Tell Me You Love Me

I'm a big fan of HBO original programming.  I'd say that roughly 90% of the shows they have produced in the last 7 years, I've watched loyally.  In fact I've been a huge fan of  programs like Deadwood, Rome, Big Love, The Wire and Six Feet Under (the Sopranos too, but it's too obvious to mention).  Lately though there seems to be some stumbling at the HBO programming offices.  John from Cincinnati was a train wreck of a show that fortunately has already been cancelled.  Flight of the Concords, while I think is pretty funny, is decidedly hit or miss with audiences and Lucky Louie never seemed to get any audience.

This week started HBO's newest foray into dramatic television.  Tell Me You Love Me premiered last Sunday and as usual I Tivo'd it and waited with great anticipation to see what it was all about.  Curiously, there seemed to be little hype, comparatively, for the show.  Most advertising I saw for it came merely 2 weeks prior to the premier and there was little to none outside of HBO's own channel promotion.  The only thing I had really heard about the show at all was that it was "sexually charged programming".

Last night we finally got a chance to sit down and watch the first episode.  "Sexually charged" would be an understatement.  I can guarantee you that you have never...ever...seen as explicit and intimate portrayals of sexual conduct on any network TV.  You'd have to subscribe to the Playboy channel to get a more explicit presentation, and even then.  In the first episode we saw nearly every "star's" boobs and bush, at least 2 penis', a 60+ year old woman giving her husband a bj, another couple having sex that at least seemed to be un-simulated penetration, a woman watching as her husband master bated, and in one of the more shocking (for network) scenes, a woman give her husband a handjob, un-simulated, complete with..well.."completion".  One wonders what episode 2 holds in store.

What we didn't see, unfortunately, was a plot.  The show essentially revolves around a senior citizen aged family counselor (or maybe she's a sex therapist I'm not sure yet) who is counseling or will be counselling the 3 couples that are featured on the show.  One an engaged young couple, another a middle aged couple struggling to have a baby and a third couple who have two lovely kids and a seemingly happy loving relationship, just no sex (at least not with each other).  The problem so far with the show however, is that there's been lots of shock but no awe.  For now anyway, I could care less about any of the couples depicted.  If they fix their issues fine, if they divorce, that's fine too.  There's no one to root for or against.  It seems like they're trying to make a documentary only with actors.  Personally if I wanted to see a documentary, I'd rent one, and I'd prefer it to be with real people not actors.  At least the sex is portrayed with people who are paid to be beautiful.

I'll probably stick it out (wait...that didn't come out right ) for at least a couple more shows hoping that the first was just a poor attempt at introducing characters.  If there's no story or plot to get into though I'm not sure why you'd watch it at all.  If you just want to see people have sex, go rent a porn.