Masters of Sex: Science vs. Society

Showtime's Masters of Sex is not a show for prudes. But it is a show for people who love well-written and well-executed period dramas starring great actors. And if that wasn't enough, it's all based on a true story.

The glorious Michael Sheen and Lizzie Caplan star as Dr. William Masters and Virginia Johnson, research pioneers who defied social taboos to study and promote the understanding of human sexual response. The show begins at the beginning - Virginia Johnson arrives at Washington University in St. Louis as a secretary in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, which is headed by Dr. William Masters. Masters has been secretly working on research into human sexuality by partnering up with Betty (Annaleigh Ashford), a prostitute who lets him watch her "dalliances" through a peephole. Of course, this is less than ideal, and the increasingly frustrated Masters decides he needs to conduct an above-board, proper scientific study. In the meantime, Johnson discovers the nature of his research work and immediately volunteers to help him run things.

Johnson is much more frank and open about sexual matters than the repressed Masters. She is a divorcee with two kids and is not shy in bed, much to the delight and doom of Ethan Haas, a young doctor who works with Masters. She knows how to talk to the research participants and how to convince people to sign up for the study by ensuring them that this is for the advancement of science and not smut. Masters is married to Libby, a very 50s woman who is unsuccessfully trying to get pregnant, and his growing fascination with Johnson lends sexual tension to a show that is already bursting at the seams. However, most of the sex depicted on the show is very clinical: Masters is adamant that the study be conducted in as scientific and professional a manner as possible, so the sex scenes are often quite comical in their complete lack of sexiness.

The show is set in the 1950s and each episode features gorgeous production design and impeccable performances from the leads and supporting players. Creator Michelle Ashford has a majority-female writing staff, a true rarity in television, and this is reflected in the scripts. They feature complex female characters who are never pigeonholed into 50s stereotypes: Master's wife is not some Stepford blonde, and Virginia Johnson is impossible to fit into any mold. Even Betty, the prostitute, is an interesting character study - she isn't the whore with a heart of gold, but she's certainly not a hard-bitten vamp either.

Masters of Sex is the perfect example of a prestige cable drama. From casting to writing to design, this show is flawless. There's nothing else like it on network television so you should certainly seek it out. The pilot episode is available for free on YouTube, so head over there and start watching the best new drama on television.