UK prison drama is captivating

The prison drama "Bad Girls" ran from 1999-2006 in the U K , where it was a hit. With its well-plotted melodrama, political undertones, campy flourishes, and occasional lesbian romance, the show also developed a cult-like following of Americans who managed to catch the show on DVD or during its partial run on BBC America.

The cable channel FX is remaking the series next year. But beginning tonight at 10 on Logo, we can get a prolonged look at all eight seasons of the original show, as they have their first-ever consecutive run in the United States. About both the inmates and guards at a fictional women's prison named Larkhall, the 107 episodes of "Bad Girls" will unfold in all their soap operatic glory. (Or most of its glory; unfortunately, Logo has cleaned up the language, sexual content, and violence, and surely robbed the show of some of its power.)

The series has much in common with "Oz," HBO's men's-prison series. Both shows make jail into an ugly microcosm of the world at large, and both establish hierarchies in which the guards and warden aren't always at the top. In the first episode of "Bad Girls," the prisoners are enraged when guards let a woman miscarry in her cell, and they use their fury to manipulate the warden, Helen (Simone Lahbib ). Thanks to the blackmailing of a male guard, they also gain control of Larkhall after their spring fashion show is cance led.

Yes, fashion show. Also like "Oz," "Bad Girls" isn't particularly realistic. But it establishes a rich social world as its characters find love even while they struggle with brutality. Confinement brings out the best and the worst of human nature. Sadly, newcomer Rachel (Joanne Froggatt ) sees only the worst during her stay: Tonight, she falls prey to the cruelty of her cellmate. And her great savior, guard Jim (Jack Ellis ), may be no better, as he prepares to pounce on her, too. In "Bad Girls," good news is often bad news waiting to happen.

Matthew Gilbert can be reached at gilbert@globe.com. For more on TV, visit boston.com/ae/tv/blog/.