Sex/Life - What We Know So Far
We turn now to B. B. Easton, the school psychologist-turned-author whose memoir, "44 Chapters About 4 Men," was met with a warm reception and outstanding reviews when it hit bookshelves in 2016. So warm was the reception and so outstanding the reviews that her story was optioned by Netflix, with a series order of eight episodes coming down the pipe in 2019.
All of this brings us to "Sex/Life," the upcoming Netflix series developed by "UnREAL" producer Stacy Rukeyser. The show takes its inspiration from Easton's debut novel and aims to present what Rukeyser calls "a nostalgia-fueled, sparkly fever dream, rose-colored-glasses view of the past" and a "healthy dose of objectifying and fetishizing the male form," according to her discussion with Entertainment Weekly on the subject. Here, we'll take a look at what viewers can expect when "Sex/Life" heads to streaming, complete with punk rock exes and the way that they're so easy to selectively remember fondly.
When will Sex/Life debut?
Like, you know, everything, production on "Sex/Life" was postponed thanks to the Great Rescheduling of 2020. Initially planned with a Spring 2020 start date, the series was pushed back, with principle photography finally getting off the ground in August.
As of right this second, "Sex/Life" is slated to drop on Netflix on June 25, 2021, in both the US and UK. A ways off? Certainly, but there's good news, too. When the show finally hits Netflix, it'll be in all its glory. No waiting week to week for new episodes for you, future "Sex/Life" fans: all eight episodes will be available at once, giving you upwards of six hours worth of television to watch strictly for the articles.
What's not known is when, or if, the rest of the books in B. B. Easton's "44 Chapters" series will get the streaming treatment. With four more stories in the series waiting to get the greenlight, there's no shortage of sauciness in sight.
Who stars in Sex/Life?
Starring as author B. B. Easton's stand in, Billie Connelly — not to be confused with the gruff but loveable father of both Boondock Saints — is Sarah Shahi. Shahi has an impressive resume already, having appeared as Jenny during the first season of "Alias" and, more recently, playing Renée Royce on "Chicago Fire." She'll also be joining the ever-growing legion of superhero movie actors in next year's "Black Adam," portraying Egyptian goddess Adrianna Tomaz aka Isis. According to an interview with EW, Shahi was so excited about the role in "Sex/Life" that she sent four separate audition tapes after her initial try out. "It was just super juicy. It's like biting into the richest piece of chocolate I've ever had," she said, of reading the script for the first time.
In the role of Connelly's "gorgeous, cold, number crunching husband" Cooper is Mike Vogel, who you'd probably recognize from "Cloverfield" if the camera had ever stopped moving. The show will also feature Adam Demos from "UnREAL" as Sarah's ex-boyfriend Brad, Jonathan Sadowski of "S#*! My Dad Says," and "Chicago P.D.'s" Li Jun Li.
What's the plot of Sex/Life?
The story goes something like this:
Sarah, the series lead, is, in the present moment, a suburban mom with a comfortable life. That said, there's something missing — namely, the white-hot erotic passion of her youth, spent cavorting with bikers, bassists, and other dangerous scofflaws.
"She'd become a version of herself that is marriage-worthy and that's a problem," Stacy Rukeyser told EW. "In hiding a big part of herself from (her husband) Cooper and hiding her desire (...) she's created a problem for herself. She did get the guy, but at what cost? The cost is denying a part of herself and it's been lying dormant for a while and it needs to be honored and celebrated and tended to because it's a real part of her."
From this personal disjunction comes a series of flashbacks and fantasies, exploring what Sarah really wants from her life and if giving up her wild side was worth the quiet life of a wife and mom.