Summary

• Complex romances, extramarital affairs, and self-destruction drive the drama in Sex/Life and similar shows like it.
• Themes of ion, lust, and fantasy run through the compelling narratives of Sex/Life and its TV counterparts.
• High-stakes love affairs, illicit romances, and psychological drama characterize the best shows akin to Sex/Life's intriguing storytelling.

The Netflix series Sex/Life offers a complex story of love, humor, and drama, and there are a lot of shows like Sex/Life out there for audiences to enjoy. Much of the appeal derives from the fantasy-fuelled blast from the past that the main character Billie Connelly (Sarah Shahi) experiences when her sexy ex-beau Brad Simon (Adam Demos) returns and crashes her domestic life as a married mother of two. Sex/Life s a rich tradition of television shows that explore topics around steamy romances, extramarital affairs, casual hookups, lusty fantasies, and the challenges of dating.

Sex/Life also goes into dramatic territory with Billie at risk of destroying her and her family's life with her foray into self-destruction. Billie's marriage to her husband, Cooper (Mike Vogel), is already complicated, but things only become more strained as she begins ruminating on her wild child past and former relationships. Affairs, lies, and heaps of drama make Sex/Life a highly watchable series. The best shows like Sex/Life contain shadows of these same complex romantic relationships and are sure to add a healthy dose of intrigue as layers are peeled back, and more information is revealed.

20 Virgin River (2019-Present)

A Woman Moves To A Small Town To Start Over

While it's a much more wholesome show than Sex/Life, there are a lot of similarities between the two series. Both are about women who are trying to become something different, even though life doesn't always allow that. In Virgin River, Alexandra Breckenridge stars as Melinda "Mel" Monroe, a nurse practitioner and midwife who leaves Los Angeles to settle in the small remote town of Virgin River to start her life over after her husband dies.

The series then follows her as she tries to integrate into the new community while also falling in love with a local guy named Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson), someone with a tragic past of his own. While there is nowhere near the sex that Sex/Life offers, the series still focuses on a woman who isn't sure who she is meant to be and a romantic male lead who's also struggling with identity. Virgin River is for Sex/Life fans who want to see similar characters in a tamer situation.

19 Summertime (2020-2022)

Summer Explores Her Love Life In A Coastal Town

Summertime takes place on Italy's Adriatic Coast and follows a young woman named Summer (Coco Rebecca Edogamhe), who is spending a lot of time trying to figure out who she is supposed to be in life. While Sex/Life sees a middle-aged woman who wants to relive the freedom of her younger days, Summertime is about a similar character who is still living in those younger days, refusing to be who anyone else expects her to be, and dreaming of getting away and into a new life.

It is an interesting contrast because in Sex/Life, there is a woman who wishes she could go back to a life she loved, while Summertime is about a woman hoping to get to the next stage in her life, proving that many people believe the grass is always greener on the other side.

18 Sex Education (2019-2023)

A Sex Therapist & Her Son Navigate Relationships

For people who like the sexual subject matter in Sex/Life, another great Netflix series to watch is Sex Education. The show follows Gillian Anderson's Jean, a sex therapist who has several affairs and refuses to maintain a relationship, and her awkward son, Otis (Asa Butterfield), a young man who comes into his own after he sets up his own "clinic" to help high school students with their sexual problems, only to fall in love himself. The character of Jean seems to be what Billie might think she wants in Sex/Life.

However, as Sex Education shows, that isn't always the best situation to be in. Sex Education aired for four seasons and 32 episodes and was both critically acclaimed and one of Netflix's most popular streaming series. Sex Education maintained high reviews, with a 91% in season one and a high 98% in the second and third seasons before dropping back to a still respectable 91% for season 4. It also won an International Emmy Award in 2022 for Best Comedy Series.

17 Tiny Pretty Things (2020)

People At A Chicago Ballet School Find Love & Murder

Based on the novel by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton, Tiny Pretty Things follows the students, instructors, and benefactors of a ballet school in Chicago. This series brings all the drama that fans of Sex/Life could want. It is also a show that should attract people who love the over-the-top melodramatic tone of a series like Riverdale, but with the action moved from a small town to an elite ballet academy.

Tiny Pretty Things starts with a murder, and everyone at the academy seems to be a suspect, from the students to the faculty. At the same time, the students find love, betrayal, and more, and with only one season, Tiny Pretty Things is an explosive, action-packed drama all wrapped up in a binge-able package. It received slightly positive reviews when it was released, but Netflix chose not to move on with a second season.

16 Masters of Sex (2013-2016)

The Pioneers Of Human Sexuality Research

In Sex/Life, the characters traverse a life where they constantly question their place in the world, specifically with regard to their sexuality. This is the main theme of the groundbreaking Showtime series Masters of Sex, which is the based on true life story of William Masters, a fertility specialist, and Virginia Johnson, his secretary, as they set up a research program to study human sexuality. However, as expected, since the series takes place in the 1950s, they find opposition from all fronts.

The cast is spectacular, with Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan as Masters and Johnson, respectively, and Beau Bridges as one of the people standing in their way, Washington University provost, Barton Scully. The series was mostly critically acclaimed, with the first two seasons sitting over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. Only the third season had lower reviewers, but it rebounded in the fourth and final seasons. It was also highly rewarded with one Emmy win in 11 nominations and an AFI win for Television Program of the Year.

15 Love Life (2020-2022)

An Anthology Series About The Complications Of Relationships

Anna Kendrick takes in season 1 of Max's original series Love Life, in which she plays a lovelorn woman named Darby Carter navigating the pitfalls of coupledom. The anthology series follows a different person each season. Season 2 follows much more in the style of Sex/Life, as it focuses on Marcus' (William Jackson Harper) budding affair with Mia (Jessica Williams), with both parties already in relationships.

Love Life depicts the main characters' first real meaningful romance until their last. In Darby's case, she graduates from being an unhappy single to a part of a happy couple and a dissatisfied wife. With casual hookups, engagement parties, marital reconciliation, and more, the show has a bit for everyone on the relationship spectrum and is similar to Sex/Life in its depiction of complex romances and protagonist-focused character studies.

14 Normal People (2020)

Two Young Star-Crossed Lovers Embark On A Complicated Romance

The BBC/Hulu original series Normal People is a compelling romantic drama series in which the rocky romance between college students Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell (Paul Mescal) is explored in great detail. The show is honest, accurate, and deeply affecting. Despite being polar opposites from different social strata of their quaint Irish town, affluent academic Marianne and athletic, blue-collar Connell cannot stay away from each other.

Features plenty of psychological drama like Sex/Life as Marianne and Connell go through various miscommunications, ups and downs, and heartbreak.

Due to the surrounding societal pressures, they keep their romance a secret as long as possible. Like Sex/Life, Normal People showcases how people's actions, or inaction, can negatively affect a relationship. It also features plenty of psychological drama like Sex/Life as Marianne and Connell go through various miscommunications, ups and downs, and heartbreak. The miniseries served as a breakout for actors Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones who have gone on to successful movie careers.

13 What/If (2019)

A Married Couple Faces A Moral Dilemma

Netflix's original and anthology series What/If boasts a similar but darker premise than that of Sex/Life. Also reminiscent of Indecent Proposal, the first season imagines what it would be like if a married couple accepted an offer for the man to have a one-night stand in exchange for a large sum of money. The hypothetical fantasy involves Sean (Blake Jenner), an EMT who is approached by venture capitalist Ann (Renée Zellweger) and offered to pay for his wife Lisa's (Jane Levy) startup for one night together.

The steamy morality play is sure to appeal to Sex/Life fans. While there's no affair at its center like Sex/Life, the series explores the territory of gray morality and themes of ion gone awry. It shows the damage that can be caused when such questions of loyalty and faithfulness enter into a marriage.

12 Love (2016-2018)

A New Couple Struggles With The Ups And Downs Of Romance

Not to be confused with Gaspar Noé's explicit film of the same name, Love is a Netflix original series that lasted for three seasons from 2016 to 2018. The Judd Apatow-created rom-com series chronicles in painful detail the intimate highs and lows between characters Gus (Paul Rust) and Mickey (Gillian Jacobs). As with many of Apatow's projects, it mixes humor and romance while also examining some flawed main characters.

Mickey's self-destruction bears a striking resemblance to Sex/Life's Billie, making it a perfect watch afterward.

Just like the complex dynamic between Billie and Brad in Sex/Life, much of the drama comes from the conflict of Mickey being someone who struggles with several different addictions, while Gus is socially awkward and emotionally co-dependent. The two work out various romantic problems, overcome hurdles, and do their best to remain in a meaningful relationship. Mickey's self-destruction bears a striking resemblance to Sex/Life's Billie, making it a perfect watch afterward.

11 The Girlfriend Experience (2016-2021)

An Exploration Of The Lives Of Sex Workers

When looking for shows like Sex/Life, fans are likely hoping for a steamy and complicated relationship drama at the center — and they need look no further than The Girlfriend Experience. Adapted from the Steven Soderbergh film of the same name, season 1 of the underrated Starz anthology series is set in the world of high-class escort Christine (Riley Keough), who entertains several exclusive clients in Chicago.

The second and third seasons follow Erica Myles (Anna Friel) in Washington, D.C., and Iris (Julia Goldani Telles) in London. The illicit culture of high-end escort services is charted in the show, as well as the personal issues of the three leading women. It's a colder chaser to follow Sex/Life with and includes tons of themes that feature at the forefront of that show, such as desire, complicated relationships, and salacious secrets.