Sex/Life
Sex/Life is an American erotic drama television series created by Stacy Rukeyser for Netflix. The series is inspired by the novel 44 Chapters About 4 Men by BB Easton and it premiered on June 25, 2021. In September 2021, the series was renewed for a second season, which was released on March 2, 2023. In April 2023, the series was canceled after two seasons.
Premise
Promotional materials described the show as what happens when "a suburban mother of two takes a fantasy-charged trip down memory lane that sets her very married present on a collision course with her wild-child past."Cast and characters
Main
- Sarah Shahi as Billie Connelly, a former Columbia University psychology PhD candidate, mother of two, and housewife in an affluent suburban Connecticut community who is suffering from a severe midlife crisis, yearning for the fast-paced life she had with her ex-boyfriend Brad. It is later revealed that her maiden name is Mann. She ends up with the happily ever after life that every woman dreams of but questions if that is really what happiness means.
- Mike Vogel as Cooper Connelly, Billie's strait-laced husband who is an investment banker. He is a "good guy" kind of character; supportive no matter what.
- Adam Demos as Brad Simon, Billie's ex-boyfriend who is in her life again and trying to win her back despite the fact that Billie is married with children. He is a famous music producer and CEO of a record label he founded.
- Margaret Odette as Sasha Snow, Billie's best friend, a psychology professor, and living the single life. She tries to convince Billie that a "good wife life" is all she needs to be happy.
- Cleo Anthony as Kam, a physician and the head of a global medical charity called First Do No Harm. He was engaged to Sasha 17 years in the past.
- Darius Homayoun as Majid, Billie's new love interest and a restauranteur.
Recurring
- Jonathan Sadowski as Devon, Cooper's colleague and friend who is a swinger.
- Meghan Heffern as Caroline, another "fake happy" mother from the suburbs.
- Amber Goldfarb as Trina, Devon's wife but unhappy with married life.
- Hannah Galway as Emily, Cooper's girlfriend before his marriage to Billie.
- Li Jun Li as Francesca, Cooper's boss. She has feelings for Cooper, and is a successful businesswoman who knows what she wants.
- Wallis Day as Gigi, Brad's new girlfriend who is pregnant with their baby.
- Dylan Bruce as Spencer, Cooper's older, openly gay brother and a divorce lawyer.
- Craig Bierko as Mick, Sasha's agent who is helping take her career to the next level.
Production
Development
On August 19, 2019, it was announced that Netflix had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of eight episodes. The series was created by Stacy Rukeyser who was also expected to executive produce alongside J. Miles Dale. On September 27, 2021, Netflix renewed the series for a second season. On April 7, 2023, it was announced that the series was canceled after two seasons.Casting
On January 30, 2020, it was announced that Sarah Shahi was cast to headline the series. On March 5, 2020, it was reported that Mike Vogel, Adam Demos, and Margaret Odette were cast in starring roles. On February 28, 2022, Wallis Day, Dylan Bruce, Craig Bierko, Cleo Anthony, and Darius Homayoun joined the cast in recurring roles for the second season.Filming
Principal photography for the series was originally scheduled to begin in spring 2020, but was later postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming for the first season began on August 31, 2020, and ended on December 9, 2020, in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Filming for the second season began on February 7, 2022, and concluded on May 6, 2022, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Release
The first season of Sex/Life was released on June 25, 2021.The second season premiered on March 2, 2023.
Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 21% approval rating with an average rating of 5.5/10, based on 24 critic reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Suffocating its more provocative ideas with steamy interludes and melodramatic writing, this erotic drama is too obsessed with sex to ever fully come to life." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 45 out of 100 based on 11 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".On September 27, 2021, it was reported that the first season of Sex/Life was watched by 67 million households in its first four weeks following its release on June 25. Season 2 of Sex/Life featured in the Netflix global top 10s for 4 weeks amassing 126.80M hours.