Lip Service

It seems that a lot of people compare this show to our version of "The L Word." In truth I've never seen "The L Word" before. However, I saw the reviews it was getting on here and what it had gotten on Netflix, and I figured "sure. I'll give it a shot!" After adjusting the slightly different way tv shows are written and directed to ours (a minor difference, but significant enough to me a movie buff) and having let the characters develop I COULD NOT TEAR my eyes away from this tv show!! It was just AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My favorite character in this show is hands down is Frankie. She's so awesome and brings so much to this show!!!!! In truth, it was her character that made me wanna continue to watch this and I did. She's smart, funny, a closet romantic, and just a wild woman expressing herself in one way that she knows very well. Needless to say, she's just awesome!! May not deal with things in the same way I do, but we're all human and we all make mistakes. And the character Frankie has had that reputation in her past, as it haunts parts of her future.I cannot tell you how many people I've recommended to see this show, but I really hope that they continue to have a season three and that they bring Frankie back in it!! She gives the show a liveliness, that although I like the other characters such as Tess and Ed, and Lexy, it just wasn't the same without Frankie. It was still good, don't get me wrong. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you see this if you've not already. I'm shocked that there aren't more reviews for this show. Word clearly hasn't spread out far enough yet to get peoples attention. I'm hoping that at some point this will change and that they see what it is we're talking about. You don't know until you watch, and I for one am glad that I did!!

99% SPOILER FREEThe first thing you should know about “Lip Service” is that it was cancelled after Season 2 was completed, so the Season 2 finale was written with the expectation that the various interconnected storylines would be continued. As a result, be prepared for unresolved emotional cliffhangers before the final fade to black.Don’t expect any serious explorations of LGBTQ identity or social issues, although in moments the show at least makes a few well-intentioned attempts. There is the standard film and television focus on femme to androgynous but still traditionally pretty women obviously designed to appeal to the broadest possible mainstream heterosexual audience.All of the actors turn in solid performances, and each of the characters and overall ensemble is certainly appealing. But quite a few of the writing and editing choices feel kind of schizophrenic, especially in Season 2. (I suspect that there might have been “too many cooks in the kitchen” at the BBC.) While this is obviously a romantic erotic dramedy, several incredibly heavy moments are jarringly intercut with goofy silly fluff, and significant time is spent developing characters and storylines only to have them disappear suddenly without any kind of a satisfying resolution, not even taking into account the abrupt ending due to the cancellation of the show.While I wasn’t personally bothered by this, it might be an issue for some, so I think that it’s worth mentioning that there are a A LOT of depictions of casual cocaine use. This struck me as a little odd, although I’m not a 20-something living in Glasgow, so I don’t know if maybe this was just a reflection of what was happening there at the time the show was being produced.“Lip Service” feels like a cross between a nighttime adult soap opera and a pop music video. Worth a look if you’re in the mood for glossy softcore lesbian escapism and you’re also willing to moderate your expectations for a satisfying narrative.

I must say, surprisingly I loved this show...but only season one. Just have to say that unfortunately season two was a big disappointment. The characters are all amazing, the kind you'd love to hang out with, and I happen to love Glasgow... awesome setting and interesting story full of relationship drama, and even a bit of mystery with Frankie's family...I do recommend this to anyone, gay or not, (I'm not, but still loved it) just have in mind there are a few sex scenes, which I didn't mind, but still were a bit shocking for me. I loved the characters, all of them are quirky and sweet, and the acting is well above average. I especially loved Tess Roberts... she's the kind of fun party girl I'd love to have as a best friend!

[Monday, 10/16/17…2:00am]…I remember watching this show for the 1st time a few years ago; “Frankie” is absolutely stunning and gorgeous; my god😀😀!! “Cat” which I didn’t realize was in a lesbian movie called Nina’s Heavenly Delight just before she did Lip Service, I’m assuming? I haven’t seen the movie yet!!If I were a real lesbian I’d have a hard time picking between “Shane” from the L Word or “Frankie” from Lip Service; hm, let me see here…??? Overall show is pretty good but if show was longer with more episodes I wouldn’t know which lady Cat should end up being with, “Sam” the hot cop or Frankie?

I watched this series with my Prime subscription. Tho best as I can tell, only one cast memer is actually a lesbian, the characters, their story arcs, their love scenes (steamy!) all rang true. My only regret in watching is that there were only 2 seasons. I do NOT agree with those reviewers who say the 2nd season did not live up to the first. In some ways, it was even more nuanced than the first. And it was interesting that the main characters in the 2nd season were not, with one exception, the main characters in the first. I heartily recommend this series, esp. for lesbians, but I think the character studies & stories are compelling for any viewer, straight or bent.

I had heard a little about this, and I had downloaded some clips from another site, but little did I know that a great show was hiding under all that, and it wasn't until I ordered the show properly after finding it cheap that I realised just how good it was.A lesbian show set in Glasgow, (I originally thought it was set in London, since everything else is and some of the accents are far from Scottish, they're English and cockney), which has characters you love, even the so called bad ones, and it has great love triangles, comedy, tragedy and passion. UK shows of course do not run for long, unlike in the US where they run for whole seasons, except for now maybe where they run much shorter, but even though it does not run for long, it's so many episodes of great drama. Only two series sadly were made before the BBC decided to leave it, and it's six episodes in each series, obviously twelve in all. The first series is great and anyone who is interested in lesbian drama, which features laughs, tragedy, great drama and yes, delicious helpings of sex, should check it out. There were comparisons at the time of its broadcast by the way with The L-Word, the US show about lesbian relationships, but I frankly found that rather disappointing I'm sorry to say, and I didn't keep the first season for long before selling it (they made 6 seasons apparently). This Lip Service however, I loved.I won't say too much about the story or characters, since you could find that out for yourself and you don't need me being Irving the explainer, but the lead, Frankie, is a bit of a bad girl, who is extremely careless in her relationships with other lesbians and she has a rather mysterious past and her main squeeze is Cat. Cat is also torn between her and another new love, Sam, (Heather Peace), who is strong, sexy, safe and ready. Nuff said. This show hooked me completely and I have now watched it through three times already and will watch it many times before whenever I can. I have the first series on DVD and the second series on blu-ray. Highly recommended.

I watched this six part series on BBC3 last year and waited for the price of the DVD to come down to something reasonable before buying it. The first episode received a general panning from the critics and I was a bit iffy about it but things picked up in the second once the characters and the physical/emotional environment in which they lived became clearer.The story revolves around three women: photographer Frankie (Ruta Gedmintas) a photographer who just arrived back from New York after two years; which upsets her ex-lover and old friend Cat (Laura Fraser) an architect; though wannabe (and failing miserably) actress Tess (Fiona Button) is happy to see an old mate again. After an early hiccup, Cat starts seeing the slightly butch Detective Sergeant Sam (Heather Peace) and Tess begins seeing the experimenting local tv presenter Lou (Roxanne McKee) who is on the rebound from an affair with a married man. The careless Frankie, an emotional mess, is looking into a puzzle about her birth and shags any woman she can get her hands on until she meets Sadie (Natasha O'Keefe) a slick and crazy estate agent. Other characters include: Cat's wannabe science fiction writer brother Jay (Emun Elliott) who is crazy in love with his best friend Tess and his sf novel turns out to be an allegory of their relationship; fellow architect Ed (James Anthony Pearson) an old straight male friend in the process of settling down with his girlfriend Becky (Cush Jumbo) but doing his best to screw up the relationship and everything else around him.Oh yes, and it's set in Glasgow though at least (at least) half the cast have English accents.In case you hadn't guessed, this is sort of a British answer to the American groundbreaking lesbian drama series The L Word and a lot more down to earth.The cast is pretty good. I can't give an objective opinion about Ruta Gedmintas simply because I just hated her character even when she was being screwed up by her duplicitous bullying uncle which probably means she was pretty good. I absolutely love Fiona Button who is just a fantastic actress with a very flexible and mobile face which perfectly mirrors her character's thoughts. Button is just brilliant and I'll watch anything in future I come across with her in it. Her character is so sweet, funny, and good-natured, but with lousy judgement in girlfriends, you can't help, like Jay, but adore her. Laura Fraser is already well known as a highly talented actress and she nails the part of the intense highly strung Cat to a T while making you sympathise with her. Heather Peace (the only member of the core cast who actually is gay and who turned down a role in Coronation Street to do this show) is wonderful as the sharp tough but vulnerable cop Sam who finds herself falling in love with Cat. I can't fault the rest of the cast either.Okay, let's stop ignoring the elephant in room and look straight at it. This is a drama (with humour) about lesbians. How explicit is the sex? Answer: very, amazingly so. The style of it, however, reflects the emotional content (or lack of it). Cat and Sam's sex is often tender and loving as well as passionate. Tess and Lou is joyful fun, noisy and laughing. Ruta is rutting in a cold light. Explicit as it is, it never feels gratuitous or exploitative. It would have been a surprise had it been as the creator Harriet Braun (an experienced tv writer) is gay.Technically it's very good with excellent location photography of Glasgow and I can't fault the frequent use of the songs played either, appropriate and also good music.Because they weren't sure of getting a second series (they have, hurray!) it ends on several satisfactory notes which, while leaving several questions unanswered, makes it feel like a self-contained drama. You do, however, want to see these characters again. While the show has its flaws, the story is generally good (but not always), the characters interesting (perhaps that's an understatement), and the acting superb.

First off let me say that I was not a "super fan" of the "L Word". It had its moments but in terms of realism we all know that the chic, well-paid, social set group of lesbians in both series is real fiction. Having said that, I watched Lip Service not expecting to see a "British L Word" but expecting to see a series about a group of lesbian friends in Glasgow. The first episodes were a bit slow and I had to make myself get interested in the characters. Of course there is the Frankie as Shane character and the similarities were too great to ignore--sex with anything human, inability to commit, "artistic" and personal angst, etc. The other characters were only mildly interesting and I still find it impossible to believe that Cat is in her twenties. If she's in her twenties then she's working too hard 'cause she has way too many creases and lines on her face! The pace picked up after about the second episode and my interest did as well. While overall the show was interesting I'm not eagerly awaiting a new series as I do with what I think are top-notch shows or even as I did after I watched the first two seasons of the prison drama "Bad Girls".Maybe the problem is not that shows like "Lip Service" or even the "L Word" have to be so great. Maybe we simply need more of them or simply more shows period with complex and believable gay and lesbian characters so that we don't have to hyper-analyze the few that do exist.

Not quite what I expected based on the reviews, but good. The key players are a couple who broke up some time ago, and one of them moved to New York. Now she's back, and things get complicated. The writers have not taken the easy way out; life is normally complex, and they reflect that in this series. There are some comic moments, but it is definitely drama.A small warning for the prudish: there are sex scenes, and some nudity. It's not gratuitous, but don't say you weren't warned!A lot more enjoyable than I was expecting. Apparently a second season is just starting. I'll be interested in seeing it.

Caught the series half way through its run, catching up on missed eppisodes on the i player, before buying the DVD. What can I say, a thoroughly enjoyable tragi comedy about the lives of 3 lesbians and thier friends set in Glasgow, with great casting, great actors and great story written by Harriet Braun. The actors many which were unknown to me do a great job of making the charactors believable and likeable, and from what I ve seen on the internet, has propelled some of them (Heather Peace & Rutta Gedmiinta) practically to sex symbol status in the LGBT community. Often dark, dry and very witty, its one of the most enjoyable bits of tv I ve watched all year, roll on series 2, which by the way the BBC are still dithering over commissioning, come on beeb less strictly and more lip service.