Masters of Sex is an American period drama television series that premiered on September 29, 2013, on Showtime.

As noted by the Los Angeles Times television critic, the series "hangs on bones of fact"; "it's more useful for the viewer to think of it as all made up.

Indeed, it's down these side streets, casting a brief light on a passing character (patients, prostitutes, a provost's wife), that the show finds many of its best moments.

In 1956, he prepares to initiate a study on human sexuality but predicts opposition from the university's provost Barton Scully (Beau Bridges).

He hires Virginia Johnson (Lizzy Caplan), a former nightclub singer, to be his new secretary and help organize his new research program.

Libby discovers her husband's lies and proceeds to be artificially inseminated; she subsequently gives birth to their child Johnny.

After Masters promotes Johnson to be his research associate, the two make themselves the subjects of their own study by having sex with each other and charting their physiology.

After developing a successful technique, Masters and Johnson move on to treating couples and are interviewed by CBS for their work.

While the public reception is mixed, it increases their recognition and they begin taking on high-profile clients hoping to remedy their sex life.

The duo take on an investor to help fund their practice, perfume magnate Dan Logan (Josh Charles).

With Logan's work at the clinic nearing its end, he and Johnson seem to develop true feelings for each other; this devastates Masters.

With the Masters and Johnson partnership appearing dead, potential investor Hugh Hefner insists they repair their brand.

Showtime ordered the pilot for Masters of Sex in August 2011,[14] and greenlit it for series in June 2012, with the first season consisting of twelve episodes.

[19] Prop master Jeffrey Johnson noted the difficulty of obtaining accurate information about sexual devices from the time period.

[27] Virgin Media acquired the UK rights for Masters of Sex and it started airing on September 21, 2018.

The site's consensus states: "Seductive and nuanced, Masters of Sex features smart performances, deft direction, and impeccable period decor.

"[33] 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".

[34] David Wiegand of the San Francisco Chronicle particularly praised the performances, calling them "extraordinary" and "stunning", and noting the series' A-list directors, among them Michael Apted and John Madden.

[35] 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.

"[36] Alan Sepinwall of HitFix praised lead actors Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan, calling them "terrific", and saying that "Masters of Sex is the best new show of the fall by a very long stretch.

But even in an age when Masters of Sex is a TV show, the subject remains stubbornly powerful, private and confounding.

The consensus reads: "Boasting an expanded storyline and broader focus, Masters of Sex's second season improves on its already outstanding predecessor.

The consensus reads, "With a six-year leap forward in the timeline, Masters of Sex takes an intriguing dramatic turn, but may leave a few viewers feeling frustrated.

The consensus reads, "Masters of Sex closes the book with a stylish final season that doesn't aim to scale the heights of the series' artistic peak, but satisfies with its thoughtful investigation of its two protagonists' diverging paths.