Craig Blankenhorn/SHOWTIME Are you blushing?
Showtime's new drama Masters of Sex premiered Sunday night and introduced viewers to the two pioneers of the study of human sexuality: William Masters (Michael Sheen) and Virginia Johnson (Lizzy Caplan), the real-life couple whose research in the 1960s paved the way for the sexual revolution. So yeah, they are kind of a big deal. But does their story make for compelling TV? That's what we're here to find out!
So now that you've seen it, let's talk about Masters of Sex, baby! (Sorry, we couldn't resist and hate ourselves for that pun, too. Don't worry.)
Based on Thomas Maier's biography Masters of Sex: The Life and Times of William Masters and Virginia Johnson and also starring Caitlin Fitzgerald, Teddy Sears, Nicholas D'Agosto, Beau Bridges and Allison Janney, Masters of Sex shines a light on the complicated relationship between Masters and Johnson. Though he was married when they first started working together, Masters divorced his first wife and married Johnson in 1971. (The couple divorced in 1992.) But it seems like they may have never actually been in love.
"What's fascinating about that relationship is that even up to the very end when, Virginia only died fairly recently, and she was saying, 'There was never any love between us, it was always a business deal,'" Sheen told us. "The fact that they got married, they were together for so long, it's really fascinating to know that there's so much mystery in that relationship and that's what we're going to explore."
As for taking on the role of Johnson, Caplan admitted to us that she did feel some pressure. "I feel a real responsibility to do a good job, especially since Virginia just passed away recently," she explained. "I feel like a lot of people aren't aware of who they are even though they were groundbreaking and influence everything that we do in the modern world."
Now we want to hear from you: Vote in our latest Save It or Sink It poll below then head on down to the comments to discuss Masters of Sex with your fellow TV lovers.