Tell Me You Love Me (TV series)

Last updated
Tell Me You Love Me
Tell Me You Love Me (TV series).jpg
Promotional poster
Created by Cynthia Mort
Starring
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10
Production
Production locations Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Running time47-55 minutes
Original release
Network HBO
ReleaseSeptember 9 (2007-09-09) 
November 11, 2007 (2007-11-11)

Tell Me You Love Me is an American drama television series that premiered on HBO on September 9, 2007.

Contents

The series was created by Cynthia Mort and originally conceived as Sexlife. The pilot episode was produced and directed by Patricia Rozema and shot in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The series was picked up by HBO for a second season in October 2007, but was ultimately canceled in July 2008 when Mort said she and the network "were unable to find the direction of the show for the second season". [1]

Overview

Tell Me You Love Me revolves around three couples, Jamie and Hugo (Borth and Kirby), Katie and David (Walker and DeKay), and Carolyn and Palek (Walger and Scott), each with their own problems concerning intimacy in their relationships. They seek the help of therapist May Foster (Alexander), who herself has relationship problems with her partner Arthur (Selby).

Cast

Regular cast

Recurring guest stars

Structure

Each episode screens without any introduction, no title cards, and no opening credits. The episodes are also shot with handheld cameras, giving the show a somewhat documentary-like feel. No episode has a music score or soundtrack, except for one song which generally starts in the last two to three scenes and carries over the closing credits. The title card for the show is not shown until immediately before the closing credits.

Depiction of sex

The series gained early publicity because of its extremely realistic depictions of sexual intercourse, oral sex and masturbation. [2] [3] [4] Despite persistent rumors to the contrary, and a notable lack of comment on the matter from either HBO or the production team, the sex scenes were simulated. Director Patricia Rozema was among those to have addressed this issue directly:

But it's not real, it's simulated. At one point, one of the producers was floating this idea in the trade papers that it would be real sex in the series. I immediately said, "Well, find another director, I don't want to do that." I wasn't interested in that. [5]

With regard to these controversial scenes actress Jane Alexander has said the following:

You know, people tend to believe those scenes, when they see them, are real, but they're not. They're acted. Our union doesn't even let us have any real sex, not that we would anyway. But just acting with someone like David [Selby], whom I have known for so long, it was fine. Those scenes are never easy. [6]

Reception

Time 's James Poniewozik named it one of the Top 10 New TV Series of 2007, ranking it at #3. [7]

The first episode of the show only attracted a total of about 910,000 viewers—far fewer than what the network had been pulling in for previous series such as Rome , Deadwood , and even the ill-fated John from Cincinnati . [8] A month after its debut, HBO claimed the show had drawn a total of 3.1 million viewers across seven broadcasts. [9]

Home media

DVD nameCountryRelease dateEp #Additional information
The Complete First SeasonUnited StatesFebruary 11, 200810Four audio commentaries
The Complete First SeasonAustraliaApril 29, 200910
The Complete First Season (כל פרקי העונה הראשונה)Israel200810

Related Research Articles

<i>The Sopranos</i> American crime drama television series

The Sopranos is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series revolves around Tony Soprano, a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster who struggles to balance his family life with his role as the leader of a criminal organization, which he reluctantly explores during therapy sessions with psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi. The series also features Tony's various family members, Mafia colleagues, and rivals in prominent roles—most notably his wife Carmela and his protégé and distant cousin Christopher Moltisanti.

<i>Sex and the City</i> American TV series

Sex and the City is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO. An adaptation of Candace Bushnell's newspaper column and 1996 book anthology of the same name, the series premiered in the United States on June 6, 1998, and concluded on February 22, 2004, with 94 episodes broadcast over six seasons. Throughout its development, the series received contributions from various producers, screenwriters, and directors, principally Michael Patrick King.

<i>Carnivàle</i> 2003–2005 American television series

Carnivàle is an American television series set in the United States Dust Bowl during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The series, created by Daniel Knauf, ran for two seasons between 2003 and 2005. In tracing the lives of disparate groups of people in a traveling carnival, Knauf's story combined a bleak atmosphere with elements of the surreal in portraying struggles between good and evil and between free will and destiny. The show's mythology drew upon themes and motifs from traditional Christianity and gnosticism together with Masonic lore, particularly that of the Knights Templar order.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patricia Rozema</span> Canadian film director, writer and producer

Patricia Rozema is a Canadian film director, writer and producer. She was part of a loosely-affiliated group of filmmakers to emerge in 1980s from Toronto known as the Toronto New Wave.

<i>Rome</i> (TV series) Historical drama television series (2005–2007)

Rome is a historical drama television series released 2005–2007 created by John Milius, William J. MacDonald, and Bruno Heller. The series is set in the 1st century BC, during Ancient Rome's transition from Republic to Empire. The series features a sprawling cast of characters, many based on real figures from historical records, but the lead protagonists are ultimately two soldiers named Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo, who find their lives intertwined with key historical events.

<i>Big Love</i> American drama television series

Big Love is an American drama television series that aired on HBO from March 11, 2006, to March 20, 2011. It stars Bill Paxton as the patriarch of a fundamentalist Mormon family in contemporary Utah that practices polygamy, with Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloë Sevigny, and Ginnifer Goodwin portraying his wives. The series charts the family's life in and out of the public sphere in their Salt Lake City suburb, as well as their associations with a fundamentalist compound in the area. It features key supporting performances from Amanda Seyfried, Grace Zabriskie, Daveigh Chase, Matt Ross, Mary Kay Place, Bruce Dern, Melora Walters, and Harry Dean Stanton.

Allene Damian "Ally" Walker is an American actress. She made her television debut in the NBC daytime soap opera Santa Barbara (1988) before landing the leading roles on the short-lived dramas True Blue (1989–1990), and Moon Over Miami (1993).

The Mind of the Married Man is a television series that ran on the HBO network for two seasons consisting of twenty episodes between September 2001 and November 2002. The story focused on the challenges of modern-day married life from a male perspective.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonya Walger</span> British-American actress (born 1974)

Sonya Walger is a British actress who also holds American citizenship. She had starring roles in the short-lived sitcoms The Mind of the Married Man (2001–2002) and Coupling (2003) before landing her role as Penny Widmore in the ABC drama series Lost (2006–2010). Walger later starred on Tell Me You Love Me (2007), FlashForward (2009–2010), Common Law (2012), The Catch (2016–2017) and For All Mankind (2019–2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle Borth</span> American actress (born 1978)

Michelle Borth is an American actress who has portrayed characters on The Forgotten and the HBO series Tell Me You Love Me. Borth played Catherine Rollins on the CBS crime-drama Hawaii Five-0.

Strange Love (<i>True Blood</i>) 1st episode of the 1st season of True Blood

"Strange Love" is the pilot episode of True Blood. The episode was written and directed by Alan Ball and originally aired in the United States on HBO on September 7, 2008. In the episode, Sookie Stackhouse meets vampire Bill Compton and saves him from vicious vampire drainers, while her best friend Tara becomes the new bartender at Sam Merlotte's bar and Sookie's brother Jason finds himself accused of murder. The episode received generally positive reviews from critics. It was rated TV-MA for Adult Content, Adult Language, Nudity, Strong Sexual Content, and Violence.

"Pawnee Zoo" is the second season premiere of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the seventh overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on September 17, 2009. In the episode, Leslie accidentally takes a stand in favor of same-sex marriage when she holds a marriage for two male penguins during a publicity stunt for the zoo.

Happily Ever After (<i>Lost</i>) 11th episode of the 6th season of Lost

"Happily Ever After" is the 11th television episode of the American Broadcasting Company's sixth season of the serial drama television series Lost and 114th episode overall. The episode was aired on April 6, 2010, on ABC in the United States. The episode was written by showrunners and executive producers Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse and directed by Jack Bender. The episode is centered on Desmond Hume.

<i>Enlightened</i> (TV series) American comedy-drama television series

Enlightened is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on October 10, 2011. The series was created by Mike White, who wrote every episode, and Laura Dern. As signaled by its tagline "About a woman on the verge of a nervous breakthrough", Enlightened follows the story of Amy Jellicoe (Dern), a self-destructive executive, who, after the implosion of her professional life and a subsequent philosophical awakening in rehabilitation, tries to get her life back together.

"Sexy" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of the American musical comedy-drama television series Glee, and the thirty-seventh episode overall. It was written by Brad Falchuk, directed by Ryan Murphy, and first aired on the Fox network on March 8, 2011. The episode mainly revolves around the topics of sex and adolescent sexuality. In it, Holly Holliday returns to McKinley High School as a substitute teacher in a class devoted to sex education. Glee club director Will Schuester begins to develop feelings for Holly, and guidance counselor and celibacy club advisor Emma Pillsbury is less than pleased with Holly's lessons. Santana expresses her love for Brittany, and Burt Hummel has a talk with his son Kurt about sex.

"Winter Is Coming" is the series premiere of the HBO medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones. The first episode of the first season, it was written by series creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, in an adaptation of the first chapters of George R. R. Martin's book A Game of Thrones. The episode was directed by Tim Van Patten, redoing the work done by director Tom McCarthy in an unaired pilot.

"You Win or You Die" is the seventh episode of the first season of the HBO medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones. It was written by series creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Daniel Minahan. It first aired on May 29, 2011, and was released in advance immediately following the conclusion of "A Golden Crown" to HBO customers with access to HBO Go.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sexposition</span> Narrative technique in visual media

In visual media such as television and film, sexposition is the technique of providing exposition against a backdrop of sex or nudity. The Financial Times defined sexposition as "keeping viewers hooked by combining complex plot exposition with explicit sexual goings-on". Its purpose, according to James Poniewozik, is to divert the audience and give characters something to do while exposition is being delivered, which is what distinguishes sexposition from merely gratuitous titillation.

<i>The Deuce</i> (TV series) American drama television series

The Deuce is an American drama television series created by David Simon and George Pelecanos, set in New York City during the 1970s and 1980s. The pilot received a greenlight in January 2016. It is broadcast by HBO in the United States and premiered on September 10, 2017. HBO made the pilot available through its streaming services and affiliates on August 25, 2017.

Cynthia Mort is an American director, screenwriter, and producer. Mort has worked primarily in television since beginning her career in 1994, writing for the sitcom Roseanne. Her notable works include the HBO series Tell Me You Love Me as a creator and executive producer, the revenge film The Brave One (2007) as a screenwriter, and the biopic Nina (2016) as a director.

References

  1. Rice, Lynette (July 28, 2008). "Tell Me You Love Me: HBO Pulls the Plug After All". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on January 14, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  2. Owen, Rob (July 16, 2007). "Tuned In: Star Jones unveils new look in promoting new talk show". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Archived from the original on August 25, 2007. Retrieved July 16, 2007.
  3. "HBO gets raw -- or is it raunchy? -- with sexually explicit 'Tell Me You Love Me'". Los Angeles Times . July 14, 2007. Archived from the original on May 20, 2009.
  4. Topel, Fred (9 September 2007). "'Tell Me You Love Me': A Different Kind of Real Sex for HBO". Hollywood.com. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  5. Morrow, Martin (October 1, 2007). "Sex Talk". CBC News. Archived from the original on June 30, 2010. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  6. Crook, John (September 9, 2007). "'Tell Me You Love Me' Bares Bodies and Souls". Zap2it. Archived from the original on December 16, 2009. Retrieved September 11, 2007.
  7. Poniewozik, James (9 December 2007). "Top 10 New TV Series: #3. Tell Me You Love Me". Time . Archived from the original on December 12, 2007. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  8. "HBO's 'Tell Me' speaks to few". Variety . September 11, 2007.
  9. Claustro, Lisa (October 5, 2007). "HBO Renews 'Tell Me You Love Me'". Buddy TV. Archived from the original on March 2, 2009. Retrieved October 8, 2007.