Summary

• Sex/Life captivated audiences with its daring exploration of relationships, desire, and self-discovery, blending steamy scenes with emotional narratives.
• Sarah Shahi expressed disappointment in season 2, citing lack of and gimmicky moments, leading to the show's cancellation before season 3.
• Despite the polarized reception, Netflix believed the story wrapped up satisfactorily in season 2, providing closure for key characters.

Sex/Life captured audiences with its daring exploration of relationships, desire, and self-discovery, but it was canceled before Sex/Life season 3. Premiering in 2021, the show became a hot topic, blending steamy scenes with complex emotional narratives. It follows the story of Billie Connelly (Sarah Shahi), a suburban mother of two who starts to question her life choices after a steamy diary recounting her wild past resurfaces. Torn between her stable yet somewhat mundane marriage to Cooper and the return of her electrifying ex-boyfriend Brad, Billie embarks on a journey that blurs the lines between fantasy and reality.

Critically, Sex/Life sparked diverse opinions. While some praised its bold and unapologetic portrayal of female sexuality and midlife crisis, others criticized it for its explicit content and melodramatic plot twists. Despite the polarized reception, the show maintained a significant following, leading to the release of a second season in March 2023. The cast delivered compelling performances that fueled the show's popularity. Netflix's decision-making process regarding its series often kept audiences on edge, but the choice to cancel the series before Sex/Life season 3 led to many questions from fans.

What Sarah Shahi Said About Sex/Life

The Actor Wasn't Happy About The "Gimmicky" Developments In Sex/Life Season 2

In an interview with the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, Shahi was candid about her dislike of the changes that happened in Sex/Life season 2. The actor, who played the main character of Billie Mann Connelly, shared that she was disappointed not to work as much with Adam Demos, who played Brad and is her real-life partner. Shahi also slammed Sex/Life season 2 because she did not feel as ed as she was during season 1, calling aspects of the romantic drama "challenging" and "gimmicky." Shahi commented:

“I’m not going to put it down, but I definitely did not have the that I did the first season from the people involved in the show. It became a much different thing for me, and I’m not afraid to say that. I struggled with the material. I just felt the thing that it had the first season — I mean, I’m never gonna work for Netflix again now after saying all this, but I can’t lie. And it was definitely a challenge.

“I was bummed that I wasn’t able to work with him as much because I really liked our stories and I like working with him. He was a brilliant scene partner. Also, what ended up happening is I was working so much and he was working so little. He’s like, in 60 seconds of the entire thing. I never saw him.

“In Season 2, I felt like there were more moments that felt very gimmicky. Those kinds of things for me are always really hard to read… But I didn’t have to do them. The boys did. There were other things that I just felt I couldn’t get behind, and 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, to make it believable.”

Shahi's candid remarks about her experience on the second season of Sex/Life reveal significant dissatisfaction and a sense of disconnect from the show's creative direction. Shahi's critique highlights a stark contrast between her experiences in the first and second seasons, noting a lack of and material that she found challenging to engage with.

Why Sex/Life Was Canceled

Netflix Believed The Story Was Satisfyingly Wrapped Up

As reported by Deadline, Netflix confirmed that Sex/Life season 3 will not be happening. However, Shahi's remarks weren't particularly the reason why, despite that cancelation announcement following the comments by a few days. According to a Netflix spokesperson, Sex/Life season 2 brought the story to a natural conclusion, mentioning how the romantic series wrapped up the saga of key characters and provided them with a happy ending. The streaming service added that it was proud of the work done by the show's producers, cast, and crew.

The spokesperson eludes that the finale gives Billie a happy ending. Even though Brad has a smaller role in Sex/Life season 2, his relationship with Billie works out by the end. In what is now the show's last episode, the two get back together and proclaim their love for each other. This happens at Sasha's wedding after they end their other relationships. Brad and Billie would go on to marry in the romantic drama's final moments, with Billie revealing at the altar that she's pregnant.

Even with this sense of finality, showrunner Stacy Rukeyser mentioned ideas for a potential Sex/Life season 3 and teased the possibility of Billie being a co-parent with her ex-husband, Cooper. There were avenues to explore, some of which were also mentioned by the cast if the decision had been made to go ahead with a renewal. Rukeyser explained (via Variety):

“It’s definitely not intended to be a series finale. I believe there are always more stories to tell with these characters. We’d also be back to that prime question from Season 1, which is, can you have sex and life all at the same time, especially as a new mom.”

Sex/Life Isn't The Only Show To Have Its Star Criticize It

Katherine Heigl, Chevy Chase, & Charlie Sheen Have All Openly Criticized Their Respective TV Shows

Katherine Heigl's departure from Grey's Anatomy was surrounded by controversy, largely due to her outspoken criticism of the show. In 2008, Heigl made headlines when she withdrew her name from Emmy consideration, citing the lack of quality material provided by the writers. Her remarks were seen as a public indictment of the show's creative direction and contributed to a strained relationship with the production team. Despite her character, Dr. Izzie Stevens, being a fan favorite, Heigl's candidness about her dissatisfaction ultimately led to her exit from the series.

Chevy Chase's time on the comedy series Community was marred by his frequent clashes with the show's creator, Dan Harmon, and his open disdain for the show's direction.

Chevy Chase's time on the comedy series Community was marred by his frequent clashes with the show's creator, Dan Harmon, and his open disdain for the show's direction. Chase, who played the bumbling, often inappropriate Pierce Hawthorne, reportedly walked off-set multiple times and expressed frustration with the script and character development. His criticisms reached a peak when he left a voicemail for Harmon, berating him and the show's writing. This tumultuous relationship eventually led to Chase's departure from the show before its fifth season.

Community actor Joel McHale revealed that he and Chevy Chase even got into multiple physical altercations.

Charlie Sheen's fallout with Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre is one of the most infamous instances of an actor criticizing their own show. Sheen, who played the hedonistic Charlie Harper, was dismissed from the show in 2011 after a series of public meltdowns and derogatory comments aimed at Lorre and the show's producers. Sheen's erratic behavior and harsh criticism of the show's leadership, including calling Lorre a "high priest Vatican assassin warlock," led to a very public and acrimonious split paralleling the comments made by Sarah Shahi about Sex/Life.

What Sex/Life Season 3 Likely Would've Been About

Some Happy Endings Would've Had To Change A Bit

In the Sex/Life season 2 finale, Bead and Billie finally caught a break after being torn apart when the season began. After such a tough road, the season ended with some happily-ever-after moments for the characters. Billie and Brad got married and are expecting a baby, while Sasha and Kam were also married as well. It was nice to see them getting these happy moments after so much heartbreak along the way. There, however, was still room for more concerning their future lives.

Sasha had her career transition after she decided to change the path that Mick had originally planned for her. Billie's ex-husband, Cooper, also wanted to make amends and address his demons while asking Emily to marry him. These all seemed like happy endings, which doesn't leave much room for more seasons unless bad things happen to throw a wrench into the relationships. That is almost certainly what would have happened if there had been a third season of the series.

Stacy Rukeyser said, "I feel that giving them a happy ending is a much better way to inspire women than basically making Billie miserable because she screwed up." That allowed her to give that happy ending in case there was no third season of Sex/Life, but if more stories had come, she also said that the future stories would have proven that a woman's story would not end after she gets married and has children. "We can be more than one thing, and we still have stories to tell after this life change" (via Forbes).

Source: Deadline, Variety