Girlboss Season 1 Netflix Series Review

Girlboss (2017-)
Season 1 - 13 episodes (2017)

Watch Girlboss on Netflix // Buy the book #Girlboss
Created by: Kay Cannon
Starring: Britt Robertson, Ellie Reed, Johnny Simmons, RuPaul, Dean Norris, Melanie Lynskey
Rating: TV-MA

Plot
Sophie's passion for fashion and selling vintage clothes on ebay leads to owning a multi-million dollar business and being her own boss. The series in inspired by the book #Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso who founded the Nasty Gal brand, she's credited with writing two episodes.

Verdict
I've watched three episodes. The first season chronicles the launch of her business. A rags to riches success story is always intriguing, and while Britt Roberston does a standout job, she plays a character that's unlikable. Sophie is entitled and selfish to such a degree that I can't stand her. She embodies nearly all the negative stereotypes thrust upon millennials.
While that's a big obstacle for this show to overcome, the story is interesting enough that I do want to watch more. How does she succeed? With episodes clocking in at less than thirty minutes, it's an easy watch. It's made well, and with improvements to the character this could definitely be worth watching.
It depends.

Review
The very first scene of the first episode lets us know what kind of character we're watching. Sophie's car runs out of gas on the trolley tracks. She's very flippant about inconveniencing the trolley which has to stop as she pushes her car. I won't even delve into how she pushes a car uphill with very little effort. It's a Geo Metro, but it isn't that light. She's not trying to push her car out of the way, she's trying to get where she's going because no one else matters.

That's the problem with this character. She's self centered and self entitled. If she wants something, she deserves it. We see her steal a Starting a Business for Dummies book, because she needs it. Well, that would be her claim. She's confused on needs and wants. While an elderly woman slaps her and tells her to quit whining, it's a only a temporary relief.
It's difficult to want to watch a whiny, entitled character. Her attitude is why millenials become the punchline of jokes.

What an elusive jacket.

Sophie finds a jacket at a vintage store and taunts the owner, after she buys it, telling him he should know what his merchandise is worth. Does she think she's the only one that's found something valuable to flip at a second hand store? The guy probably got the jacket at an estate sale. He's making money on it and doesn't have time to research each item. Will her lack of sense come back to bite her later? In this show, I doubt it.

As advertised, this is very loosely based on the subject matter. The idea of selling vintage clothing and starting a business are true, everything else is fiction. By the end of the first episode she's on ebay, poised to make a nice profit. Of course she thinks selling one item is reason to celebrate and proclaim her genius. She's figured out life and tells everyone as much.
This starts in 2005. I don't know how much ground the show will cover, but by the end of season one her business isn't far out of start up mode.

Britt Robertson and Johnnie Simmons as Sophie and Shane.

Johnny Simmons from The Phenom (2016) (read my review) plays a love interest. He's in a number of episodes, his relationship with Sophie a source of drama.
Norm Macdonald cameos in episode three, Sophie's boss when she starts working at a museum to gain health insurance.

Sophie reading her stolen "Starting an ebay Business" book.

If you toned Sophie down just a bit, it would make this much more bearable. Maybe her self confidence and self absorption make her a good CEO, but she's running a customer focused business and has a hearty amount of disdain for everyone that isn't her.
Maybe this is the setup where she develops into less whiny and entitled. I can only hope she grows up a bit. It would be great development for the character. From the trailer, it's clear her ebay store hits a few snags.