Speak Up Saturday: Sex Scenes

[yourlibrarian]

A lot has changed in the last 20 years for U.S. television in terms of explicit sexual portrayals and explicit discussion of sexual acts. I came across an article which argued for what makes one well done (Warning: Spoilers for Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 6):

"Yes, sex scenes in television today may have the ability to show as much nudity as they want, but two hot actors getting undressed does not a good sex scene make...reminder that great writing will always outclass shock value."

I think many might argue that character and slow build storytelling matters more than nudity, but what other elements make for a good sex scene, and which shows do you think have done it well?

What's more, what differences are there in non-U.S. productions that are better or worse when it comes to portraying sexual intimacy?

Comments

[jo]

I can totally live without sex scenes because I honestly just do not care at all. And 99% of them are just totally cringe. I mostly watch shows that don't have any because the genres I prefer usually don't involve sex scenes. The only exception to that is Outlander. And I have to say that in recent seasons, they've increasingly been doing the "fade to black" thing rather than having an actual sex scene. Which is fine for me, but I am certain infuriates the hardcore fans out there (especially those who wish every episode was just the Wedding episode from season 1 over and over again). In fact, the only sex scene that didn't do that in the season 7 first half didn't even involve Jamie and Claire -- it was a Roger and Bree scene.

I've been thinking more of the last sentence of your post -- differences with non-US productions. As I said, I don't gravitate towards shows that would by default include romantic/sex scenes because that's not my thing. And in terms of non-US/Canadian productions, I mostly watch British stuff. I will say that one big difference in general is that UK shows cast actors who look like real people -- e.g. older, not stunningly beautiful model types. So if there is any sort of romantic scene (not just sex scene), it's maybe more relatable because the people look like normal people? I've watched a lot of Danish productions too, e.g. Borgen, Forbrydelson, Bron/Broen, etc. but again, not shows where sex scenes were really going to come up much, if at all.

[yourlibrarian]

Yes, I noticed that about Outlander, both the type of scene and that the most explicit one was Roger and Bree. I wonder if it's a negotiation by the stars or just a writing decision.

And I had long noticed the same about older British shows, though I must say that it's become very similar now with the U.S. when it comes to younger cast members. They are just all more attractive and casting for looks seems important. However what's still quite different is older actors. For starters, the older actors are more likely to look their age, and the older actors also seem more likely to be in romantic storylines. So there's still a greater sense of normality there.