Some minor spoilers for The Looking Wives might be discovered all through this piece.
Pay attention, it’s a tough fact that nudity is falling out of favor on the TV schedule. Ten to fifteen years in the past, we had applications like Spartacus and Recreation of Thrones dropping intercourse scenes onto pay cable on a weekly foundation. Now, as actors have landed extra say over roles and intimacy coordinators have turn into the norm, we’ve seen fewer and fewer intercourse scenes. A part of this additionally has to do with Gen Z, a whole coming-of-age demographic that doesn’t truly like to see intimacy onscreen. Nonetheless, a brand new present on Netflix is defying the norms.
Netflix has been recognized for sexually express films and exhibits once in a while. Regardless, I used to be a bit stunned at how a lot nudity cropped up in The Looking Wives when it hit the Netflix schedule on the tail finish of July. In reality, the primary episode exhibits Sophie (Brittany Snow), a little bit of a fish out of water, wandering into a toilet at a celebration in her new residence state of Texas. There, she meets Margot (Malin Akerman), who beautiful drops her gown and exhibits off her bare physique in entrance of the newcomer. It’s only a fast second, however it units the tone for a present about energy dynamics, and one which continues to be sexually alluring via its runtime.
Regardless of The Looking Wives, Nudity Is Declining On TV
Regardless of the very fact there are TV orgy supercuts on the market, the quantity of nudity on the small display screen has declined drastically over the previous few many years. A research launched by The Economist revealed that intercourse has declined on TV practically 40% because the 12 months 2000. One other roundup of commentary researched by UCLA discovered that GenZ prefers to see platonic relationships play out onscreen. In reality, of the check group, 51.5% expressed a want for much less intercourse and extra friendship proven onscreen. Some additionally expressed a desire for fewer heteronormative relationships and extra selection.
On this manner, The Looking Wives can also be a bit distinctive. It’s a present about utilizing intercourse to control and to flee actuality. It’s additionally a present about obsession and fantasy, and one younger lady going out of her solution to discover past the confines of her personal marriage… with one other lady. Brittany Snow’s character is a bit out of her depth in small-town Texas, however her new buddy Margot helps her to regulate pretty shortly, instructing her about each weapons and intercourse, and inspiring her to interact in additional hedonistic behaviors away from residence.
It’s not the kind of function we’ve seen from Snow in previous gigs like Pitch Good, and it is form of good to see her spice issues up. As well as, her character’s addictive persona is manipulated by Margot in a manner that makes for compelling TV, but in addition some fairly horny stuff, filmed from with a female eye. (All episodes of The Looking Wives have been directed by ladies.)
Regardless of the ulterior motives from the gals, I believe The Looking Wives handles its intercourse each explicitly and tactfully for essentially the most half, and it provides an intriguing subtext to the sin-in-small-town America plotline.
Given the present’s had a strong run on Netflix’s Prime 10 record, I do really feel there may be nonetheless an urge for food for sexually express content material on the market. (Not less than if I can use my coworker’s response to The Looking Wives as proof.) Certain, a major chunk of Gen Z is probably not as , however there are plenty of streaming audiences on the market that also have an urge for food for these items. I believe when it is achieved effectively, intercourse scenes nonetheless have a spot on tv, and I am glad the brand new Netflix drama selected to not forgo a few of its sexier stuff.
Clearly, when you aren’t a fan of boobs flashed on your private home TV or if have younger children within the residence, I’m completely not recommending you throw on The Looking Wives. However when you’re a consenting grownup lacking the times HBO obtained a bit rowdy, Malin Akerman and Brittany Snow’s enjoyable new Netflix present is a good substitute.