend Experience follows a young law student who leads a double live as a high end prostitute. Riley Keough, granddaughter of Elvis Presley, plays Christine Reade, who is introduced to the world of “transactional relationships” by a friend, and is captivated at the surprising returns in her secret life.

Christine has a promising internship at a prestigious law firm, but as the series unfolds, she struggles to balance her day and night jobs. At night, Christine offers clients a “girlfriend experience,” a “GFE,” which provides a much more intimate and emotional connection than a traditional escort.

Here is where this show really shines. It never wags its finger at the main character’s choices, and does an excellent job at fleshing out the nuances of how Christine feels. Keough is a star, perfecting a reserved chilliness that reads both curious and wildly sexy.  The success of this show is almost solely thanks to her (and some very smart writing) and her execution of Christine is  complex yet familiar and relatable.

Playing a prostitute with such multidimensional finesse is no small feat, and Keough does so without even a hint of hyperbole or caricature.