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Monday, April 13, 2026
The Observer

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"Masters of Sex"

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The Showtime period drama “Masters of Sex” is based on the real life Dr. William Masters (Michael Sheen) and Virginia Johnson (Lizzy Caplan), who conducted groundbreaking research on human sexuality at Washington University in St. Louis beginning in the late 1950s. The scope of their relationship soon moves far beyond simply being research partners, and the couple’s chemistry becomes the show’s emotional centerpiece. Equally interesting is how the show, which is two-thirds through its fantastic second season, is exploring issues of gender, sexuality and race in a manner unlike anything else currently on television. Show developer Michelle Ashford and the show’s writers use the context of repressed, post-war America — before “The Feminine Mystique,” before the March on Washington, before the Stonewall Riots — as the backdrop for its progressive ideology.