Masters of Sex : new time piece drama about human sexuality

Masters of Sex, Showtime's new drama.

Set in the mid-1950s, Masters of Sex focuses on the work of Dr. William Masters, a regionally famous OB/GYN at Washington University in St. Louis who wants to research human sexuality. Masters meets quite a bit of resistance from the higher-ups at the hospital and university, leading to a whole lot of time spent in brothels, but he finds a willing assistant in former lounge singer and single mom Virginia Johnson. The two take on the project in secret, drumming up various personal frustrations along the way.

Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon, Twilight, 30 Rock, and a slew of other things) plays the brilliant and kinda curmudgeonly Masters, and the even lovelier Lizzy Caplan (Party Down, New Girl, True Blood) is the curious and sexually open Johnson. Beau Bridges toplines a recurring cast full of somewhat-recognizable people including Caitlin Fitzgerald, Nicholas D'Agosto, Teddy Sears, and Annaleigh Ashford. The show was created by Michelle Ashford, who previously worked on The Pacific and John Adams. It's based on Thomas Maier's biography of the lead characters, Masters of Sex: The Life and Times of William Masters and Virginia Johnson.

The show debuts this Sunday, September 29 at 10pm on Showtime, right after the Season 3 premiere of Homeland, and at just about the same time as the final act of Breaking Bad.

Masters of Sex is mostly unlike the pay-cable, gritty, anti-hero stuff we've all grown accustomed to over the last decade-plus. You might think of making a Mad Men comparison because of the historical period, but Masters of Sex isn't as internal, or as bleak. And although it's from two character (Male and Female) points of view like many other shows we've seen recently (The Killing, The Americans, The Bridge, Broadchurch), there's no murder investigation. Masters of Sex won't feel unfamiliar to you, but it's not your typical cable drama.

The show isn't quite as interested in the meticulous period details that drive Mad Men, but it makes great use of the time period as far as cultural perceptions of sex and sexuality go. This is a premium-cable series about sex and sex research, so sure, there's a whole lot of nudity and plenty of amusing asides about the general prudishness of the time, but it never feels like those things are used egregiously. Because of their roles as researchers, Masters and Johnson often talk while other people are having sex, which is a fun spin on sexposition. But in general, Masters of Sex plays everything straight, from Masters' professional challenges to Johnson's personal ones, and to great effect.

It helps that the two leads are fantastic. Michael Sheen could've easily turned in an over-the-top, showy performance, but it's so much better to see him really dig into Masters' psyche to create a character that's taking on this big research project at least partially because he's as personally frustrated with sex as he is professionally confused. Lizzy Caplan more than holds her own as Virginia Johnson, a woman who has desires and dreams and who isn't really afraid to do whatever to achieve them. Together, she and Sheen have the type of great unresolved sexual tension that makes audiences go nuts.

Although the supporting cast is pretty strong, once the show starts following various characters outside of the study, it's simply not as compelling. Upcoming episodes suggest some lame stuff with Masters' family history, but the larger world is still solid. Other than that? Not a whole lot. I mean, unless you don't like watching people have simulated sex, or dildos with cameras on them. If that's the case, maybe this show isn't for you.

Masters of Sex is, without question, the best new series of the fall; it's not even close (sorry, Marvel fans). The show is smart, straightforward, well-acted, and very well-produced. And perhaps best of all, at least at this early stage, it has the confidence to just tell the stories it wants to tell, without piling on some of the more familiar ( tired) cable drama tropes.

AMC, HBO and Showtime .......... Troubling times at Cable powerhouses

AMC vesus Showtime versus HBO

Broadchurch : A murder mystery drama that puts aside the mystery and gives you drama which pulls you in

I want to talk about a new show i just watched, only 8 episodes in the first season, just watched all episodes in 2 days, and it is riveting! It is one murder and it stirres up a whole town, in which everyone seems to have secrets and problems... welcome to Broadchurch.

Broadchurch : Show synopsis
David Tennant ( The 10th Doctor Who) and Olivia Colman lead the cast in this powerful new detective series. A small community in Dorset is rocked by the death of local boy Danny Latimer. D.I. Alec Hardy (Tennant) a weird out-of-town detective with a checkered past, is drafted in to head up the investigation instead of local officer DS Ellie Miller (Colman).
As the investigation proceeds, the lives of the locals - from the Latimer family, to priest Paul Coates and mysterious Susan Wright are explored as they deal with the life changing events.

News Brief: New Series Debuting and Casting news

 
Since most of all the new pilots have been accepted or discarded last month, there have been little/slow new information to provide. Aso we have Some news which came out last week and New Series premiered last week worth checking out.

.... "Graceland”, about agents from different law agencies living together in a house. Created by Jeff Eastin, who created ”White Collar” for USA network as well.
Graceland is the name of an impeccably decorated beachfront home where the FBI, the DEA, and U.S. Customs house a handful of their best agents, Real World-style, so that they can work together to catch the bad guys. Starring Daniel Sunjata (Rescue Me) and Aaron Tveit's (Les Miserables).They're joined by Vanessa Ferlito (24, CSI: New York), Brandon Jay McLaren (Falling Skies, The Killing), Manny Montana (Chicago Code), and Serinda Swan (Breakout Kings).

.... "In The Flesh”– this show puts a unique twist on the zombie genre by bringing the undead back from the undead, so to speak.
In the world where "In the Flesh" takes place, the dead rose from their graves, ate human brains, got better, were rehabilitated through treatment and counseling, and then rejoined society, where they now live—with the help makeup and colored contact lenses—as if they'd simply had a bad case of the chicken pox (the show refers to their condition as "Partially Deceased Syndrome"—PDS). But at the same time, untreated zombies roam freely and cause serious problems. Sounds pretty cool, right?

CATELYN STARK NEWS
... ”Game of Thrones' Michelle Fairley, who had quite a bit to do in last week's epic episode, has booked a recurring role on the upcoming third season of ”Suits". She'll play a British oil entrepreneur who hires Harvey to defend her against a lawsuit. Look for her debut in the Season 3 premiere on July 16.
... Justin Theroux ("Parks and Recreation", the movie Wanderlust) landed what may be the cushiest new acting gig of next year, taking the lead in HBO's pilot ”The Leftovers". The show comes from Lost's Damon Lindelof and follows those who remain behind after the Rapture takes the virtuous away..

... "Defiance" will welcome guest-star Brian J. Smith (Stargate Universe) as astronaut Gordon McLintock. The character was put into an induced coma after a space station accident in 2013, and will have his mind blown when he wakes up to see that Earth has changed, Oh, and all the aliens and stuff. 

BUSINESS TIME
... NBC's ”Revolution" ended its first season last night with a slight ratings uptick, racking up a 2.0 in the adult demo. It finishes as the second-best rated new series after Fox's "The Following".

... MTV's "Teen Wolf" returned for Season 3 last week, and brought back a whole lot more viewers. The premiere was the series' most-watched episode to date, averaging 2.4 million viewers.