There’s plenty of sex on TV, though much of it is incidental window dressing—thoughtlessly tossed in as if by decree from ratings-hungry executives (looking at you, Game of Thrones).
Honestly, I’m the last one to turn up my nose at a bit of gratuitous nudity, especially given that we’re beginning to see a bit more gender parity on that front. But it’s much rarer to see anything resembling a true exploration of sexuality: the messy, complicated, sweaty, and occasionally gratifying realities of sex, porn, masturbation, sex work, fetish, relationships, and trauma.
Still, over the past decade, there has been a noticeable uptick in smart, interesting, often sex positive shows exploring different types of relationships and sexualities while normalizing good ol’ healthy fucking. Here are a dozen of them to add to your watchlist.