Gentleman Jack sanitizes an audacious and difficult woman

The Atlantic

There's something missing in HBO's eight-part series based on early 1800s figure Anne Lister, who had what is believed to be Britain's first lesbian marriage. "How can a character be bold and transgressive when so few obstacles seem to be in the way of her desires?" says Sophie Gilbert, adding: "As written in Gentleman Jack, Lister is a modern HBO heroine transposed into a conventional costume drama, ambitious and dynamic and protected by privilege."