Masters of Sex
Character studyInterior life matters more than plot.This show: 9/10Period pieceSet meaningfully in a past era.This show: 9/10Sexually explicitFrank sexual content.This show: 8/10Secrets & liesHidden truths straining every relationship.This show: 8/10Social commentaryDeliberate critique of how society works.This show: 7/10Romantic yearningThe will-they-won't-they ache as the main draw.This show: 7/10Female perspectiveWomen's experience as the defining lens.This show: 7/10Emotionally heavyDemands real emotional stamina from the viewer.This show: 7/10
Rate this series
Starring
Michael SheenLizzy CaplanCaitlin FitzGeraldTeddy SearsAnnaleigh AshfordKevin Christy
Written by
Michelle Ashford
Starring
Michael SheenLizzy CaplanCaitlin FitzGeraldTeddy SearsAnnaleigh AshfordKevin Christy
Written by
Michelle Ashford
Ratings per Episode
Votes per Episode
Masters of Sex Episode Ratings Heatmap
| Avg | E1 | E2 | E3 | E4 | E5 | E6 | E7 | E8 | E9 | E10 | E11 | E12 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | 8.1 | 8.0 | 7.7 | 7.9 | 8.0 | 8.6 | 8.3 | 8.2 | 8.0 | 8.1 | 8.2 | 8.2 | 8.7 | |
| S2 | 8.1 | 7.9 | 7.8 | 8.7 | 7.9 | 8.1 | 8.3 | 7.9 | 7.7 | 7.9 | 8.0 | 8.3 | 8.3 | |
| S3 | 7.8 | 8.0 | 7.6 | 7.6 | 7.7 | 8.2 | 7.8 | 7.1 | 7.6 | 7.4 | 7.8 | 8.4 | 8.3 | |
| S4 | 8.1 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 8.8 | 8.2 | 8.4 | 7.7 | 8.2 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
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About
"Repression and ambition dressed as a science drama"
Based on the real work of Dr. William Masters and Virginia Johnson, whose research into human sexuality upended 1950s and 60s American attitudes, this drama follows their partnership as it evolves from clinical study into something far messier. It moves at a deliberate, novelistic pace, more interested in repression, ambition, and gender politics than in shock value. Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan carry it with performances that find real vulnerability under the period polish. It's smart, handsomely made television that rewards patience over binge momentum.
Watch it for
the layered lead performances that turn a clinical premise into a genuine character study.
Maybe skip if
you want fast plotting rather than slow-burn character and period detail.
Written by our AI editor to help you decide, spoiler-free by design.
All Seasons
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Season 12013
8.110K1211h 8m
In 1956, former nightclub singer and single mother Virginia Johnson becomes the assistant to renowned OBGYN William Masters. They embark on their pioneering study in human sexuality while trying to navigate their personal feelings for each other. Masters' wife Libby tries to conceive a child to save her marriage. Dr. Ethan Haas chafes under the supervision of Dr. Masters and deals with a changing society. University Provost Barton Scully struggles to support his protege William Masters while dealing with a long-held personal secret.
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Season 22014
8.17K1211h 33m
Dr. William Masters and Virginia Johnson struggle to get their work back on track while taking their relationship to a much more intimate place. Libby flounders in a loveless marriage and turns to volunteering. Former prostitute Betty DiMello tries for the American dream and ends up working with Masters and Johnson. Dr. Austin Langham becomes the spokesman for a popular diet company and the boy toy to its aggressive founder.
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Season 32015
7.85K1211h 13m
Welcome to the swinging sixties. Thrust into the spotlight by the publication of their controversial study, Dr. William Masters and Virginia Johnson find themselves the unlikely leaders of the sexual revolution. But as newfound fame and pressures mount, their relationship becomes twisted and tangled putting the couple in a position that even they might not be able to handle.
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Season 42016
8.13K109h 32m
The seventies are in full swing and sexual experimentation is all the rage. Masters and Johnson should be celebrating, but their clinic is in legal trouble, their personal lives are in tatters and their relationship is on the rocks.
Full Cast & Crew
Cast
Michael Sheen Dr. William Masters
Lizzy Caplan Virginia Johnson
Caitlin FitzGerald Libby Masters
Teddy Sears Dr. Austin Langham
Annaleigh Ashford Betty DiMello
Kevin Christy Lester Linden
Beau Bridges Dr. Barton Scully
Heléne Yorke Jane Martin
Nicholas D'Agosto Dr. Ethan Haas
Julianne Nicholson Dr. Lillian DePaul
Crew
Michelle Ashford
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