# Sex/Life
**Sex/Life** is an American erotic comedy-drama streaming television series created by Stacy Rukeyser for Netflix, inspired by BB Easton's memoir *44 Chapters About 4 Men*. It follows Billie Connelly, a wife and mother in suburban [Connecticut](https://www.edgepedia.org/connecticut) whose daring sexual past collides with her married present when her bad-boy ex-boyfriend Brad reenters her life.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/sex_life) • [2](https://www.netflix.com/title/80991848) The series premiered on June 25, 2021, ran for two seasons, and was canceled in April 2023.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/sex_life) • [3](https://www.thewrap.com/sex-life-netflix-canceled-2-seasons/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Premiere | June 25, 2021, on Netflix; TV-MA series in the comedy, drama, and romance genres[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/sex_life) |
| Creator | Stacy Rukeyser, who served as showrunner, creator, executive producer, and writer[3](https://www.thewrap.com/sex-life-netflix-canceled-2-seasons/) |
| Source material | Inspired by BB Easton's self-published 2016 memoir *44 Chapters About 4 Men*[4](https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a36841845/sex-life-netflix-true-story-memoir/) |
| Main cast | Sarah Shahi as Billie Connelly, Mike Vogel as Cooper Connelly, Adam Demos as Brad Simon, Margaret Odette as Sasha Snow[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/sex_life) |
| Season 1 audience | 67 million households worldwide within the first 30 days, the third most watched Netflix Original Series at the time[5](https://www.artbyeaston.com/sexlife) |
| Season 2 | Premiered March 2, 2023[5](https://www.artbyeaston.com/sexlife) |
| Cancellation | Announced April 7, 2023; no third season[3](https://www.thewrap.com/sex-life-netflix-canceled-2-seasons/) |
| Critical reception | 40% average Tomatometer across 29 reviews; 52% Popcornmeter from 500+ ratings[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/sex_life) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and characters
The story centers on Billie Connelly ([Sarah Shahi](https://www.edgepedia.org/sarah-shahi)), a former New York party girl who now lives a quiet suburban life in [Greenwich, Connecticut](https://www.edgepedia.org/greenwich-connecticut), with her reliable husband Cooper ([Mike Vogel](https://www.edgepedia.org/mike-vogel)) and their two young children. Unfulfilled in her marriage, she begins journaling about, and obsessing over, her wild erotic exploits with her ex-boyfriend Brad (Adam Demos), a leather-jacketed musician from her past. When Cooper reads the journal entries she has kept open on her unlocked laptop, the series sets Billie on a path of erotic fantasy and emotional reckoning.[2](https://www.netflix.com/title/80991848) • [6](https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/sex-life-netflix-tv-review-2021) • [7](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-23/what-sex-coach-thinks-about-sex-life-netflix-show/100309058)
Each roughly 45-minute episode is built around Billie's sex-journal disclosures, devoting substantial screen time to her past trysts with Brad and to how she fell for her husband. The show's stated aim, in creator Stacy Rukeyser's words, is that "it's ok to enjoy and express all sides of yourself": that a woman can be a wife and mother and still miss the sexual, free part of herself without being a bad parent.[6](https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/sex-life-netflix-tv-review-2021) • [8](https://shereads.com/bb-easton-on-the-adaptation-of-sex-life/)
### Seasons and cancellation
Season 1 ran for eight episodes from June 25, 2021, ending on a cliffhanger that left viewers waiting two years for the continuation of the story.[2](https://www.netflix.com/title/80991848) • [11](https://www.womanandhome.com/life/news-entertainment/sexlife-season-2-ending-explained-and-will-there-be-a-season-3/) Netflix renewed the series for a second season in September 2021, and the season premiered on March 2, 2023. It departed from Easton's memoir in storyline while keeping the characters her book inspired, Billie, Cooper, Brad, and Sasha, and ended with the characters finding their own happy conclusions.[5](https://www.artbyeaston.com/sexlife)
On April 7, 2023, Netflix confirmed the series would not return for a third season. A Netflix spokesperson said the second season "brought the series to a natural close, wrapping up the storylines for key characters whose relationships come to a happy conclusion." The trade press noted the cancellation was not a surprise, since Shahi had signed on to star in the ABC pilot *Judgment*.[3](https://www.thewrap.com/sex-life-netflix-canceled-2-seasons/) • [12](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/sex-life-cancelled-by-netflix-no-season-three-for-dramedy-series/)
## Origin in the memoir
The series is based on Easton's self-published 2016 memoir *44 Chapters About 4 Men*, which recounts how a woman's secret journal, read by her husband, changes her marriage and leads her to question her identity. Easton wrote it for people in loving long-term relationships who nonetheless feel stuck, and she says writing it showed her that the traits she thought were imperfect in her partner are what make him right for her.[4](https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a36841845/sex-life-netflix-true-story-memoir/) • [8](https://shereads.com/bb-easton-on-the-adaptation-of-sex-life/)
Easton was not involved in producing the series. She described her role during development as "Unofficial Team Cheerleader," though Netflix kept her updated and sent her scripts. The adaptation departs from the book in one major way: Easton never gets together with an ex, as Billie does in the show. She said the change keeps the book's undertone, the question of whether there is something better, while ramping up the drama.[4](https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a36841845/sex-life-netflix-true-story-memoir/) • [8](https://shereads.com/bb-easton-on-the-adaptation-of-sex-life/) Following the memoir's success, Easton wrote a spin-off novel series, *Skin*, *Speed*, *Star*, and *Suit*, each devoted to one of the book's tattooed protagonists.[9](https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/series/bb-easton/sex-life/)
## Reception and audience
Season 1 was a commercial success. Within its first 30 days it was viewed by 67 million households worldwide, making it the third most watched Netflix Original Series at the time.[5](https://www.artbyeaston.com/sexlife) Critical reception was cooler. On Rotten Tomatoes the first season holds a 21% Tomatometer and the second season 60%, with a series average of 40% from 29 reviews and a 52% audience score.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/sex_life) Reviewers praised Sarah Shahi's performance and noted that the sex scenes focus on Billie's pleasure and consent, but criticized the show for failing to balance its erotic-romp elements with the woman-finding-herself story; one review called it "ostensibly steamy, actually terrible."[6](https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/sex-life-netflix-tv-review-2021) • [10](https://time.com/6075702/sex-life-review-netflix/) A sex coach interviewed by ABC News found the portrayal of relationship dynamics concerning, saying the show glorified dynamics she considered dangerous.[7](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-23/what-sex-coach-thinks-about-sex-life-netflix-show/100309058)
## References
1. [Sex/Life, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/sex_life)
2. [Sex/Life, Netflix Official Site](https://www.netflix.com/title/80991848)
3. ['Sex/Life' Canceled After 2 Seasons at Netflix, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/sex-life-netflix-canceled-2-seasons/)
4. [Netflix's Sex/Life Show Is Based on a True Story and Memoir, Oprah Daily](https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a36841845/sex-life-netflix-true-story-memoir/)
5. [BB Easton | Sex/Life](https://www.artbyeaston.com/sexlife)
6. [Sarah Shahi Shines in Netflix's Repetitively Provocative Sex/Life, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/sex-life-netflix-tv-review-2021)
7. [What a sex coach thinks about Netflix's Sex/Life, ABC News](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-23/what-sex-coach-thinks-about-sex-life-netflix-show/100309058)
8. [BB Easton on the Adaptation of Sex/Life, She Reads](https://shereads.com/bb-easton-on-the-adaptation-of-sex-life/)
9. [Sex/Life: Books in Order, Hachette Book Group](https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/series/bb-easton/sex-life/)
10. [Netflix's Steamy New Drama Sex/Life Is So Bad, It's Funny, TIME](https://time.com/6075702/sex-life-review-netflix/)
11. [Netflix's Sex/Life season 2 ending explained, Woman & Home](https://www.womanandhome.com/life/news-entertainment/sexlife-season-2-ending-explained-and-will-there-be-a-season-3/)
12. [Sex/Life: Cancelled by Netflix; No Season Three for Drama Series, TV Series Finale](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/sex-life-cancelled-by-netflix-no-season-three-for-dramedy-series/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Drama and prestige series (individual series) › Family and relationship drama › Family and domestic drama › Romance and couple dramas*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license