How Mindy Kaling Creates Safe Space With Sex Lives of College Girls
It wouldn’t be The Sex Lives of College Girls without sex.
Everybody’s favorite college freshmen are back for season two, and the creative minds behind the hit series—including creators Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble, and cast Reneé Rapp, Pauline Chalamet, Amrit Kaur and Alyah Chanelle Scott—are opening up about why the show’s steamier scenes are just as necessary as the chaste ones.
“Personally, I grew up watching shows where sex was like hot, heavy sex,” Scott exclusively explained to E! News. “When I was a kid, I thought that was all sex was, you know what I mean? And so I didn’t see the other side of sex until I started having sex. And I was like, ‘Wait, it’s not like that at all.’ So it’s nice to be a different approach to that, to sexuality and sex. There are a lot of shows doing it now on TV, but I’m glad to be one of them.”
But the series didn’t just help fans: according to Kaling, 43, working on The Sex Lives of College Girls made her feel more comfortable with the topic in general.
“I think I had to get cool with being cool with sex,” she revealed. “I feel like I am sex negative. I’m like very much of a prude.”
The Office alum continued, saying it’s “really fun” that, in 2022, “these girls don’t have the same peccadillos as we did about our bodies and openness.”
Plus, during season two of the series, the actresses noted that they’re more comfortable shooting those sexual scenes—especially thanks to intimacy coordinator Kelley Flynn—although Chalamet shared these moments aren’t as racy as they could be.
“I think the sexual scenes that we play on the show are actually quite safe,” Chalamet explained. “We see a lot of post coital sex. We see tops on, you know? There’s no objectification, I don’t believe, of women on the show. So I think I have at least always felt very safe and I found it to be fun to learn what it is to be playing this in a comedy.”
The first two episodes of The Sex Lives of College Girls season two are now available to stream on HBO Max, with new episodes dropping every Thursday. Keep scrolling to read about television’s steamiest TV shows.
Hulu
Normal People
If you’re looking for heartbreak, a coming-of-age story and steamy encounters, look no further! Normal People follows the romantic highs and lows of Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell (Paul Mescal), who come from different backgrounds but can’t seem to quit each other.
Where to watch it: Hulu
Enda Bowe/Hulu
Conversations With Friends
When you’ve finished with Normal People, stay on Hulu to watch the TV adaptation of Sally Rooney‘s debut novel, Conversations With Friends. Much like Normal People, Conversations With Friends is set in Ireland and offers up several sex scenes, as it follows college student Frances (Alison Oliver) as she embarks on an affair with married Nick (Joe Alwyn).
Where to watch it: Hulu
Katrina Marcinowski / HBO Max
Minx
Minx follows ultra-feminist Joyce (Ophelia Lovibond) and porn king Doug (Jake Johnson) as they launch a female erotica magazine with the help of a housewife, a porn model and the occasional mafioso.
Where to watch it: HBO Max
HBO Max
Sex Lives of College Girls
Sex Lives of College Girls follows Pauline Chalamet, Amrit Kaur, Reneé Rapp and Alyah Chanelle Scott as four college roommates at Essex College, where they embark on adult relationships for the first time.
Where to watch it: HBO Max
STARZ
Vida
In Vida, after their mother passes away, estranged sisters Lyn (Melissa Barrera) and Emma (Mishel Prada) are forced to return to their old Los Angeles neighborhood. During this time, the sisters both rekindle relationships with past lovers, explore their dreams and look to the future. In addition to exploring themes about sexual identity and gentrification, Vida provides plenty of sexy scenes you won’t want to miss.
Where to watch it: Starz
AMANDA MATLOVICH/NETFLIX
Sex/Life
It’s safe to say that this show is NSFW! The title certainly gives it away that Sex/Life, starring Sarah Shahi, Adam Demos and Mike Vogel, has plenty of sexy scenes, but one moment seems to be the break out. We’re, of course, talking about Adam going full frontal for a jaw-dropping shower scene.
And that’s just one of the many steamy moments that you can expect from this drama.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Shutterstock
Sex and the City
The OG sexy show! Sex and the City follows sex columnist Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) and her fabulous friends Charlotte York (Kristin Davis), Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) and Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) as they experience life in New York City. Taking a humorous approach at sex, Sex and the City gave a modern look at dating in the ’90s and ’00s.
Where to watch it: HBO Max
Merie W. Wallace/HBO
Insecure
Insecure may be one of the best comedies out there, but it also has its fair share of sexy moments. When we aren’t laughing at the misadventures of leading lady Issa (co-creator Issa Rae), we are fanning ourselves off from the show’s steamier scenes. We’ll never forget the episode where Issa and Nathan (Kendrick Sampson) heat up a Ferris wheel ride with some S-E-X!
Where to watch it: HBO Max
Showtime/Kobal/Shutterstock
The L Word
The L Word, which ran between January 2004 and March 2009, is a fictionalized look at the lesbian and bisexual community in West Hollywood, Calif. Following a friend group—which includes Jennifer Beals, Katherine Moennig, Leisha Hailey and more—themes of fidelity, family and identity are explored. Oh, and there are several notable sex scenes too.
Where to watch it: Showtime (FYI, a spinoff, called The L Word: Generation Q, is also airing on Showtime.)
Starz!/Kobal/Shutterstock
Outlander
We are telling you this now: Do not watch Outlander with your parents. Yes, the historical drama has everything, including time travel, star-crossed romances, action and incredible fashion, but the steamy sex scenes are not something you want to experience sitting next to Mom or Dad. Warning aside, you shouldn’t miss Claire Beauchamp Randall (Caitriona Balfe), a former WWII nurse who mysteriously ends up in 1743 Scotland, as she falls in love with handsome Highlander Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan).
Where to watch it: Starz
Netflix
Elite
Elite may be one the sexiest shows out there. The Spanish teen drama has featured multiple threesomes, intimate first hookups and saucy sex dreams. Intrigued? Season five comes out in April.
Where to watch it: Netflix
SHOWTIME
Shameless
With a name like Shameless, you know you’re in for a wild ride with this show. Following the chaotic lives of the Gallagher family in the South Side of Chicago, everything from alcoholism to teenage pregnancy to social class is explored. Of course, the show is also known for its wild sex scenes, which have featured BDSM, voyeuristic pleasure and more.
Where to watch it: Showtime and Netflix
HBO
True Blood
More than just a supernatural drama! True Blood follows the adventures of Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a half-fairy waitress with the ability to hear people’s thoughts. Along the way, she falls for a 100-plus-year-old vampire, Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer). If graveyard sex is your thing, than you’ll definitely enjoy True Blood.
Where to watch it: HBO Max
Steven Lippman/SHOWTIME
The Affair
As you may’ve guessed, The Affair explores how extramarital activities affect those involved and their loved ones. Starring Dominic West, Ruth Wilson, Maura Tierney and Joshua Jackson, the sexy drama ran for five seasons between 2014 and 2019.
Where to watch it: Showtime and Peacock
Ken Woroner/Starz!/Kobal/Shutterstock
The Girlfriend Experience
The Girlfriend Experience is an anthology drama series that follows the double lives of high-end escorts. Season one starred Riley Keough as law student Christine, who turned to sex work to help pay her bills. Along the way, Christine discovered corruption at her internship and a thrill for her escort work. It’s safe to say that this is one of the steamiest shows out there.
Where to watch it: Starz
SHOWTIME
Californication
Sex, drugs and drinking were the chaotic themes at the heart of Californication, which ran for seven seasons between 2007 and 2014. David Duchovny played the series’ hedonistic lead Hank Moody, who engaged in many sexy activities.
Where to watch it: Showtime
Hbo/Album/Entertainment Pictures via ZUMA Press
Girls
The romantic and professional lives of 20-somethings in an NYC-based friend group is featured in HBO’s hit, Girls. The series, which ran for six seasons between 2012 and 2017, was unafraid to show the unglamorous moments of post-college life. This meant lots of realistic sex scenes, nudity and more.
Where to watch it: HBO Max
ITV/Shutterstock
Secret Diary of a Call Girl
The title alone should’ve been a giveaway that this is a pretty steamy show. Secret Diary of a Call Girl, which starred Billie Piper during its four-season run, takes a closer look at the escort industry in London. The show was equal parts comedy and drama as it tackled a unique approach to sexual encounters.
Where to watch it: Tubi
Netflix
Bridgerton
Bridgerton isn’t your everyday period piece. Based off Julia Quinn‘s romance book series, the historical drama follows an aristocratic family in the Regency era as they try to find love. Season one told the story of oldest daughter Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor), who found an unexpected love match in reformed rake Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page), the Duke of Hastings. (Warning: A sex scene set to an orchestral version of Taylor Swift‘s “Wildest Dreams” will have you sweating.) Season two, starring Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley, featured fewer sex scenes but more angst.
Where to watch it: Netflix
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