Sex in TV shows...

[TwoPintsOfAleAndABagOfPorkScratchings]

I'll start this by saying that I don't really watch TV. I have one and I'll sometimes watch a documentary on Netflix or something but I don't watch TV.

Shows that other people have watched over the years have completely passed me by. For example, last year, I watched the first season of Prison Break for the first time. I just find it boring. I don't get invested or care about the characters so I generally don't watch it.

Anyway, my partner is more of a TV watcher than I will ever be and, if he wants to watch something, I go and do something else.

But because of him, I've become more aware of what is out there. I still have no interest in watching any of it though!

One thing that has really come to my attention is how much violent and explicit sex is in just ordinary TV shows. I know he watched Game of Thrones before we got together and he talked about watching House of the Dragon although, as far as I know, he hasn't yet. He's also just finished watching the most recent seasons of The Boys.

I'm just really uncomfortable with the level of nudity and explicit sex in these shows. I haven't said anything to him about him watching it because we've only been together for 2 and a half years and these are things he started watching before we got together. But he does know I don't like it and doesn't suggest we watch anything like that together.

But he's now shown an interest in a new series on Prime called something like Those Who Are About to Die or something. I looked it up to see if it was something i could watch with him and again its full of explicit sex, nudity, prostitutes etc.

It just feels, I don't know, degrading to me as a woman that women are exploited in this way for entertainment? That entertainment has to include gratuitous sex and violence against women. And men too to be honest. I don't like that either. It just feels unnecessary And I don't like it.

It might sound extreme but I just can't get my head round being with someone who is so kind and loving towards me enjoying watching women being raped and brutalised. Or even just the explicit sex and nudity.

And I don't think I want to be in a relationship with someone who watches it week in and week out for entertainment.

But I also know that some women enjoy these shows too. I've tried telling myself that it isn't real but the nudity is real, the bodies are real and the sexual acts are either real or designed to appear very real.

What are other people's thoughts on this?

If you don't want to watch anything with sex in these days, get a Britbox subscription (i.e. old shows) and cancel your Netflix etc.

If anyone know of any petitions I’m more than happy to sign…

No, you can just watch Station Eleven. I think I mentioned the series upthread; a dystopic on Max.
I was astonished that 10 episodes a 1 hour each had just a tiny, and integral to story, sex scene.
It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I thought it was an amazing show.

There’s also a birth scene where you can see the baby’s head crowning.
The violence is realistic and not gory.

I’ll watch this kind of series any day over the dross that’s on offer otherwise.

I used to not really think about sex scenes too much, and I love TVand movies. Although I noticed they were getting more and more graphic and and in programmes where it wasn't needed (pretty much all genres of new series!) Ove the last year I found out my husband was a sex addict and it crushed me. I still struggle to watch really graphic scenes because I think that's what was worth more than family, and so many men would do the same for a quick fix.

At some point younger people will need better role models than people with no self control and actual or quasi sex workers. There's more to life!

"Outlander, because that show is supposed to be more female-friendly. Yet in every episode the main character was either in danger of getting raped or was actually getting raped. It was such a one-note show. I found it really off-putting."

You really haven't seen many Outlander episodes. I do remember some of the earlier scenes showing her in danger of being raped, but she had just time travelled to war-torn 18th century life so I found it quite realistic.

There's a difference between enjoying the TV show and enjoying the sex/nudity/violence though

I've watched most of the series you've mentioned and don't really feel any strong way about most of the sex/violence and could take or leave most of them - some are necessary to the plot, others are a bit redundant (game of thrones was criticised quite heavily for its "sexposition" and tbf house of the dragon is a bit better in that regard), a few are vaguely entertaining (e.g. the violence in the boys is pretty much essential to the plot) - just because i enjoy those shows as a whole doesn't mean I enjoy every single part of them.

Its quite a massive, and, frankly, weird jump to assume that just because he likes some very popular shows doesnt mean he is "enjoying watching women being raped and brutalised." There are lots of other things he could like about those shows.

I'm sure you like some things that might have elements that other people could criticise.

Most people agree that friends, for example, is quite outdated now, with elements of racism, sexism, fat phobia, transphobia that are pretty shocking to a 2025 viewer- how would you feel if you told someone you enjoyed friends and they decided that must mean you endorse those jokes and are a massive homophobe and racist?

"There's a difference between enjoying the TV show and enjoying the sex/nudity/violence though"

There's also a big difference between enjoying TV sex and nudity and enjoying TV violence.

"Most people agree that friends, for example, is quite outdated now, with elements of racism, sexism, fat phobia, transphobia that are pretty shocking to a 2025 viewer"

I don't think MOST people agree with this at all. Not if you surveyed a cross-section of ages.

Sorry, I meant most decent people

It isn't being precious or a snowflake to accept that social attitudes have changed over 25plus years. I'm not calling for friends to be cancelled or shunned in disgust -just pointing out the pretty obvious fact that some jokes that were okay in 1997 no longer are.

If you look at the British social attitudes surveys, for example, you'll see that views have changed pretty drastically amongst all sections of the population, not just younger people.

Even the creators and actors (also not exactly spring chickens) have confirmed there are storylines and phrases they regret/wouldn't use if it was set now so I'll probably consider their view more authoritative than a random on mn.

"Sorry, I meant most decent people"

I'm a decent person actually.

"Even the creators and actors (also not exactly spring chickens) have confirmed there are storylines and phrases they regret/wouldn't use if it was set now so I'll probably consider their view more authoritative than a random on mn."

They probably felt they had to say that.