The True Story Behind Netflix's Sex/Life Will Make You Sweat

Netflix's hottest show, Sex/Life, is based off a 2016 memoir. See what the author had to say about the series.

By Alyssa Ray Jul 06, 2021 5:16 PMTags
Watch: "Sex/Life": Adam Demos & Sarah Shahi Turn Up the Heat

Sex/Life may be the most titillating sexual fantasy on Netflix, but for author B. B. Easton it's understandably unreal.

Why? Well, for those who may not know, the new drama is based on her 2016 book, 44 Chapters About 4 Men. Similar to the series, the memoir was initially a journal of sorts for B.B., who documented her past escapades with ex-lovers, which included "a tattoo artist turned U.S. Marine turned motorcycle club outlaw, a baby-faced punk rocker out on parole and a heavy metal bass player," per the Amazon description.

On taking this sexy walk down memory lane, B.B. told Oprah Daily, "That was the most cathartic experience for me. It helped me form a bridge between my current life and the girl I used to be. I was living my current life but I was writing about all these fun experiences and it helped me feel like I was the same person."

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Of course, Netflix has since taken this cathartic experience and turned into one of the hottest shows of 2021—or maybe ever. "Sex/Life is the story of a love triangle between a woman, her husband, and her past that takes a provocative new look at female identity and desire," a description for the show explained. "Exhausted from taking care of her two young kids and feeling nostalgic for her past, Billie starts journaling and fantasizing about her passionate exploits with sexy ex-boyfriend Brad (Adam Demos), the big heartbreak she never got over. But the more Billie remembers, the more she wonders how she got here—and then her husband (Mike Vogel) finds her journal."

AMANDA MATLOVICH/NETFLIX

And like Billie and Cooper's sexual revolution throughout the series, the book's description teased that the discovery of the journal by B.B.'s husband made him up "his f--king game." 

Although there are similarities between the book and TV adaptation, B.B. never left her husband for another man. "It's the same undertone of the book," she said on this key change. "Is there something better? Does it get better than this? She's exploring the same question...it ramps up the drama."

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In fact, it seems B.B. and her husband have enjoyed tuning into the series. "Seeing these gorgeous supermodel humans on a screen portraying characters based on my husband and myself while we're sitting on our busted, 12-year-old couch in our sweatpants, quarantine day 587...we're just so tickled," she raved to the publication. "It's been an absolute dream come true that I didn't even know I had."

Speaking of the striking stars leading Sex/Life, Adam, who plays Brad opposite real-life girlfriend Sarah Shahi, once revealed that the sex scenes for TV series often feel "so mechanical."

"People ask if you get carried away, but you've got sound guys and cameramen right around you with the big beards," he said on The Kyle & Jackie O Show. "That's a bit of a turn off."

That's the magic of TV, as they say!

Sex/Life is available to stream on Netflix.

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