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Sex/Life is the latest steamy and raunchy thriller on Netflix, with plenty of sex, melodrama and thrills.
If you’ve finished watching this one and are looking for alternatives – fret not! We’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle with our top 10 picks for alternate viewing.
To keep things simple for skim-readers we’ve added what similarities these have.
Of course for all the shows we’ve reviewed, we’ve also added a handy link so you can check out our full thoughts on that series and see if it’s something you want to invest your time with.
So without further ado, we present 10 TV shows that should whet the appetite when you’ve finished streaming Sex/Life.
Dark Desire
Similarities – Sex & Melodrama
Murder, passion, sex and betrayal – Dark Desire is essentially Netflix’s foray into the world of telenovelas. This Mexican foray is much shorter than the usual run though, clocking in at 18 episodes.
At the centre of this drama lies Alma, a college Professor unhappy with her marriage and suspecting her husband Leonardo is having an affair. When Alma joins best friend Brenda to paint the town red, she hooks up with a handsome stranger named Dario. This set up is made all the more interesting by the introduction of her brother-in-law Esteban, who works as an investigator.
Dark Desire is certainly desirable enough to sink your teeth into.
You can read our thoughts on Dark Desire in our full season review here!
The Affair
Similarities – Thriller Elements & Having An Affair
The Affair is an intense, well-rounded show that centers on an extramarital relationship.
The story here centers on New York City schoolteacher, Noah. He’s a budding novelist and has been married to his wife for 20 years. Oh, and they also have 4 kids too.
When he meets Alison, a young waitress trying to piece her life back together after a tragedy, Noah and her inevitably become entangled together.
This provocative drama unfolds across multiple perspectives, and although the later seasons aren’t quite as strong as the earlier material, there’s enough here to like nonetheless.
The Tudors
Similarities – Sex, Romance & Drama
The Tudors is essentially a dramatic story revolving around the reign and marriages of King Henry VIII. Serving up a glorious dose of period drama, The Tudors is not always historically accurate but it is consistently entertaining. That’s before even mentioning the costume and production design which are both fantastic.
Split across four seasons, there’s a lot of The Tudors to get through and if you’re taken by the tone of the first couple of episodes, this is one show worth sticking around for the long haul.
Sex And The City
Similarities –Sex, Empowering Women & Romance
The definitive girl-power title, Sex and the City is a funny, raunchy, well-paced series split across 6 lively seasons (and 2 movies.) The main crux of drama here revolves around four (mostly) single female New Yorkers who mix romance, sex and relationship woes with a constantly evolving narrative about belonging in a rapidly changing world.
Carrie Bradshaw and her infamous romance with Mr Big props up much of her storyline, while sexed-up Samantha plays up the comedy relief of the team. Miranda is the more sensible member of the group while quiet Charlotte slowly comes out of her shell across the seasons.
Like any series that runs for this long, there’s some good and bad episodes but Sex and the City does well more often than not, bowing out with a suitably emotional ending.
Desperate Housewives
Similarities – Characters, Romance & Mystery
If you haven’t watched Desperate Housewives you’re missing out. On the surface, this looks like a simple, trashy soap opera with little in the way of redeeming features. Only, under the hood is an absorbing and engrossing show that weaves numerous secrets and truths through the lives of female friends in one suburban neighborhood.
The mysterious suicide of a neighbor is the catalyst for all this gossip but it soon materializes in surprisingly compelling ways. The fascinating way these characters progress and the secrets they begin to keep is ultimately what makes this such an enthralling watch.
Easy
Similarities – Characters & Romance
Although Easy is labelled as a comedy, it’s really anything but. This romantic drama anthology gravitates around unconnected stories exploring groups of people in different stages of their life as they search for happiness and love in Chicago.
With each episode taking on a different set of characters and circumstances, there’s a good variety of attitudes toward love, sex and relationships that make Easy refreshingly different from other anthologies of its kind.
You can read our thoughts on Easy in our full season review here!
Love Life
Similarities – Romance & Messed Up Protagonist
Love Life is ultimately a series of two halves. The first plays out as a below-average rom-com. After 3 or 4 episodes however, this show comes into its own with a really strong second half.
The story centers on Darby, a hopeless romantic throwing herself head-first into different relationships to try and find romance.
Around the midway point Darby starts to grow up and mature, which is where the series settles into a good groove. There’s one particularly brilliant episode here that helps to bridge the gap between the good and the not-so-good too.
Love Life is a perfectly enjoyable binge-watch and a very easy one to blast through.
You can read our thoughts on Love Life in our full season review here!
Why Women Kill
Similarities – Characters & Cheating
Well written, deliciously camp and with a perfect balance of comedy and drama, Why Women Kill takes all the best elements of Desperate Housewives and Sex & The City and successfully blends them into one show.
With a trio of stories woven together through a common theme of murder, the episodes tick along at a decent pace. There’s also enough variation and intrigue between them to make for a solid binge-watch.
The three narratives follow a different tone and theme but all revolve around women toying with the idea of murdering their significant others. The second season does take on a more streamlined narrative, to mixed results, but the first season is undoubtedly brilliant.
You can read our thoughts on Why Women Kill in our full season review here!
Love
Similarities – Love & Romance
Love is a well written and refreshing series that tackles the trials and tribulations of modern relationships. With a good blend of drama and comedy, this Netflix Original is definitely worth a watch.
The story revolves around rebellious Mickey and good-natured Gus, who find themselves navigating the world of love and lust. Funny but with an equal emphasis on drama too, Love does a great job balancing its story with character development.
Gypsy
Similarities – Characters & Melodrama
Gypsy is a psychological thriller on Netflix that leans into its erotic story in the best way possible.
At the center of this is Jean, a New York based therapist with a successful practice and a seemingly picturesque life. However, when she starts to develop intimate and illicit relationships with people within her patients’ lives, the line between professional and personal start to blur.
As one may expect from a show like this, things do become very melodramatic and Jean’s spiraling life will keep you hanging on to see exactly how this plays out.
Do be warned though, this is another show that was canceled before its time! However, what’s here is satisfying enough to watch.
So there we have it, our 10 TV show alternatives to watch when you’re finished with Sex/Life on Netflix.
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!