MASTERS OF SEX
SBS1
Thursday October 3, 9.30pm
The US continues its love affair with the 1950s in this stylishly salacious new drama.
Based on the book of the same title, the series follows two real-life researchers as they kick-start the sexual revolution.
William Masters (Michael Sheen) is a renowned obstetrician whose work on fertility has produced extraordinary results.
However, his sideline involves him hiding in wardrobes and watching prostitutes with their clients.
When one such prostitute introduces him to the concept of the fake orgasm, Masters decides he needs better access to the female mind. Step forward Virginia Johnson (Lizzy Caplan), a single mother and former nightclub singer, turned medical secretary.
Mad Men is the obvious point of reference here and, for once, it’s not an unflattering one.
While the script is a little too earnest (reminding us every minute or so just how groundbreaking and important events are), there’s a nice dry line in wit, the production is slick and the performances top-notch.
Sheen is appealingly odd, while Caplan is captivating. Her Johnson is flawed, fierce and wonderfully human, in an age where being human was something best kept under your hat.
