Sex/Life

Sex/Life is an American 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 who is 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 (season 2), Sasha's ex-fiancé from 17 years ago who now a medical doctor that runs an international medical non-profit known as First Do No Harm
Darius Homayoun as Majid (season 2), Billie's new love interest who owns a restaurant
Recurring
Jonathan Sadowski as Devon, Cooper's colleague and friend who is a swinger
Meghan Heffern as Caroline, another fake happy mom from the suburbs
Amber Goldfarb as Trina, Devon's wife who is also a swinger and not happy about her married life
Hannah Galway as Emily, Cooper's ex-girlfriend before his marriage to Billie
Li Jun Li as Francesca, Cooper's boss who has feelings for Cooper and a successful businesswoman who knows what she wants
Wallis Day as Gigi (season 2), Brad's new girlfriend who is pregnant with their baby
Dylan Bruce as Spencer (season 2), Cooper's older openly gay brother who is a divorce lawyer
Craig Bierko as Mick (season 2), Sasha's agent who is helping Sasha taking her career to the next level
Episodes
Series overview
Season 1 (2021)
Season 2 (2023)
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.
References
External links
2020s American drama television series
2021 American television series debuts
2023 American television series endings
English-language Netflix original programming
Midlife crisis in television
Television productions postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Television series about marriage
Television shows based on American novels
Television shows filmed in Ontario
Television shows set in Connecticut