Putting the O in HBO

Sex on TV has the same problem as sports in the movies: It hardly ever looks like the real thing. It’s all hard bodies in soft focus and glorifying slow motion.

HBO’s new drama, Tell Me You Love Me, does not have this problem. In fact, we guarantee that at some point during the first few episodes you’ll ask, “Are they really…fucking?� The series, like Showtime’s Californication and CW’s Gossip Girl, will grab attention for its treatment of sex-it’s explicit, with loads of fullfrontal nudity and even (whoa!) what must be cable TV’s first money shot. But it’s really about four committed hetero relationships and the difficult day-to-day business of keeping them going. There are repeated excruciating sessions with an older therapist who is still hot to trot herself. With a handheld camera that peeks over shoulders into private moments, TMYLM sustains an intensely voyeuristic atmosphere. The show could, in fact, use a few comic notes to leaven the domestic drama. (Note to the writers: Guys don’t say, “We’re pregnant,� okay? Ever.) But with a firstrate cast and plenty of subtle, revealing moments that viewers will recognize from their own lives, TMYLM gives HBO another solid Sundaynight show—even if it won’t make anyone forget that conflicted mob boss from Jersey just yet.

-By John Bolster