Emmy Award winner and five-time Academy Award nominee Michelle Williams returns to the small screen on April 4 in the new FX on Hulu comedy-drama limited series Dying for Sex. Based on the podcast of the same name, which chronicled the true story of a woman battling cancer and exploring her sexuality, the series Williams stars as Molly and Jenny Slate as her best friend Nikki.
When Molly's cancer returns and she receives a Stage IV diagnosis, she decides to turn her life upside for the time that she has left. She ends her marriage to her husband Steven (Jay Duplass) and embarks on a journey to express herself sexually in ways she hadn't before. Throughout her journey, she faces hard truths about her past that help her feel liberated and fulfilled.
Obviously, the title Dying for Sex perfectly encapsulates the plot of the series and suggests the content that viewers can expect in its eight-episode season. But how graphic does the nudity and sexuality get? And is there anything triggering that potential viewers should look out for? We're sharing an explanation of the new Hulu show's age rating below!
Dying for Sex on Hulu parents guide
According to the show's official page on Hulu, Dying for Sex has been given an age rating of TV-MA, which means the series is only appropriate for mature audiences. The title gives away two major themes of the show: death and sex. Those are explored with graphic detail and shouldn't be consumed by younger viewers.
Dying for Sex will be available to watch on Disney+ if you have the Hulu bundle, so make sure to set parental controls. But beyond protecting younger viewers, it's also important to know what you're getting into before watching a show. Let's take a closer look at a spoiler-free explanation of the show's sex, nudity, language, and trigger warnings.
Sex and nudity
The sex and nudity in Dying for Sex is severe. There are multiple instances of male full-frontal nudity, including a couple instances of a character receiving images of penises from a dating app. During a sexual encounter, a man strips naked and his genitals are visible for an extended period of time. It's likely a prosthetic, but be warned that there's full-frontal nudity.
Other instances of nudity include male rear nudity and female upper nudity. In one scene, a man's erection can be seen through his underwear, though it's a quick shot from a wide angle. As for the sex scenes, there are a lot of them across eight episodes. Most are more sensual than explicit, but the scenes feature masturbation, oral sex, orgasms, and kinks. One scene takes place during a sex party.
Language and violence
While the language in Dying for Sex is heightened and contains expletives, the mature language mostly comes from the topics that are discussed by the characters, which are sex and cancer. These topics are spoken about freely and without a filter and could be potentially uncomfortable for some viewers. As for violence, aside from a female character kicking a male character in the penis, the show doesn't feature violence in a significant way.
Content and trigger warnings
Dying for Sex viewers should be aware of certain triggering content before tuning into the series. Molly's battle with cancer and her health isn't shied away from and is presented with as much realism as possible. She attends chemotherapy, radiation, and other procedures and spends a significant amount of time in hospitals with varied side effects. The ending, which explores what happens at the end of a person's life, might be especially triggering for some viewers. Take care of yourself and proceed with caution before binge-watching the limited series.