Ready or not, here it comes: the TV fixation with sexual infidelity. The upcoming shows this fall more than confirm a lust for forbidden love on the screen – or so says The Hollywood Reporter.
The Hollywood Reporter (THR) revealed the trend in a recent article [1] by citing shows such as Showtime’s “The Affair” and HBO’s “Open.” THR’s Lesley Goldberg highlighted the fascination, noting, “Forbidden love seems to be in the air at television networks as infidelity has become the latest theme to sweep development executives off their feet.”
Showtime’s “The Affair” proves the point only too well. Starring
actors Joshua Jackson, Maura Tierney, Dominic West, and Ruth Wilson, the show
depicts memories of an affair – which also consequently ruined two marriages. But
not to worry, as Wilson
praised
the show as [2] “brilliant, really relevant to modern society” because “You get
their [man’s and woman’s] points of view as to why they had the affair, their
justification for it, if they have one.”
THR quoted HBO Executive Vice President of Original Programming Gary Levine saying, “We always wanted to go deep inside two marriages and threaten them with an affair.” Well, its good to have goals. He continued “Can we be as explosive within two honest and intimate relationships as we can be with a serial killer and the world's freedom at stake?”
Another drama, from “Suits” producer Sean Jablonski, was greenlighted by USA [3]. While still in want of a title, the production’s name might look something like, “Husband Finds Wife’s Escort’s Phone.”
Not to be left out of the infidelity mix, HBO’s advertised Ryan Murphy’s “Open,” which reviewers describe as [4] “a multi-character exploration of the complex, ever-evolving landscape of sexuality, monogamy and intimacy in relationships.” Murphy created “Nip-Tuck,” “Glee” and the mercifully short-lived “The New Normal,” and has said his goal [5] is to bring explicit sex scenes to broadcast TV.
FX’s anticipated but still untitled comedy, starring Judy Greer and Nat Faxon, is the story of a wife who permits her husband to obtain sexual satisfaction elsewhere to save their marriage. Last but not least, ABC's “Betrayal,” portrays a photographer, played by “Boss’” Hannah Ware, who sleeps with her attorney husband’s opposing counsel.
“Contemporary audiences are interested in watching characters navigate ethical challenges and moral dilemmas,” said “Betrayal” Executive Producer David Zabel. He concluded, “The lure of infidelity is a universal and deeply personal moral crisis that everyone can identify with or relate to in some way."
THR credited Shonda Rhimes’ dramas for having “helped audiences root for the other woman” with affairs like “Grey's Anatomy's” Derek and Meredith and “Scandal’s” Fitz and Olivia.