Showtime Channel Nixes Season 5 of Masters of Sex
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Series info and plot
Masters of Sex is a Showtime period drama series based on an eponymous book by Thomas Maier which has originally premiered in 2013. The show is developed by Michelle Ashford, and executive produced by Ashford, Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly, Amy Lippman and Judith Verno. The current fourth season debuted on September 11, 2016 with 12 new one-hour episodes.
The story follows groundbreaking researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri – Dr. William Masters (Michael Sheen) and Virginia Johnson (Lizzy Caplan) in their personal and professional endeavors. The original story started in the 1950s, while the current fourth installment takes the story into the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Viewership and prospects of renewal
The seductive show is based on two well-known historical figures and follows the basic scheme of events as they occurred in reality, but it adorns the narrative with flourishes that are not necessarily historically accurate and with invented characters. The current season of Masters of Sex premiered to 0.518 million viewers, and the second episode drew an audience of 0.42 million fans. The ratings have been gradually sliding since the 1 million average of season one, but are still reasonable. The show has been mostly positively received over the course of its run, with special praise extended to multidimensional storytelling and epic characters. Since the third season the acclaim has become less unanimous, yet the show is still very popular and seems to have strong renewal potential.
Season 4 recap
On November 13, 2016 Showtime's seductive period drama Masters of Sex concluded broadcasting its 10-episode fourth season. The season finale failed to draw a huge audience airing to 0.457 million viewers, just as the season as a whole did not exhibit strong ratings. In fact, the average for season four is less than 50% of what the freshman installment delivered. Both viewers and critics noted that the final episode, “The Eyes of God”, felt like a series finale in many ways. Bill and Virginia solidified their marriage, but it does not seem like their relationship has a bright future ahead of it. Additionally, Libby took a courageous step that may change her future, Barton stood up to Bill and Art let Nancy know where he stands. The series has yet to be renewed for season 5, but considering the ratings dynamics, it's not clear whether the show will have another chance. Stay tuned, and we will inform you as soon as Showtime reveals its decision.
Latest news
UPDATED December 1, 2016: Did you see that coming? Showtime will not be commissioning any further episodes of Masters of Sex. The show was canceled several weeks after airing its season 4 finale, which served as a series finale, provided closure and completing the story arcs, as Bill and Virginia finally tie the knot. The ratings have slipped considerably over the course of the series' run, so Showtime predictably decided that it was time to wrap up the story. Farewell, Masters of Sex.
‘Masters Of Sex’ To End: No Season 5 For Showtime Drama Series https://t.co/sfF5VGD08w pic.twitter.com/xUv7KDCxY0
— Deadline Hollywood (@Deadline) November 30, 2016
Episodes
| # | Name | Air Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Freefall | Sep 11, 2016 |
| 2 | Inventory | Sep 18, 2016 |
| 3 | The Pleasure Protocol | Sep 25, 2016 |
| 4 | Coats or Keys | Oct 2, 2016 |
| 5 | Outliers | Oct 9, 2016 |
| 6 | Family Only | Oct 16, 2016 |
| 7 | In to Me You See | Oct 23, 2016 |
| 8 | Topeka | Oct 30, 2016 |
| 9 | Night and Day | Nov 6, 2016 |
| 10 | The Eyes of God | Nov 13, 2016 |
| # | Name | Air Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parliament of Owls | Jul 12, 2015 |
| 2 | Three's a Crowd | Jul 19, 2015 |
| 3 | The Excitement of Release | Jul 26, 2015 |
| 4 | Undue Influence | Aug 2, 2015 |
| 5 | Matters of Gravity | Aug 9, 2015 |
| 6 | Two Scents | Aug 16, 2015 |
| 7 | Monkey Business | Aug 23, 2015 |
| 8 | Surrogates | Aug 30, 2015 |
| 9 | High Anxiety | Sep 6, 2015 |
| 10 | Through a Glass, Darkly | Sep 13, 2015 |
| 11 | Party of Four | Sep 20, 2015 |
| 12 | Full Ten Count | Sep 27, 2015 |
| # | Name | Air Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parallax | Jul 13, 2014 |
| 2 | Kyrie Eleison | Jul 20, 2014 |
| 3 | Fight | Jul 27, 2014 |
| 4 | Dirty Jobs | Aug 3, 2014 |
| 5 | Giants | Aug 10, 2014 |
| 6 | Blackbird | Aug 17, 2014 |
| 7 | Asterion | Aug 24, 2014 |
| 8 | Mirror, Mirror | Aug 31, 2014 |
| 9 | Story of My Life | Sep 7, 2014 |
| 10 | Below the Belt | Sep 14, 2014 |
| 11 | One for the Money, Two for the Show | Sep 21, 2014 |
| 12 | The Revolution Will Not Be Televised | Sep 28, 2014 |
| # | Name | Air Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot | Sep 29, 2013 |
| 2 | Race to Space | Oct 6, 2013 |
| 3 | Standard Deviation | Oct 13, 2013 |
| 4 | Thank You for Coming | Oct 20, 2013 |
| 5 | Catherine | Oct 27, 2013 |
| 6 | Brave New World | Nov 3, 2013 |
| 7 | All Together Now | Nov 10, 2013 |
| 8 | Love and Marriage | Nov 17, 2013 |
| 9 | Involuntary | Nov 24, 2013 |
| 10 | Fallout | Dec 1, 2013 |
| 11 | Phallic Victories | Dec 8, 2013 |
| 12 | Manhigh | Dec 15, 2013 |
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Comments 14
I'm literally in love with this show!
They really did a great job putting this show together.
All thier facts are correct.
Their terminology is on spot.
As a recent medical graduate,
I find this show absolutely intriguing.
Love it.