The series focuses on Margaret Wells, who runs a brothel in 18th-century London and struggles to secure a better future for her daughters in an unpredictable environment.

It was subsequently renewed for a second series that premiered on 11 July 2018 in the United States, and on 14 February 2019 in the UK via on-demand service StarzPlay, to which it moved after ITV Encore closed.

The city's brothels are run by canny and determined businesswomen, such as Margaret Wells and Lydia Quigley, but there is a new morality on the rise.

[6] The show revolves around Wells' determination to improve her life and the lives of those in her "family" by moving her brothel to Greek Street in Soho to serve a wealthier clientele in Georgian society.

The website's critical consensus reads, "Harlots uses its titillating subject matter to draw the viewer into a deeper drama about the intersection of survival, business, and family.

The site's critics' consensus reads: "Harlots maintains its lavish grit and holds an 18th-century mirror up to our contemporary world of troubling gender-based suffering.

The site's critics' consensus reads: "Delightfully uncomfortable, Harlots continues to push boundaries, but never at the expense of its deliciously campy fun.