Netflix just released its premiere date and first images of its new series Sex/Life, a dramedy about a different kind of love triangle between a wife, her husband and weirdly enough, her journal. Executive produced by UnReal’s Stacy Rukeyser, Sex/Life is a meditation on marriage, sex, identity and memory — and how they can influence a relationship for better or worse.
The series is based on B.B. Easton’s memoir called 44 Chapters About 4 Men, although the names have been changed to draw more distinction between the show and the book. Sex/Life will follow Billie, a recent stay-at-home wife and mother who just moved to the suburbs of Connecticut with her new husband Cooper. Originally a wild child living it up in New York City, Billie finds herself feeling nostalgic for her past, particularly her sexual exploits with an ex-boyfriend. She decides to vent her frustrations in a journal, which her husband finds and reads one day. While Billie thinks it could destroy her marriage, Cooper decides to take her past as a challenge, and the two begin a weird love triangle between Billie’s sexual past and her present.
Based on the premise it seems like Sex/Life might just fill the void that Hulu’s Normal People left behind. Rukeyser previously served as the showrunner and executive producer of Lifetime’s highly underrated UnReal. This marks her first return to television after the show ended in 2018. UnReal had a similarly intriguing premise, following a reality series producer returning to work after a breakdown. Winning a Peabody for her writing, I’m sure that she has another hit on her hands with Sex/Life.
Furthermore, Sex/Life stars relative unknowns as the main cast — Sarah Shahi, Mike Vogel, Adam Demos and Margaret Odette. Shahi had a few recurring roles on television including The L Word, Person of Interest and City on a Hill, Vogel has the same with Bates Motel and The Help, and Demos is best known for his role as August Walker on UnReal. In addition to Sex/Life, Shahi will have her profile significantly lifted as she is also starring in Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam, DC’s next superhero film that has just announced filming earlier last week.
It’s great to see these character actors get bigger roles and see what they can do with Rukeyser’s stellar writing. The first images definitely look promising, with some steamy images solidifying the show’s importance of sexual exploration, identity and past. The production team also did a fantastic job with the sets. Even though it was filmed in Canada, that Sex/Life kitchen looks eerily similar to the carbon copy ones littered in the McMansions of Connecticut. However, the true highlight here is definitely Demos, who seems to perfectly encapsulate the sexy ex-boyfriend Brad.
Sex/Life premieres on June 25 on Netflix. Check out the first images and synopsis below:
“Sex/Life is the story of a love triangle between a woman, her husband, and her past that takes a provocative new look at female identity and desire. Billie Connelly (Sarah Shahi) wasn’t always a stay-at-home wife and mother living in the suburbs. Before she married loving and reliable Cooper (Mike Vogel) and moved to Connecticut, Billie was a free-spirited wild child living in New York City with her best friend Sasha (Margaret Odette), working hard and playing even harder. Exhausted from taking care of her two young kids and feeling nostalgic for her past, Billie starts journaling and fantasizing about her passionate exploits with sexy ex-boyfriend Brad (Adam Demos), the big heartbreak she never got over. But the more Billie remembers, the more she wonders how she got here — and then her husband finds her journal. Will the truth about Billie’s past start a sexual revolution in her marriage, or lead her down a path back to the life she thought she left behind with the man who broke her heart?”