Harlots (UK TV)

I never watched Downton Abbey (though have thought about checking it out. Is it surprising/taking some adjusting to, seeing her playing someone so different?), so I never saw Jessica Brown Findlay in that, but I did see her in the odd movie or mini-series, where she caught my attention. Although I have seen her in a few other roles, this is the first time I've seen her playing a regular role for multiple episodes, and so it's her character of Charlotte that I 'know' her mostly as now. 

I do agree with your comment 'Both actresses and the rest of the cast were very believable', as I truly do believe her and Samantha Morton (and the rest) in these roles. Apart from those two actresses, I recognise a few of the others in the show. The actress playing Kitty I know from her role as Mr. Grove's daughter in the series Mr Selfridge (which, coincidentally, had a character named Kitty in it too - though played by a different actress), I recognise the actor playing William North as the same guy who was Sembene in Penny Dreadful, and the actor playing the truly despicable Sir George Howard I had seen previously as a somewhat similar (though nowhere near as horrible) character in the series Poldark (where he was trying to get with a character named Caroline - whereas in this show he's married to a Caroline and wanting to be with others).

as were the settings. I could almost smell the odors of old London.

The show definitely does a good job of making the whole setting seem unpleasant. It feels pretty nasty - which is likely accurate. There are a lot of really unlikeable characters in the show, but quite a few who I *do* like (and even some of the unlikeable ones are still interesting to watch - thanks in large part to the actors portraying them). The most recent episodes I saw this week were 5 & 6 (since we get two every Friday night). There were certainly some major developments that happened.

The biggest pleasant surprise for me has been Poppy Colette Corby-Tuech as Marie-Louise, who I found rather amusing when she was talking trash about the dude she was having to screw - and because she was speaking in French, he had no clue what she was saying. 

Despite of the 'unpleasantness', I've found this show strangely compelling. It's a shame it's only 8 episodes, but it's certainly made up for the lack of much decent on TV at the moment where I am (there's been a few shows I've liked - but half of them have apparently been cancelled. Otherwise, I just stick to my DVDs/Blu-rays of the many shows I haven't yet got around to watching the latest seasons of). I'm glad I found this thread to talk about the show.