Michelle Williams has been away from our screens for quite some time now. The actress known for her roles in Brokeback Mountain and Blue Valentine hasn’t taken part in a project since her Oscar-nominated performance in Steven Spielberg’s 2022 autobiographical drama The Fabelmans. Thankfully — for we must, first and foremost, recognize that Williams is a great, charismatic performer — she is now making a comeback through television as the star of her own FX miniseries. Based on the Wondery podcast of the same name, Dying for Sex tells the story of a woman facing both terminal cancer and sexual dissatisfaction​​​​​​, while also being a charming show about friendship and the lengths we are willing to go for the ones we love.
The overall theme of Dying for Sex seems to be en vogue lately. Not long ago, we discussed the potential and limitations of using the tension between life and death as a motor for storytelling in Apple TV+’s Love You to Death, a romantic comedy that also has a terminal cancer patient at its forefront. Suffice it to say that the predictability of the ending is the least of everyone’s problems: sure, we all know the main character is going to die from the get-go, but that really doesn’t matter. What the story truly lingers on is the process of living through the disease and accepting its inevitable outcome. It’s the journey that these kinds of tales are all about, and not the destination. And Dying for Sex manages to create a pretty pleasant journey — full of sorrow, of course, but also ridden with laughter and joie de vivre. The show has its faults, but is still a rewarding watch, one that will make you question what your heart’s desire will be when you hear death knocking at your door — as well as the meaning of the word soulmate.
What Is ‘Dying for Sex’ About?

Williams stars in Dying for Sex as Molly, a woman whose life was recently turned upside-down by a case of breast cancer. Now cured, she struggles to get her husband Steve (Jay Duplass) to have sex with her again, since he’s become so used to the role of stoic caretaker. But when she finds out that her cancer has not only returned, but metastasized to her bones, Molly decides to leave Steve to chase something that she has never had: an orgasm with someone else. She tasks her best friend Nikki (Jenny Slate) with being by her side as the disease spreads throughout her body, and joins the first dating app she can find. What Molly doesn’t know, however, is that reaching that elusive climax is not as easy as she thinks. As a matter of fact, sex itself can be a lot more complicated than whatever she had going on with Steve. So, with the help of her therapist, Sonya (Esco Jouley), and a strangely attractive nameless neighbor played by Rob Delaney, Molly embarks on a kinky trip that will eventually take her where she needs to go.
It’s all very funny and heartwarming, albeit not all that steamy. Sure, sex in Dying for Sex is extremely fun, as sex should be, but it is not very sexy. The scenes of Molly peeing on a man dressed as a dog, kicking her neighbor’s testicles, or even receiving some well-deserved oral in her hospital room are all extremely welcoming and comforting, but they won’t exactly get your imagination going. Perhaps the best way to describe Dying for Sex is by using a plot point from the show itself: a fetish party with a potluck. Sure, there’s all that sex happening, but no one’s really getting turned on when there’s also a pasta salad sitting in the corner.

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They’re not gun-slinging their way out of this one.

Credit where credit’s due, though, the salad that Dying for Sex serves is utterly satisfying. The miniseries has a keen understanding of the absurdities of both dying and connecting with other people. Molly’s romance with her neighbor is incredibly sweet, and even non-fetishists will get something out of it, albeit just in their hearts. As a matter of fact, Molly is surrounded by so much love and care that the process of enduring such a destructive disease seems, in the show, bearable — at least as long as you have the right people with you. The cherry on top of the cake is Molly’s friendship with Nikki, who gets chosen in lieu of Molly’s mother and ex-husband to be by her side as she dies. Writers Elizabeth Meriwether and Kim Rosenstock nail the relationship between the two women, and the chemistry between Williams and Slate is so effortless that you finish the show questioning what the true meaning of a soulmate is. Why do we always use this word for someone we’re romantically attached to? Why can’t your soulmate be just a friend?
‘Dying for Sex’ Suffers from an Excess of Storylines

However, Dying for Sex’s main problem also lies in how Molly relates to the people around her. The show isn’t just about Molly’s quest for an orgasm, nor about her bond with Nikki. It is also about Molly’s divorce, Molly’s relationship with her mother, Molly’s trauma from an experience that impacted her as a child, and Nikki’s struggle to keep her job and prioritize her own love life while caring for her dying best friend. These are a lot of focal points for a show consisting of only eight episodes (all of which were provided for review), and Dying for Sex loses something because of it. Miraculously, the series does manage to wrap up every little storyline it unravels. However, there’s a general sense that these individual plots have been rushed, or only get in each other’s way. For instance, we don’t get to experience the full extent of Molly’s trauma because she really needs to get in bed with someone, and we don’t get to experience Molly’s full joy while being in bed with someone because the story really needs to explore her trauma. This doesn’t make the show any less heartwarming, but it does affect the viewing experience for certain scenes.
Ultimately, though, Dying for Sex makes it all work. Sure, the show could have benefited from a few more episodes in order to really dive into some of its most sensitive plot points, but there is still a lot to hold onto while watching. In the end, Dying for Sex is a show that wins not just because of its messages — sex is not a straight line and platonic relationships can be just as important as romantic ones — but because it captivates viewers with lovely storytelling and even lovelier characters. Dying for Sex is the kind of show that will neither change your life nor your approach to death, for that matter. It might, however, change how you look at your own sex life — and it might also make you happy for the time it takes you to watch every episode.
Dying for Sex premieres April 4 on FX.

Dying for Sex

Michelle Williams’ new show Dying for Sex tells a charming, albeit a little bloated, story about death, love, and sex.

Release Date

2025 – 2024

Network

Hulu

Pros & Cons

The writing and the chemistry between Williams and Slate make up for a unique portrayal of female friendship.
Williams is as charismatic as ever in the role of Molly.
The series is effortlessly charming and heartwarming.
Get ready to wrestle with tough questions about what you think sex is and who you want by your side on your deathbed.

The show has too many storylines that stand in the way of one another.
Although full of sex, Dying for Sex isn’t exactly sexy.