Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
New HBO Sex Series Rumored to show Penetration
HBO has been known to push the envelope. Thanks to the fact that subscribers pay extra for the channel, and there are no commercials, the network is neither beholden to the FCC or uptight whiners.
Without those restrictions, the network has been able to blossom with adult-orientated shows like The Sopranos, Taxi Cab Confessions, and Entourage. Now there's word that HBO has a new series about sex that actually shows real penetration between the "actors".
The TV Critics Association summer press tour is in town and Thursday HBO gets their chance to answer questions from the press about the new show.
...[T]he first press conference that's bound to have some uncomfortable-making questions comes Thursday when HBO panels its upcoming series "Tell Me You Love Me." It's the show most likely to be labeled a pornographic bore. The story of several pairs of lovers in couples counseling with a therapist (Jane Alexander), the "Tell Me..." pilot features what appears to be actors having actual, not simulated, sex. There's a scene of apparent penetration, a woman (actress Sonya Walger, or possibly Ally Walker, I have trouble telling them apart and both are in this show) masturbates her male partner to completion and Alexander's character appears to perform oral sex on her husband.
Normally I would just dismiss this as sexual special effects, but we live in a world post-"Shortbus," last year's film in which the actors did have actual sex on camera. And HBO's press release for the series, premiering Sept. 9, is intentionally cagey, saying the show "looks at the connection, or disconnection, between sex and intimacy," and quotes HBO executive Carolyn Strauss who says, "The show reveals characters and relationships through everyday, telling moments in a way that broadcast TV can't do." - Post-Gazette
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
