Common Sense Media Review
By Kari Croop
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Sex-focused show is shockingly real. Adults only.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
What's the Story?
Using a handheld camera to capture the action with unflinching honesty, TELL ME YOU LOVE ME chronicles the sex lives of three couples at different points of the relationship spectrum. Jamie (Michelle Borth) and her fiancé, Hugo (Luke Farrell Kirby), have recently announced their engagement, but they don't live together yet; Carolyn (Sonya Walger) and Palek (Adam Scott) are married and childless, but they've been trying to conceive for a year; and Katie (Ally Walker) and Dave (Tim DeKay) have two children and a seemingly happy relationship, but they haven't had sex in ages. The show also offers a peek at the private life of the sex therapist (Jane Alexander) that the main characters have begun seeing for various reasons -- an older woman in her 60s who seems to have the healthiest relationship of the bunch.
Is It Any Good?
With no-holds-barred relationship drama TELL ME YOU LOVE ME, HBO is redefining what viewers are used to seeing on television and breaking new ground when it comes to sexual content. This isn't a show for the shy -- and it definitely isn't for kids. But it's also one of the most intriguing series to come to cable in a long time.
The most disarming aspect of Tell Me You Love Me isn't the unabashed display of graphic sex (although it's got that in spades). It's the fact that the lives of these characters are so frighteningly familiar that we can't help but see a little of ourselves. There's silence, there's subtext -- and there's truth between the lines.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why a show like this is off-limits for younger viewers but OK for adults to watch. What (or who) determines whether sexual acts shown on TV shows or in movies are considered graphic or pornographic? Do you think the show's producers wanted to create a program that titillates or educates -- or was a mixture of both? What messages does the show send about sex's role in a relationship?
TV Details
- Premiere date : September 9, 2007
- Cast : Ally Walker , Jane Alexander , Tim DeKay
- Network : HBO
- Genre : Drama
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 20, 2019
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