Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Showtime’s original drama series Masters of Sex was cancelled late last year after just 4 seasons on the network and for this writer, entirely too soon. Just as the characters were in the midst of both personal and professional transformations, the storyline was put to rest due to poor view counts. The cast’s phenomenal acting and the show’s intriguing storyline made for some really interesting television that is truly missed.
The series centered on real-life characters William Masters and Virginia Johnson, human sexuality researchers, played by Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan respectively. The brilliant period drama presented a topic that was so touchy at the time and showed the societal boundaries that the two sexologists had to navigate in order to conduct their research. The series also touched on the pair’s private lives, which included neglectful parenting, infidelity and general family disconnect.
Sheen and Caplan’s portrayals of two lustful co-researchers who become so enthralled with their work that they fall for each other are truly award-worthy. Seriously, just bring the show back and give these two an Emmy. Just prior to the end of the show’s fourth season, Bill and Virginia are left standing at the chapel in wedding garb in front of a sea of cameras. Bill’s thoughts appeared to be racing and questioning whether he was doing the right thing.
Furthermore, Masters and Johnson worked tirelessly to save their practice from disintegration throughout the season after a recent hire’s attempt to use the duo’s intellectual property for her own gain. If Showtime would have renewed the series for a fifth season, viewers would have been able to witness the couple’s happy (or not-so-happy) ending in regards to their relationship and work. There was simply too much left unresolved.
According to Deadline, Masters Of Sex was a modest ratings performer for Showtime despite its intriguing premise. Each episode of Season 4 averaged less than 800,000 views per week within three days of its premiere. Across multiple platforms, Masters of Sex Season Four was averaging 2.16 million viewers in November.
To sum this up, we think that the series had way too many unresolved plot scenarios and despite its ratings, it SHOULD have been just as big of a success as shows like Ray Donovan and Shameless. The acting alone was phenomenal and if we can’t get more Masters of Sex, we certainly can’t wait for Sheen and Caplan’s next projects, whatever they may be.
Michael is a music and television junkie keen on most things that are not a complete and total bore. You can follow him on Twitter — @Tweetskoor
