The flame has fizzled out. Sex/Life has been canceled at Netflix after two seasons.
The decision not to renew the erotic drama comes just over one month after the release of the show’s second season, which consisted of six episodes — two less than season 1 — and weeks after star Sarah Shahi, who portrays lead Billie Connelly, signed on as the lead for ABC’s newest legal drama, Judgement.
The decision not to renew the erotic drama comes just over one month after the release of the show’s second season, which consisted of six episodes — two less than season 1 — and weeks after star Sarah Shahi, who portrays lead Billie Connelly, signed on as the lead for ABC’s newest legal drama, Judgement.
A Netflix spokesperson told Deadline on Friday, April 7, that Sex/Life’s second installment brought the series “to a natural close” by “wrapping up the storylines for key characters whose relationships come to a happy conclusion.” The rep added the streamer is “proud of the show and the work put into it by producers, cast and crew.”
Sex/Life premiered in June 2021 and followed repressed mom of two Billie (Shahi) as she navigated a love triangle with her husband Cooper Connelly (Mike Vogel) and her first great love Brad Simon (Adam Demos). The show, created by Stacy Rukeyser — who also serves as showrunner, executive producer and writer — focused on female agency and desire.
Season 2, which dropped last month, showed Billie reuniting with her ex, wrapping up with the two reciting nuptials on a beach. Rukeyser, however, told The Hollywood Reporter that Billie and Brad’s happily ever after was never meant to serve as a series finale.
“I know there are always more stories to tell with these characters in the Sex/Life universe, and I hope we get the chance to tell those stories,” she told THR one week after season 2 premiered. “It was important that we get to a meaningful place with each character this season.”
Earlier this month, Shahi, 43 – who has been dating Demos, 37, since December 2020 — revealed that she “didn’t have the same support” while filming Sex/Life’s sophomore season as she did when the show premiered.
“It became a much different thing for me, and I’m not afraid to say that. I struggled with the material,” she explained during an episode of the “Not Skinny But Not Fat” podcast. “I mean, I’m never going to work for Netflix again now after saying all this. I just can’t lie.”
She added, “It was just challenging, but that’s part of what I do. I’m not always gonna get along or agree with a filmmaker. I’m not always gonna like what I have to do or say, but that’s my job, is to make it believable.”
The Person of Interest alum also shared her disappointment in not getting to have more scenes with Demos — who had a scaled-back role in season 2 — despite the twosome ending up together in the end.
“In the second season, it was a bummer,” Shahi said on the podcast. “I was bummed that I wasn’t able to work with him as much because I really liked our stories. And I liked working with him. And he was a brilliant scene partner.”
Despite all her expectations not being met. Shahi opened up exclusively to Us Weekly in June 2021 about how liberating the role of Billie is for her to play — especially when it comes to how sex is handled through the arc of her story.
“I have always been trying to get into projects like this. I just never got hired,” the actress shared. “Everyone was always trying to hire me to be the tough chick and paid me to keep my clothes on. I’ve been wanting to be a bit risky and cry and show emotional vulnerability for a while now.”
The Texas native, who was previously married to Steve Howey from 2009 to 2020, noted that having so many women working behind the scenes allowed the experience to feel more meaningful.
“I think once I found out too that this is a piece that was written by a woman — all the writers are women, [it’s] directed by all women, it was just such an ability to stand for something, to stand for femininity, to be able to be a voice in a way that I felt was really important for women,” she told Us at the time. “You can be a mom and still want to be the sexual goddess at the same time. You don’t have to lose one for the other.”
