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Masters of Sex season 1

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Masters of Sex
Season 1
Season 1 promotional poster
No. of episodes12
Release
Original networkShowtime
Original releaseSeptember 29 (2013-09-29) –
December 15, 2013 (2013-12-15)
Season chronology
Next →
Season 2
List of episodes

The first season of the American television drama series Masters of Sex premiered on September 29, 2013, and concluded on December 15, 2013. It consists of twelve episodes, each running for approximately 55 minutes in length. Showtime broadcast the first season on Sundays at 10:00 pm (ET) in the United States. Internationally, the season aired in Canada on The Movie Network concurrently with the American broadcast,[1] and it debuted in the UK on Channel 4 on October 8, 2013.[2]

The series was developed for television by Michelle Ashford and is based on the biography Masters of Sex: The Life and Times of William Masters and Virginia Johnson, the Couple Who Taught America How to Love by Thomas Maier. Masters of Sex tells the story of Dr. William Masters (Michael Sheen) and Virginia Johnson (Lizzy Caplan), two pioneering researchers of human sexuality at Washington University in St. Louis. The first season takes place between 1956 and 1958.[3][4]

Cast

Main

Recurring

Guests

Production

Showtime ordered the pilot for Masters of Sex in August 2011,[8] and greenlit it for series in June 2012, with the first season consisting of twelve episodes.[9]

Writer/producer Michelle Ashford serves as showrunner for Masters of Sex. She assembled a majority-female writing staff, although she says this was unintentional.[10]

Ashford created the character of Barton Scully out of a combination of several men whom Masters knew. One of them was gay, but was not the man serving as Provost during Masters's initial study.[11]

Prop master Jeffrey Johnson noted the difficulty of obtaining accurate information about sexual devices from the time period. "They were so taboo it was hard to find research drawings. People didn’t even put them in writing." He obtained some vintage vibrators and dildos for use in the series along with acquiring condoms manufactured in the era (which did not have the reservoir tips of modern condoms). He designed "Ulysses," a transparent dildo with attached camera first seen in the pilot episode, from scratch, along with a diaphragm sizing kit seen in later episodes.[12]

Episodes

See also: List of Masters of Sex episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUS viewers
(millions)
11"Pilot"John MaddenMichelle AshfordSeptember 29, 2013 (2013-09-29)0.998[13]
22"Race to Space"Michael DinnerMichelle AshfordOctober 6, 2013 (2013-10-06)1.090[14]
33"Standard Deviation"Lawrence TrillingSam ShawOctober 13, 2013 (2013-10-13)1.042[15]
44"Thank You for Coming"Jennifer GetzingerAmy LippmanOctober 20, 2013 (2013-10-20)1.012[16]
55"Catherine"Michael AptedSam Shaw & Michelle AshfordOctober 27, 2013 (2013-10-27)1.009[17]
66"Brave New World"Adam DavidsonLyn Greene & Richard LevineNovember 3, 2013 (2013-11-03)0.933[18]
77"All Together Now"Tim FywellTyler BensingerNovember 10, 2013 (2013-11-10)1.095[19]
88"Love and Marriage"Michael AptedStory by : Tyler Bensinger
Teleplay by : Michael Cunningham		November 17, 2013 (2013-11-17)1.050[20]
99"Involuntary"Jennifer GetzingerNoelle ValdiviaNovember 24, 2013 (2013-11-24)1.128[21]
1010"Fallout"Lesli Linka GlatterSam ShawDecember 1, 2013 (2013-12-01)1.076[22]
1111"Phallic Victories"Phil AbrahamAmy LippmanDecember 8, 2013 (2013-12-08)1.234[23]
1212"Manhigh"Michael DinnerMichelle AshfordDecember 15, 2013 (2013-12-15)1.207[24]

Reception

Reviews

The first season of Masters of Sex has received acclaim from critics. Based on 49 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, the first season received a 90% approval rating from critics, with a rating average of 8.4 out of 10. The sites consensus states: "Seductive and nuanced, Masters of Sex features smart performances, deft direction, and impeccable period decor."[25] Metacritic gave the first season a score of 85/100, based on 32 reviews.[26]

Matt Roush of TV Guide wrote that "There is no more fascinating, or entertaining, new series this fall season."[27] Diane Werts of Newsday gave it an "A" grade, complimenting the series on its use of humor, stating "its deft balance of epic scope and whimsical humanity", as well as the strong performances of the actors and creator Michelle Ashford's "scene-setting scripts".[28] David Wiegand of the San Francisco Chronicle particularly praises the performances, calling them "extraordinary" and "stunning", and noting the series' A-list directors such as Michael Apted and John Madden.[29] Hank Stuever of The Washington Post wrote that after the first two episodes, "the characters get better and more complex, the story builds, strange things start to happen and now I can't wait to see how its interweaving plots unfold.[30] Alan Sepinwall of HitFix praised lead actors Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan, calling them "terrific", and that "Masters of Sex is the best new show of the fall by a very long stretch. It's also a refreshing anomaly: a prestige cable drama that doesn't feel like a recombination of elements from 15 shows that came before it."[31]

Accolades

In June 2013, the series was honored, along with five others, with the Critics' Choice Television Award for Most Exciting New Series.[32] The series received two nominations for the 2014 Writers Guild of America Awards, for Best New Series and Best Episodic Drama for "Pilot".[33] For the 71st Golden Globe Awards, the series was nominated for Best Drama Series, and Michael Sheen was nominated Best Drama Actor.[34] For the 4th Critics' Choice Television Awards, the series received nominations for Best Drama Series, Michael Sheen for Best Actor in a Drama Series, Lizzy Caplan for Best Actress is a Drama Series, Beau Bridges for Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series, with Allison Janney winning for Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series.[35] For the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards, Lizzy Caplan was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series,[36] Beau Bridges was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, and Allison Janney won for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.[37]

Home media releases

The first season was released on DVD and Blu-ray in region 1 on June 24, 2014 (2014-06-24),[38] in region 2 on July 28, 2014 (2014-07-28),[39] and in region 4 on March 20, 2014 (2014-03-20).[40]

References

  1. ^ "Masters of Sex". The Movie Network. Archived from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  2. ^ Munn, Patrick (September 25, 2013). "Channel 4 Sets UK Premiere Date For 'Masters Of Sex'". TVWise. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
  3. ^ Hughes, Sarah (October 8, 2013). "Masters of Sex recap: season one, episode one – pilot". The Guardian. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  4. ^ Stuever, Hank (July 11, 2014). "'Masters of Sex,' season 2: We're all grown-ups here". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  5. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (February 8, 2013). "Showtime's 'Masters of Sex' Adds 'Lovely Bones' Actress". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  6. ^ "The Compelling Gay Story in "Masters Of Sex"". The Backlot. November 19, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  7. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 4, 2013). "Linda Lavin To Co-Star In NBC's Sean Hayes Pilot, Ann Dowd Recurs On 'Masters Of Sex'". Deadline.com. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  8. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (August 21, 2011). "Showtime Picks Up Pilots From Andrew Gurland, Michelle Ashford & Ann Biderman". Deadline.com. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  9. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (June 11, 2012). "Showtime gives series orders to 'Donovan,' 'Sex'". Variety. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
  10. ^ Davis, Allison P. (September 30, 2013). "Q&A: Dirty Talk With the Woman Behind Masters of Sex". New York Magazine. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  11. ^ Halterman, Jim (November 25, 2013). ""Masters Of Sex" Creator On The Show's "Exciting" Gay Storyline". The Backlot. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
  12. ^ Langmuir, Molly (September 30, 2013). "Talking to Masters of Sex's Prop Master About Glass Dildos and Old Condoms". Vulture. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  13. ^ Bibel, Sara (October 1, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Breaking Bad' Wins Big, 'Talking Bad', 'Homeland', 'Boardwalk Empire','Masters of Sex' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 24, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  14. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (October 8, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' & 'Thursday Night Football: Special Edition' Tie for Lead + 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 11, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
  15. ^ Bibel, Sara (October 15, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Wins Night, 'Talking Dead', 'Witches of East End', 'Homeland, 'Boardwalk Empire' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 18, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
  16. ^ @sonofthebronx (October 23, 2013). "@tvseriesfinale #MastersofSex 10/20/13 1.012M viewers, 0.3 A18-49" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  17. ^ Bibel, Sara (October 29, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Wins Night, 'Talking Dead', 'Homeland', 'Boardwalk Empire', 'Witches of East End' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 31, 2013. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
  18. ^ @sonofthebronx (November 6, 2013). "#MastersofSex from 11/3/13: 933K total viewers, 0.3 A18-49 @tvseriesfinale" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  19. ^ Bibel, Sara (November 12, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Wins Night, 'Talking Dead', 'Boardwalk Empire', 'Homeland', 'Killing Kennedy' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
  20. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (November 19, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Wins Night + 'Talking Dead', 'Real Housewives of Atlanta', NASCAR & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 22, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  21. ^ Bibel, Sara (November 26, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Wins Night, 'Talking Dead', 'Homeland', 'Boardwalk Empire', 'Witches of East End' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 28, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
  22. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (December 4, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Wins Night, + 'Talking Dead', 'Soul Train Awards', 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  23. ^ Bibel, Sara (December 10, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' & 'Bonnie & Clyde' Win Night, 'Naked and Afraid', 'Shahs of Sunset', 'Homeland' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  24. ^ "Sunday's Cable Ratings & Broadcast Finals: Another Week, Another NFL Victory". The Futon Critic. December 18, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  25. ^ "Masters of Sex: Season 1 (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
  26. ^ "Masters of Sex - Season 1 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  27. ^ Roush, Matt (September 27, 2013). "Weekend Playlist: Masters of Sex and Homeland, Breaking Bad Finale on Jam-Packed Sunday". TV Guide. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  28. ^ Werts, Diane (September 25, 2013). "'Masters of Sex' review: Showtime scores". Newsday. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  29. ^ Wiegand, David (September 26, 2013). "'Masters of Sex' review: Satisfying look at sex". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  30. ^ Stuever, Hank (September 26, 2013). "Showtime's 'Masters of Sex' gets better as it goes along". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  31. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (September 26, 2013). "Review: Michael Sheen & Lizzy Caplan shine in Showtime's 'Masters of Sex'". HitFix. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  32. ^ "The BTJA Announces Icon Award Recipient and Most Exciting New Series Honorees". The Broadcast Television Journalists Association. June 10, 2013. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  33. ^ Ausiello, Michael (December 5, 2013). "Breaking Bad, Orange Is the New Black, House of Cards Lead 2014 WGA Nominations". TVLine. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  34. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (December 12, 2013). "Golden Globes: House of Cards, The Good Wife, Candelabra and Breaking Bad Lead Noms; Parks & Rec, Brooklyn, Spader and Maslany Score Nods". TVLine. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  35. ^ Webb Mitovich, Matt (June 19, 2014). "Critics' Choice Awards: Fargo, OITNB, Breaking Bad, Normal Heart, Cosmos and Allison Janney Are Big Winners". TVLine. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
  36. ^ Lowry, Brian (July 10, 2014). "2014 Emmy Awards: 'Game of Thrones,' 'Fargo' Lead Nominations". Variety. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  37. ^ Ausiello, Michael (August 16, 2014). "Emmys 2014: Scandal, OITNB and Masters of Sex Stars, True Detective, Bob's Burgers Among Early Winners". TVLine. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
  38. ^ Lambert, David (April 28, 2014). "Masters of Sex - Sony's Press Release Announces 'Season 1' on DVD, Blu-ray Disc". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2014. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
  39. ^ "Masters of Sex - Season 1 [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
  40. ^ "Masters of Sex: Season 1". EzyDVD. Archived from the original on July 3, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
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