Pilot Review: Girlboss

Girlboss (Netflix)
Premiered April 21

I’m not familiar with Sophia Amoruso, the fashion mogul who hit it big with an online store a decade ago and penned the autobiography on which this show is based. I am, however, a fan of Britt Roberston, remembering her mildly from her first CW TV show, “Life Unexpected” and promos for the film “Tomorrowland,” which I never saw, and then ultimately enjoying her in the recent film “The Space Between Us.” I knew she was starring in this production but I actually didn’t recognize her thanks to her brown hair and the loss of her signature affect that makes her so appealing. Don’t get me wrong - Sophia Marlowe is a force to be reckoned with. However quickly I might forget this show as a whole, I think that the sight of her walking up to grab a rug and ignoring the guy who was narrating the whole thing, unable to believe that she would just take it and go, is going to have a more lasting effect. She did rank as one of the world’s worst employee over the course of just one thirty-minute episode, but then she identified something valuable, bought it at a steal, and then sold it online, or started the process at least, for a humongous return. I guess that’s what this show is supposed to be about, though I personally found this introductory episode to be headed nowhere fast. That’s probably because we checked in with Sophia at her worst and she’s headed all the way up to the top. I like Robertson but this role isn’t what I would have pictured for her, and I wasn’t nearly intrigued enough by this sampling to see where it’s all going.

How will it work as a series? Those far less patient - and much more caught up - than I have surely raced through the thirteen-episode order this show received when all episodes were released on Netflix on April 21st. I think there’s clearly a big story to tell, and I imagine that this is just the kind of show that benefits from binge-watching to make its story flow in a more exciting manner.
How long will it last? Netflix ratings data doesn’t get released for a long time and isn’t all that useful as a result. It looks like the reviews for this show have been decidedly mixed, which doesn’t bode well for its future, but I think that Netflix likes to invest in a diversity of shows and therefore might decide to bring this one back for a second round.

Pilot grade: B-