Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Adult Material’ On HBO Max, A British Dramedy About Life In The Porn Industry

The adult film industry has been a subject of fascination for Hollywood for quite some time now; there are beloved flicks like Boogie Nights, and a recent slew of popular series like The Deuce, The Client List, and The Girlfriend Experience, among others. The latest to dive into this dirty territory is Adult Material, a British dramedy now streaming on HBO Max.

ADULT MATERIAL: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A drive-through car wash begins to spray down a pink Audi.

The Gist: Jolene Dollar (Hayley Squires) is a beloved adult film star who seems to call all the shots; she shows up to work late (and has her boss wrapped around her finger), drives a shocking pink Audi convertible, and looks out for her fellow performers. She rattles off a todo list in her mind as she’s plowed from behind in a scene, and cheerfully cleans up to head home while bantering with crew members – all in a day’s work. When starry-eyed new girl Amy (Siena Kelly) arrives on set, Jolene shows her the ropes and immediately takes her under her wing, advocating for her when director Dave (Phil Daniels) tries to pressure her into doing an anal sex scene (the one thing Jolene herself won’t do) on her first day. Once Jolene is gone, however, Dave manages to convince Amy to go ahead with the scene… which leads to some serious drama.

When Jolene isn’t at work, she’s busy mom Hayley Burrows, cooking dinner one scene and making a foot fetish video with her loving husband’s (Game of Thrones‘ Joe Dempsie) help the next. After itching at her eye all day, Hayley discovers she got chlamydia from one of her coworkers, and she pushes Dave to figure out who is the culprit. Ever the good sport, however, she simply dons an eyepatch and goes on with her day. Adult Material chronicles Hayley/Jolene’s life, her coworkers, and that of her children, including teen daughter Phoebe (Alex Jarrett), who is less than thrilled with her classmates’ reactions to her mom’s profession. The fallout from Amy’s anal scene leaves the pilot on quite a cliffhanger – who knows where things might take Jolene and the crew next?

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? There have been a handful of contemporary series about sex workers – Secret Diary of a Call Girl, The Girlfriend Experience, The Client List, and more – but none seem to strike the unique tone of Adult Material.

Our Take: From the moment Hayley fake masturbates on selfie cam in a car wash while waiting to take a bite of her breakfast, I was sold on Adult Material. The series, created by Lucy Kirkwood, is a strange little animal, one that effortlessly combines workplace comedy elements with heavier interpersonal drama. Hayley Squires really shines as Jolene/Hayley, full of confidence and the sense of humor it takes to rise to the top in this kind of world. What’s fun about Squires’ performance is that she doesn’t really take off her Jolene mask to enter her household and vice versa; she’s not giving a play-by-play of her workday to the kids, sure, but she’s also not necessarily hiding who she is. Her husband helps her film a foot fetish video, her eldest daughter Phoebe knows what she does for a living, and her boss knows that Sundays are family days. There are no illusions about who she is or the double life she leads; it’s a job, and it allows them to live a pretty sweet life. Squires is lovable even in her character’s more frustrating moments (boy, did I groan during her heavy conversation scene with Phoebe), and very much feels like someone you might know. Adult Material boasts a strong ensemble, but wouldn’t pack the same punch without Squires at the center.

Rather than enforcing stereotypes about power dynamics in the adult film industry, Kirkwood cleverly places a lot of things here in a grey area, subtly nudging us to look a little deeper. Jolene/Hayley is in control, sure, but to what end? Her control only exists because she’s been in the game so long and has the numbers to back it up, but even she bends to the will of her bosses when pushed. It’s gutting to watch Amy’s journey in first hour alone; even though Dave tells her – and perhaps half-means it when he does – that he won’t “hold it against her” if she doesn’t do the anal scene, it’s clear that he’s played this game before. There aren’t really clear-cut heroes and villains in this story (at least not yet), and the power dynamics aren’t really black-and-white – and that’s what’s so interesting about it. I’ll be interested to see how Adult Material explores themes of autonomy and power as it continues, because as much as we’d like to believe that porn has become a more empowering field for women, there are undoubtedly many factors at play – and it’s not the safe, shameless fuck-fest we’d all like it to be.

Adult Material is a smart blend of genuinely affecting interpersonal drama, workplace comedy, and it seems like there may even be some crime elements ahead, based on that cliffhanger. It feels like a British Boogie Nights for the digital age, but with a welcome focus on a woman’s experience.

Sex and Skin: I mean, that’s kind of the whole thing here, isn’t it? Adult Material is full of, well, adult material; porn scenes, intimate off-the-clock sex, an orgy, masturbating, fake masturbating, oral sex, and a lot of naked bodies.

Parting Shot: Hayley throws away the false eyelashes in Phoebe’s room and brings her the chlamydia prescription as Phoebe sleeps.

Sleeper Star: As Hayley/Jolene’s older daughter Phoebe, Alex Jarrett is a standout. She is effortlessly charming and emotionally affecting, eliciting laughs one moment and heartache the next. Jarrett is one of those fresh-faced young actors you know you’re going to be seeing for a long time.

Most Pilot-y Line: There weren’t too many overly exposition-y lines or pilot-y moments here, but one exchange between Amy and Jolene early on stuck with me:

“I love sex!” Amy exclaims. “Well,” Jolene says, forcing a smile. “That’s a good place to start.”

Our Call: STREAM IT. While some of Adult Material may be tough to (ahem) swallow, it’s got a big heart and a lot to say – and we can’t wait to see where things go from here.

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines and harboring dad-aged celebrity crushes. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.

Stream Adult Material on HBO Max